Halifax cabbie gets parking fine after helping senior

A Halifax cab driver has been fined $25 after getting out of his vehicle to help a senior citizen get into his cab.

Just before 5 p.m.Monday on busy Spring Garden Road, cab driverFrank Lewis pulled over in front of Park Lane Mall. His fare, 88-year-old Jean Brown, was sitting on her walker, waiting.

"The parking attendant was standing about threeor fourfeet away from her and he saw me coming," Lewis said. "But, it seemed like he had intentions, y'know? He never said a word ... He stood there, and I saw him takeout his little electronic writer and he started scribbling."

Lewis had pulled up near, but not directly, at the mall's taxi stand. He said Brown "could hardly stand, and was looking very helplessly with her walker."

I wasn't going to be intimidated.- Frank Lewis, cabbie

He got out of his cab, helped Brown into the front seat, and loaded her walker into thetrunk. Before he could pull away, the officer slippeda ticket on his windshield and explained cars weren't allowed to stop there between the hours of 4-6 p.m.

"I knew he was gonnagive me a ticket, but I know I was gonnapick her up. I wasn't going to be intimidated."

Brown, who has severe arthritis in her hip, said the parking attendantcouldjust as easily have told her to wait a littlecloser to the taxi stand.

Instead, she said, he clearly chose toticket the first car that he saw breaking the rules.

"He didn't say anything and he didn't warn the driver," she said. "He was just writing the ticket out. And it happened so quickly."

While speaking with Maritime Noon, Lewis was asked why he chose "the gentlemanly thing"over sparing himself a $25 fine.

"It's all about discretion," he explains. "The buses are allowed to stop between fourand sixto pick passengers up on the same street there.... [Cabbies] provide an exact same service:public transportation. We are licensed by the same Municipality of Halifax. We should be allowed to pick people up and drop people off momentarily, same as the bus."

Lewis has already begun filling out the paperwork to appeal the ticket. He now has to wait two weeks to hear back from the municipality. If he goes to court, he says he will fight for what he believes is the right thing.

"This is a handicapped lady, this is a senior citizen. And how can [the attendant] do something like that?...He should be helping her get in the car instead of writing the ticket."