Burlington city council approves amending by-law to expand taxi service providers

City council has approved amending the Public Vehicle By-law to allow exemptions to existing licensing requirements so other taxi services can apply to provide service for Burlington residents.

The decision was made at a special council meeting last night following the closure of the city’s primary taxi service provider on Nov. 26. The mayor of Burlington said the amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution to quickly replace lost taxi service. 

“By passing that bylaw, it offers a level playing field for any company to bid and come to the city with a proposal,” Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said in an interview on Morning Live Wednesday. “We hope to have something up and running in a couple of days. That is a temporary solution while staff also, in parallel, look at long-term changes to our bylaw.”

The by-law that regulates the issuance of new taxi licences was written to meet the needs of the taxi business model that existed in 2009.

To allow new business to enter the Burlington transportation market, City staff recommended interim by-law amendments. These amendments will help provide flexibility in the application process and meet demands of current business models.

“We waved our usual provisions to delegate to staff the ability to issue licenses to companies outside of Burlington, adjust rates and fees accordingly and a number of other measures to get them up and running,” Ward said.

Applications for new taxi owner licences and plates will be open starting Dec. 2 until all spaces are full.

The by-law amendment allows licences to be awarded on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis.

Applicants can visit burlington.ca/taxilicence for more information on the criteria and documentation required.