Yes, you read that correctly. The taxi cab industry in Toronto is getting an overhaul. They’ve proposed many a change, which you can check out a summary here in this article, or take a look at ALL the proposed changes in detail here, most which will more directly impact the cab drivers themselves. However, some of those changes will impact the customers, and while some of the changes will be for the better (like mandatory accessibility for disabled persons) others…not so much. I can see some issues arising with their $25 fee for anyone who “soils” the cab primarily because…seriously?…if you’re drunk enough to puke in the cab to begin with, what’s the honest-to-God likelihood you’ll remember doing so in 10 minutes? And if you don’t believe you were the soiler, either from pure blackout drunkenness, or because you literally think you did not make whatever mess the cabbie is complaining about (because the actual law isn’t limited to puke: it does actually say soil), then what happens, an automatic trip to the cop shop to sort things out at 3am? However, issues aside, I can completely understand the validity behind imposing it, and a simple solution to any disputes (I mean, it’s pretty cut and dry and the end of the day, especially if you have an in-cab video camera…either you did it, or you didn’t. And bro? You puke in my car, your bill ends up being FAR greater than that, and is accompanied by me showing up at your door in the morning, handing you a scrub brush and some cleaning shit, and giving you the silent treatment til that god awful smell is fully gone).

But, the one thing I take MAJOR issue with, is the new law which will allow a cabbie to bill you upfront $25 based on whether or not in his opinion you will run out on your fare or not. And, of course, that judgment will be completely arbitrary. Basically, said cabbie gets to (more…)