The next taxi people in the city ride in should be safe and clean. Over the month of October, Enforcement Services will be performing fall inspections on taxis and limo services in Grande Prairie. Sergeant Ross Gear says taxis are inspected at least twice a year to make sure they are in good shape.
“We want to make sure that the taxis are well maintained…They provide a very important service for the people of Grande Prairie but at the same time we want to make sure that they’re clean and safe and able to move our citizens in a good safe manner.”
The fall inspection is done by three officers over a six-day period. They will be looking to make sure drivers have the proper licenses they need as well as the proper signage and a good knowledge of the city. There is also a full safety done on the vehicle to make sure it is road worthy. Gear says that because the taxis are inspected so frequently he hasn’t heard of many complaints coming in.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any real concern with the taxis and that’s because they are inspected quite regularly. Not only that, at certain times during the year we’ll just have our officers pull over taxis at random and do spot checks to make sure everything is properly regulated.”
Gear says officers have inspected 26 taxis so far this month and that will continue until all cars have been looked at. If minor issues are found the driver or company is given time to fix it. If it’s a major issue, the car is taken off the road immediately.
He wants to remind people that if they do see an issue with a taxi or a limo service they can call Enforcement Services at 780-830-5790.