West Vancouver police slammed the brakes on a North Vancouver cabbie, after clocking him driving drunk at almost 150 kilometres per hour on Highway 1. Now the cab company the taxi driver works for has handed him a red light as well.
The driver attracted police attention around 3 p.m. Sunday after officers doing speed checks near the Cypress Bowl Road exit noticed a yellow North Shore Taxi cab zoom by at nearly 60 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Police pulled the cab over near Caulfeild Drive, noting that the cabbie also wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
But after speaking with the driver – who was alone in the cab – officers became suspicious that he was also impaired. As a result of further investigation, which involved a request that the cab driver blow into a roadside screening device – police issued the 58-year-old driver a 90-day driving prohibition and impounded the cab for 30 days.
Police also issued a separate seven-day impound of the cab for excessive speed.
In addition to the three-month driving ban, the driver was slapped with two tickets: a $368 fine for excessive speed and a $167 ticket for not wearing a seat belt.
Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department, said the driver indicated to police he had been on his way to pick up a fare, “but we don’t have any information about where or when.”
Palmer said no further charges are being considered, but added the taxi driver faces the possibility of additional consequences as all impounds are subject to review by the superintendent of motor vehicles. Palmer added as the registered owner of the vehicle, the cab company was also notified of the impound.
Moonyem Mohammad, general manager of North Shore Taxi, said while he doesn’t have all the details of the incident, “we were a bit shocked and disappointed at the driver’s decision.”
The part-time driver, who has been driving a taxi once a week for about three years, has been suspended. Whether the driver gets to keep his job or not will depend on what’s in the police report and what the driver tells his bosses. Mohammad said following the impound, the driver was asked to come in and speak to the company’s safety committee but failed to show up, saying he had no way to get there.
Mohammad said it’s the taxi company that gets stuck with paying the impound fees, as well as incurring business losses from having one of its taxis off the road. The incident will also result in the company receiving demerit points with safety regulators.
Taxi companies are responsible for ensuring that their drivers are safe to drive, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, including ensuring drivers aren't under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Calling the incident “unfortunate,” Mohammad said the incident shouldn’t be used to bash all taxi drivers. “This is an isolated event and does not reflect the taxi industry in general,” he said.
Palmer said drunk driving and speeding are both very concerning as “two of the top risk factors associated with injury and fatality accidents.”
Police and ICBC are launching an enforcement campaign against speeders and other “high risk” drivers this month, including a province-wide blitz over the May long weekend.
West Vancouver police have impounded almost 100 cars so far this year for excessive speeding, compared to 46 during the same period last year, said Palmer.
