The Toronto taxi industry is ringing in the New Year with a new set of resolutions it hopes will help lure back customers to a service increasingly being gobbled up by Uber.
The Toronto Taxi Alliance (TTA) has released a six-point plan which includes maintaining a cleaner interior, doing a better job accommodating short fares and having a more friendlier attitude towards customers.
“We believe every person is responsible for their own attitude and everyone can choose to do better, for the benefit of their own profitability and for the benefit of the taxi industry as a whole,” said Toronto Taxi Alliance spokesperson Sam Moini in a media release.
“Our customers deserve a pleasant ride with an attentive driver.”
The Taxi Alliance is also encouraging drivers to stay off their cell phones while carrying passengers.
“Riders mention how much they dislike this,” Moini said. “We urge drivers to use their cell phones at times when they do not have a fare in their cab.”
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Another promise the industry hopes to keep is to install credit card machines in all of its vehicles in 2016.
“Every cab driver in Toronto needs to have a working credit card machine and the TTA is in discussions with service providers to work out a convenient deal with cabbies,” said Moini.
The TTA says its final New Year’s resolution would be to have its drivers avoid blocking bicycle lanes when picking up or dropping off passengers.
The Toronto taxi industry says it is facing increased competition from ride-sharing services like Uber as city officials continue to look at regulations to stem the divide.
READ MORE: Toronto taxi drivers defy mayor as anti-Uber protest rages on
Mayor John Tory recently sent a letter to the city’s budget chief to institute a freeze on taxi licensing fees to help relieve the burden on drivers.
A Toronto taxi licence currently costs $780 per year and the scheduled hike in 2016 would raise the fee by $20.
The city voted in October to see the ridesharing app regulated and taxi base fares were also lowered on Nov. 1.
The taxi industry remains convinced Uber is consciously flouting the law by keeping its drivers on the road.
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