A Metro Vancouver taxi driver has been taken off the roads after getting caught driving in the separated bike lane on the Cambie Street Bridge Friday night.
Dashcam video sent to Global News shows the Bonny’s Taxi driving in the southbound bike lane, which is cordoned off by a concrete barrier, while a cyclist pedals in front of the vehicle.
The driver, who provided the dashcam and asked to be kept anonymous, said he and his girlfriend were leaving downtown around 6:30 p.m. when they saw the taxi.
He added he also saw a passenger in the taxi’s back seat.
“I think he was on his phone, so I don’t know if he was recording or what he was doing. If that had been me I would have been freaking out,” he said.
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The dashcam driver did not see the taxi enter the bike lane, and doesn’t know how the driver managed to get out again.
The video shows the taxi approach a section of the bike lane that narrows. The taxi would have had no choice but to stop and back up to the on-ramp or drive through a set of flexible pylons at the choke point.
“It couldn’t have been good for that driver or his car,” he said.
In an email, Bonny’s Taxi general manager Emon Bari said he was contacted by the dispatch office immediately after the video was obtained by other media.
“I have suspended the driver’s driving privileges pending a full investigation by our management team,” he said. “Unfortunately this will not happen until Monday.”
Bari said the company would not provide further comment until they interview the driver after the weekend.
Vancouver police confirmed they are aware of the incident and are investigating, but are not seeking further witnesses. The Ministry of Transportation said it was also aware.
The dashcam driver said the incident raises further safety concerns around taxi drivers, adding he has had close calls with other drivers who have sped or run red lights.
“Everybody has a taxi story, and these are people you pay to get home safely,” he said. “If they can’t follow the rules, then why are they on the roads to begin with?”
He said he was glad to hear the driver’s licence was suspended and is hopeful the story can set an example for others.
The incident comes just months after another taxi was caught on video driving in a separated bike lane in downtown Vancouver. That driver was suspended for 30 days and has since returned to the roads.
Ridesharing advocates have said such sights call into question the argument that taxis are safer than Uber or Lyft, explaining those drivers are taken off the system permanently for driving infractions.
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