REACTION: Should cabbies have the right to refuse drunk passengers?
Posted March 18, 2015 4:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After enjoying a night out in the Entertainment District, Sherian Clarke and her friend left the bar, admittedly drunk — and tried hailing a cab. One by one, Clarke says they were turned away.
The pair was finally picked up by a willing driver, only to be quickly kicked out of the cab. Clarke admits her friend was so drunk, she couldn’t walk on her own.
“He said ‘I don’t want her to get sick in my car and he drove off,’ ” she told CityNews.
Whether a driver can refuse a person who is drunk is a bit of a grey area. The taxi bylaw states a driver can refuse a fare if someone is obnoxious or abusive. Ultimately the driver has the final say.
“It’s the driver’s discretion absolutely,” said Sajid Mughal, President of the iTaxiworkers Association. “There’s no black and white answer for that.”
Many drivers admit they turn drunk people away because they don’t want to take their chances and deal with someone getting sick in their taxi — a misfortune that can prove costly and time consuming to clean.
So, do you think cabbies should be able to turn away drunk customers? Here’s some online reaction to that question.
