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Life behind the windshield
'This business is crazy': Cabbies coping with poor pay, rude fares, dangerous job
Amy Brown-Bowers
National Post
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Taxi drivers get ripped off, roughed up and robbed. They rarely see their families and battle weight gain and fatigue. They work 12-hour shifts sometimes seven days a week for what often amounts to little more than minimum wage. These former doctors and engineers are cleaning up vomit and taking insults because they have families to support and bills to pay, and the Canadian work experience that employers demand is hard to get.
On June 1, city council's planning and transportation committee will address problems facing Toronto's 9,397 cab drivers, especially this week's violence. Four GTA taxi drivers were attacked in one day, including 40-year-old Mahmood Bhatti, who died of stab wounds.
But drivers say it will take much more than a safety partition to make the job palatable.
''I tell you, man, this business is crazy,'' said John Lee, a 42-year-old cabbie who asked that his last name be changed. He has been driving since coming to Canada five years ago. His background is in architectural drafting.
''If I could get out of this business I would.... They keep saying I need Canadian experience.''
He thinks few Canadians would put up with the conditions, ''but the new immigrants, what can they do?''
A 2003 study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health looked at the health of visible minority taxi drivers in Toronto. Researchers found discrimination, economic exploitation, occupational violence, fatigue and high competition levels damaged drivers' health.
Mr. Lee's doctor is already sounding alarm bells.
The cabbie has packed an extra 50 pounds on to his once-svelte 5-foot-6 frame since starting to drive. He also has elevated sugar levels.
Paul Tham, 63, works hard to manage the stress of the job. The sounds of loons and crashing waves come from his speakers, and cool air circulates through the cab.
''I like to be relaxed at all times. In this business you cannot be hotheaded,'' said the driver of 29 years.
Mr. Tham is luckier than most -- he owns both his car and his plate. Few, if any, plates are sold each year in Toronto, in order to restrict the number of cabs in the city. Most new drivers rent them from others at an average cost of $1,000 a month.
Balkhdev Singh Bal, a 40-year-old driver of six years, leases his plate, which cuts into his already slim profits.
The first $100 he makes each day goes toward expenses while the rest is take-home pay.
''If lucky, I make $100 after expenses. You are lucky if you make that much,'' he said.
Last Wednesday was a tough day. He drove for 12 hours and made $50 profit. That's just over $4 per hour.
''Drivers can't just work eight to nine hours because you just can't cover expenses in that amount of time,'' said Mr. Bal, who works 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Bruce Robertson, executive director of municipal licensing and standards for the city of Toronto, said the most common complaint he gets from drivers is that there are too many cabs on the road.
''[They say] the pie didn't get any bigger but we increased the number of cabs a few years ago,'' he said, adding that the increase was based on a formula that includes the number of tourists in the city.
But mathematical formulas are no comfort to Mr. Bal, who is a father of four and the sole income-earner in his family.
In addition to everything else, Mr. Bal also has to save for a new car every five years as mandated by a city bylaw.
He bought his cab, a $31,000 Toyota Camry, three-and-a-half years ago, but will have to replace it in about another year.
Mr. Bal isn't sure he will have paid off the first car before he has to replace it with a new one.
Mr. Tham is lucky: His major bills are paid off. That means he doesn't need to push himself as hard, and he can be more selective about his fares.
''I don't pick up every Tom, Dick and Harry on the street any more,'' he said, stressing the importance of relying on your instincts to keep you safe.
City bylaws state cab drivers may refuse service if the customer owes him money, won't give him a specific address, is requesting to be dropped off in a remote place or is unduly obnoxious.
''A driver is asked to trust his instincts and not pick up if he doesn't feel safe,'' said Ms. Gail Beck Souter, general manager of Beck Taxi. ''If they feel in danger once they're in the car, they can drive to the nearest police station.''
In-car cameras, such as the one that provided photos of Mr. Bhatti's alleged attack, are mandated to be in all city cabs by July 1. But some cabbies say they do more to help police find suspects after an attack than to protect drivers. There is a new push for protective barriers, to be discussed at the June 1 meeting.
''Our unscientific surveys tell us that 50% of our drivers want shields and 50% don't. Now that may change because of what happened this week,'' Mr. Robertson said.
Last week's assaults have only made Mr. Bal more determined to find a better job. The former master of economics student is tired of the dangerous conditions, long hours and rude customers.
''But it doesn't matter if I like the job or not, I have a family,'' he said.
Life behind the windshield
'This business is crazy': Cabbies coping with poor pay, rude fares, dangerous job
Amy Brown-Bowers
National Post
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Taxi drivers get ripped off, roughed up and robbed. They rarely see their families and battle weight gain and fatigue. They work 12-hour shifts sometimes seven days a week for what often amounts to little more than minimum wage. These former doctors and engineers are cleaning up vomit and taking insults because they have families to support and bills to pay, and the Canadian work experience that employers demand is hard to get.
On June 1, city council's planning and transportation committee will address problems facing Toronto's 9,397 cab drivers, especially this week's violence. Four GTA taxi drivers were attacked in one day, including 40-year-old Mahmood Bhatti, who died of stab wounds.
But drivers say it will take much more than a safety partition to make the job palatable.
''I tell you, man, this business is crazy,'' said John Lee, a 42-year-old cabbie who asked that his last name be changed. He has been driving since coming to Canada five years ago. His background is in architectural drafting.
''If I could get out of this business I would.... They keep saying I need Canadian experience.''
He thinks few Canadians would put up with the conditions, ''but the new immigrants, what can they do?''
A 2003 study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health looked at the health of visible minority taxi drivers in Toronto. Researchers found discrimination, economic exploitation, occupational violence, fatigue and high competition levels damaged drivers' health.
Mr. Lee's doctor is already sounding alarm bells.
The cabbie has packed an extra 50 pounds on to his once-svelte 5-foot-6 frame since starting to drive. He also has elevated sugar levels.
Paul Tham, 63, works hard to manage the stress of the job. The sounds of loons and crashing waves come from his speakers, and cool air circulates through the cab.
''I like to be relaxed at all times. In this business you cannot be hotheaded,'' said the driver of 29 years.
Mr. Tham is luckier than most -- he owns both his car and his plate. Few, if any, plates are sold each year in Toronto, in order to restrict the number of cabs in the city. Most new drivers rent them from others at an average cost of $1,000 a month.
Balkhdev Singh Bal, a 40-year-old driver of six years, leases his plate, which cuts into his already slim profits.
The first $100 he makes each day goes toward expenses while the rest is take-home pay.
''If lucky, I make $100 after expenses. You are lucky if you make that much,'' he said.
Last Wednesday was a tough day. He drove for 12 hours and made $50 profit. That's just over $4 per hour.
''Drivers can't just work eight to nine hours because you just can't cover expenses in that amount of time,'' said Mr. Bal, who works 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Bruce Robertson, executive director of municipal licensing and standards for the city of Toronto, said the most common complaint he gets from drivers is that there are too many cabs on the road.
''[They say] the pie didn't get any bigger but we increased the number of cabs a few years ago,'' he said, adding that the increase was based on a formula that includes the number of tourists in the city.
But mathematical formulas are no comfort to Mr. Bal, who is a father of four and the sole income-earner in his family.
In addition to everything else, Mr. Bal also has to save for a new car every five years as mandated by a city bylaw.
He bought his cab, a $31,000 Toyota Camry, three-and-a-half years ago, but will have to replace it in about another year.
Mr. Bal isn't sure he will have paid off the first car before he has to replace it with a new one.
Mr. Tham is lucky: His major bills are paid off. That means he doesn't need to push himself as hard, and he can be more selective about his fares.
''I don't pick up every Tom, Dick and Harry on the street any more,'' he said, stressing the importance of relying on your instincts to keep you safe.
City bylaws state cab drivers may refuse service if the customer owes him money, won't give him a specific address, is requesting to be dropped off in a remote place or is unduly obnoxious.
''A driver is asked to trust his instincts and not pick up if he doesn't feel safe,'' said Ms. Gail Beck Souter, general manager of Beck Taxi. ''If they feel in danger once they're in the car, they can drive to the nearest police station.''
In-car cameras, such as the one that provided photos of Mr. Bhatti's alleged attack, are mandated to be in all city cabs by July 1. But some cabbies say they do more to help police find suspects after an attack than to protect drivers. There is a new push for protective barriers, to be discussed at the June 1 meeting.
''Our unscientific surveys tell us that 50% of our drivers want shields and 50% don't. Now that may change because of what happened this week,'' Mr. Robertson said.
Last week's assaults have only made Mr. Bal more determined to find a better job. The former master of economics student is tired of the dangerous conditions, long hours and rude customers.
''But it doesn't matter if I like the job or not, I have a family,'' he said.