Halifax taxis turn away riders who may be sick with COVID-19

Dave Buffett, President of the Halifax Taxi Association, says drivers are taking all necessary precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

In some cases, this even includes turning away passengers.

“I know of one incident and I think there’s probably a small amount of others,” says Buffett.

He tells NEWS 95.7’s The Todd Veinotte Show he’s heard at least one instance of declining a passenger who had just been tested for COVID-19 at the QEII Hospital in downtown Halifax.

“Everybody could have it but this person was more likely to have it, and was told to find another way to get home,” Buffett says.

The taxi bylaws in HRM have always allowed drivers to refuse passengers, and vice versa, when necessary.

“It’s very clear in a sense that a driver can refuse a passenger that has, for instance, assaulted them in the past or been abusive in some way, and a passenger can refuse a particular driver for a similar reason,” Buffett explains.

And right now taxi patrons aren’t easy to come by. Buffett says ridership has “plummeted” in the past few weeks as Haligonians stay home.

“The trips to bingos, the casual trips to the mall, to swimming lessons, to the Oval. Just the things that are part of the normal routine,” he says. “All of that is just gone down to zero.”

The taxi industry has taken directives from municipal staff to increase taxi cleaning right now for those who are still on the road.

“They were very prompt to send out cleaning tips and getting disinfectant towels and so on. So nobody can say I didn’t know, I wasn’t aware,” Buffett says.

Most taxi companies have provided disinfecting towels, and Buffett says one is even providing masks for their drivers.

“Most of us wipe the car down at least casually after every fare, and thoroughly throughout the shift,” says Buffett.

But the driver is worried about his colleagues who are still on the front-lines interacting with passengers on a daily basis.

“We certainly are aware that potentially, most of the drivers have picked up someone who had the COVID-19 and is unaware,” Buffett says.

Although no plan has been introduced to prioritize testing of essential workers, Buffett hopes his industry would be on the list.

“So that if a driver thinks he may have the potential for the virus…he can rush to the head of the line,” says Buffett.

Buffett says he doesn’t know when fares will begin to pick up again, but he is hopeful many drivers will be eagerly waiting to get back on the road when they do.

“It’s certainly a trying time, but I’m hoping that the drivers can weather the storm.”