(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Taxi safety

Taxi cab robbery not isolated incident, company owner says

Nov 13, 2019 | 4:20 PM

The owner of Checker and Family Taxi in Prince Albert says an incident Tuesday night in the city represents the third time in four days one of his drivers has been attacked.

According to information provided by police, the driver was threatened by an unknown male with a firearm, who soon after fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The incident happened around 10 p.m. in the area of Sherman Drive and Wyllie Crescent. Pardeep Kumar told paNOW he thinks all the incidents are related.

He alleges it was the same male all three times, based on the similar descriptions he heard from his drivers.

Fortunately none of the drivers were seriously hurt and the driver that was robbed most recently, was back on the job Wednesday. Kumar said guns were used in two of the incidents, and a machete in the other.

“The first [driver] was not hurt but he has pain on his chest from where the machete was pointed, and the second guy got scared and he couldn’t drive until now,” he said.

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The city’s new taxi cab bylaw, which makes the use of cameras mandatory in all taxis, received third reading at city council’s meeting Oct. 22. Kumar said he would have installed cameras long ago, but explained he held off until the city finalized the rules.

“We would have installed a camera today but tomorrow they say we want [the] camera to have this, this and this specification,” he said.

Grey Cab had cameras installed in all 16 of its cars a year ago. A spokesperson for the company informed paNOW they have had no incidents like the one Tuesday night, adding on the occasion when there has been a disruptive passenger, the situation does not escalate.

“When he sees the camera, he tries to say like ‘OK I don’t want the cab ride now and he leaves the cab,” the spokesperson said.

Police continue to investigate the robberies and there have been no arrests.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell