By FRANK LANDRY

An escalating war between cabbies from competing companies has the city imploring drivers to take a chill pill and cut out “vigilante-style actions.”
The feud began when Leduc-based Airport Taxi Service was awarded exclusive rights last year to the international airport. Only their drivers can pick up passengers at the gateway, though any company can still do dropoffs.

Since then, Edmonton cabbies have claimed Airport Taxi Service drivers have been waiting outside Edmonton hotels, without having a pre-arranged pickup.

A subsequent investigation found no evidence of Airport Taxi Service drivers trolling hotels for customers, according to a city report. But it’s still caused tensions to flare.

Airport driver Abbi Farh said he’s constantly being harassed verbally by cabbies when he’s in the city. “I don’t want to get into a fight with anybody,” Farh told Sun Media. “You just try to be professional with these guys, but they push you, they want to make you mad so you lose it.”

Hassan Idris, also an airport driver, said two weeks ago he dropped off a customer at a downtown hotel and was confronted by another cabbie, who warned he better not be picking anyone up. “There’s something strange going on, especially downtown,” said Idris, who wasn’t picking anyone up. A city report released yesterday said there have been many confrontations reported.

“In most cases, the incident was some form of verbal abuse, shaking or spitting on the vehicle, sometimes while a passenger was inside,” states the document.

The incidences have all been initiated by the Edmonton cabbies, according to the city. Due to “reports of escalating disorder,” city drivers last month were told by Edmonton Taxi Cab Commission chairman Clint Mellors to “do everything in their power to bring to a close the vigilante-style actions happening on our city streets between competing taxi companies,” the report states.

While pre-arranged pick-ups by out-of-town cab companies have been allowed in Edmonton, they’re technically illegal under city bylaws, according to the report. Mellors told Sun Media taxi inspectors are going to begin cracking down. “It’s our bylaw and we will be enforcing it,” he said.

One city cabbie said he expects tensions between cabbies to erupt this summer. “It’s coming to that,” he told Sun Media.

Chris Atkinson, who speaks for Co-op Taxi, said he’s not aware of any physical confrontations. “If anything, I suspect there might be some yelling at another driver.”

Several other city cabbies yesterday said business is down significantly at downtown hotels since Airport Taxi hit the streets.

 
 http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2007/04/27/pf-4135073.html