OTHER CITIES: VANCOUVER MONTREAL

Kids on Cabs

Posted by Staff
Filed in City
February 28, 2007

Always wanted to know what those beeping computer things in the front of the cab are for, but afraid to ask? Well fear no more, cause some kids from Alpha Alternative School have found the answer to that, and many other Toronto taxi-related questions. Their interview with a representative from Co-op Cabs leaves me with two questions though:

1. Regarding the justification for not having the safety shield between the front and back seats, since when does having cars that "look nice" with a "friendly atmosphere" overrule the fact that taxi drivers are stabbed, shot and killed in our city every year? and

2. Why didn't I get to go to an elementary school as cool as this one?

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I thought this video was great. I love how the guy responds to their slightly askew questions with straightened answers.

To answer your questions (with questions):

1) Is violence against cabbies prevalent in Toronto? When was the last time you got into a fortified cab in a US city? Like it much?

2) Where did you go to elementary school?

Posted by: Jerrold at February 28, 2007 7:30 PM

I just think that the protection of the individual should outweigh the comfort of the masses. I don't know how often cab driver violence occurs in this city. Someone was killed last year, I remember that. How many deaths are required to make shields worthwhile?

I'm not even sure that we need them in Toronto, but I do know that I don't trust cab company administration to make that decision. They're going to err on the side of making money.

The last time I rode in US cabs was this past fall in NYC. I'd spend most of the time looking out the side window, the shields were irrelevant to me.

And I went to four different educational institutions during my elementary school career. They were all pretty standard desks-in-rows classrooms where you listen to the teacher talk. Oh, and we'd hand in assignments and get them back with red markings telling you what we did wrong. Bo-ring...

Posted by: crips at February 28, 2007 9:53 PM