Montreal taxi drivers have been demanding better security for years, and now they're finally getting it.
Diamond Taxi has installed multi-functional GPS systems in its 40 West Island cabs and expects to have them in its entire fleet of 1,100 taxis by spring.
The global positioning system not only helps drivers in their navigation, but allows dispatchers to know exactly where the vehicle is to speed up service for customers. It also improves driver safety because it includes a built-in silent panic button.
"(It gives us) a real live GPS location which we will transmit immediately to the police so we consider that to be an effective safety device," said Peter Foster, dispatch manager for Diamond Taxi.
The city-controlled taxi bureau and taxi associations have also reached an agreement on introducing new roof-top domes that combine a security feature and revenue-generating advertising.
The domes include advertising panels and a 9-1-1 sign that flashes on the back to alert people whenever a cabbie is in trouble.
"People will be a bit more careful with the taxi drivers knowing there's a 9-1-1 push button (for emergencies)," said Marc Limoges, president of Taxicom.
"The next step would be to educate the general public to tell them, if you ever see a 9-1-1 flashing on a taxi, please take your cell phone and do call the police authorities as fast as possible."
Many cabbies -- who say their occupation is sometimes a dangerous one -- believe the safety feature could prevent attacks and robberies.
"It should help," one taxi driver told CTV news.
The new domes are not mandatory, but any of the 4,500 cabbies who decide to install them get a 25 per cent share of the revenue -- which is expected to average up to $2,500 per driver per year.
At least 800 cabbies have already signed up for the domes, which should hit the streets of Montreal on March 1.
