The phenomenon of illegal taxis continues at the Montreal-Trudeau airport, at least if we rely on surveillance agents. Around thirty offense notices have just been handed in during an operation during which barely 50 vehicles were searched.
This is what reveals a report published on Thursday by the Quebec road control organization, which carried out a surveillance blitz on February 24 among drivers carrying out “paid transportation” of all kinds, in concert with Aéroports de Montréal (ADM ).
In total, just over 50 vehicles carrying passengers were intercepted during the day, which was a Saturday. In total, six vehicles were seized, while six drivers had their driving licenses suspended for a minimum period of seven days.
However, it is the number of offense notices handed out that is most striking. The authorities in fact issued 30 tickets to the approximately 50 drivers intercepted, which represents approximately 60% of their number.
In short, the scourge is far from running out of steam. In March 2023, The Press had revealed that the offenses recorded were multiplying by the hundreds at the airport to deplore the presence of these “illegal taxis”. The cause: sometimes harassing drivers, who seek to defraud the user by increasing the price arbitrarily.
Some 660 such events were reported in 2022. And in 2023 alone, nearly 1,700 cases were recorded, in addition to 650 tickets issued and more than 150 unauthorized vehicles identified.
“Small group of recalcitrants”
The Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, has since tightened the rules, imposing hefty fines on non-drivers, which can range from $250 to $5,000, or even $10,000 depending on the seriousness of the situation. ADM, for its part, increased the number of security agents in the targeted sectors, mainly at the Montreal-Trudeau arrivals landing stage. These teams should be enhanced in 2024.
Among the offenses noted during the February 24 operation, Quebec Road Traffic Control and ADM claim to have mainly observed drivers or vehicles not qualified by law, but also individuals not authorized by ADM to be on the premises.
By way of a press release, the organization representing road controllers specified that “the presence of illegal taxis on the airport site has considerably decreased following” the regulatory changes adopted by the minister. The group, however, argues that this operation “proved necessary in order to reach a small group of recalcitrant drivers”.
Passing through the airport at the beginning of January, The Press had also been requested by several unauthorized drivers. According to our information, the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) has also had to intervene a few times at the airport for conflicts between drivers in recent months.