Jiffy Cabs will not be allowed to operate a taxi dispatch centre at 615 Empire Avenue, after a vote from city council on Tuesday night.
Council voted down a zoning change that would approve the taxi stand at a garage the company is already working out of.
The vote comes after controversy kicked up by Newfound Cabs owner Albert Newell, who lives nearby.
"This is not about a contract, being out there competing, this is about a residential house, which is mine and [my wife] Darlene Newell's," Newell told CBC News on Tuesday morning.
Newfound Cabs owner Albert Newell, also known as Mooney, says Jiffy Cabs is using the property at 615 Empire Ave. as more than just a dispatch centre. (Paula Gale/CBC)
In council chambers, Coun. Tom Hann said the operation has gone "off the rails" on Empire Avenue, with traffic bothering local residents all hours of the night.
The original plan was for a dispatch and garage, but Hann said it appeared the company had been using it as a taxi layby — which he does not approve of in a residential neighbourhood.
On Tuesday, there were close to two dozen cabs parked on the property, including near the back, and Newell, who lives on a nearby residential street, said it's a hub of activity — despite the promise not to be.
Absolutely not a taxi stand, Jiffy says
George Murphy, manager of Jiffy Cabs, said the property is simply a garage and dispatch centre — not a place for taxis to park while waiting for a fare.
"We will not be dispatching cars from that location," he said with a laugh before the council vote. "I don't know where the idea came from that that was what it's going to be, but the answer is an unequivocal no. That is not happening."
Jiffy Cabs has two taxi stands nearby, negating the need for another one on Empire Avenue, he said.
While Newell canvassed the neighbourhood gathering signatures for a petition, Murphy said he and Jiffy Cabs owner Chris Hollett also spoke to nearby residents.
George Murphy, manager of Jiffy Cabs, said the garage on Empire Avenue is absolutely not a taxi layby. (CBC)
"They loved the idea that there was still going to be, number one, a garage presence in the area where they could get their own cars fixed," he said.
The residents also told him they were glad to have a 24-hour presence in the neighbourhood for safety reasons, he said.
The real safety issue, however, is the traffic, according to Newell.
"Major traffic area, I mean there's kids going back and forth to the park and there's grandchildren there, people go out for walks," he said.
