An Ottawa taxi driver was sent to hospital with head injuries early Friday morning after an alleged attack by one of his fares.

The Blue Line Taxi driver was dropping two men off at the corner of Elgin Street and Gladstone Avenue when the incident happened, police said.

The two men and the driver got into an argument, which is when the attack on the driver took place, police said.

When police arrived, the assailants had already left the scene.

The driver was taken by ambulance to the Ottawa Hospital, where police said a neurosurgeon is treating his head injuries.

Police said they are looking for the two attackers and hope that the taxi's security camera will provide clues about the suspect.

Drivers say protection needed

Drivers in Ottawa said the attack simply proves that more protection is needed.

Ghassan Skaff, who drives a taxi van in Ottawa, said he works mornings and afternoons but started out working the night shift — which offers better money — but he's no longer willing to work that shift.

"For all that goes on at night, I've had my share of problems," said Skaff. "I've had a gun pulled at me. I've had a knife pulled at me. I've been beaten up."

Skaff has a security camera attached to his van, beside the rearview mirror.

"The reason they forced us to put this in was to prevent incidents like this. But does it prevent incidents like this?" he said.

Ahmed Abu-Jaradeh, who also drives a taxi, said the camera in his cab makes him feel safer but he would still welcome more protection.

Abu-Jaradeh said he's like to see shields installed in all of Ottawa's taxis – but he doesn't think the drivers should have to pay for them on their own.

"I heard the shield can be raised up and dropped down so during the nighttime, they can have it and during the day time they can remove it," he said.

Wary of shields

Hanif Patni, the president and chief executive officer of Coventry Connections, the company that owns Blue Line taxi, said he's wary of the idea that shields could be made mandatory.

"The taxi industry moves a tremendous amount of people every day and you occasionally come across a terrible incident, like today, where a driver gets injured," he said.

"The question you have to ask yourself is, 'Is it fair to cocoon a driver inside a shield?' "

Patni said that if enough taxi drivers ask for mandatory shields, however, he would support them.