In the unfortunate situation where you have a negative experience with a Vehicle for Hire, the following steps show how the complaint process works.
Step 1: Incident
When an incident occurs, a passenger can submit a complaint to the City through 311 for further investigation.
The vehicle-for-hire unit in the City has the authority to investigate and enforce topics covered in the Vehicle for Hire Bylaw, including:
- Driver conduct (such as ride refusal or not taking the most economical or requested route)
- Driver and/or vehicle identification not shown
- Poor mechanical condition of the vehicle
The City does not have jurisdiction over:
- Interior cleanliness of the vehicle
- Drivers' customer service approach or attitude
- Illegal or criminal activity-please ensure this is reported to the EPS
If you are unsure as to whether the issue is a concern for the City or the company, please feel free to move to Step 2, as the City will review and provide any necessary direction.
Step 2: Contact 311
311 is Edmonton’s non-emergency contact for information and services and can be used to file a complaint for incidents involving the vehicle-for-hire industry.
Please file your complaint in a timely fashion, so as to assist in the investigation. Your phone number might be collected to follow up with you.
The City’s Vehicle for Hire team cannot follow up on complaints lodged solely through social media. A formal complaint through 311 must be made for an investigation to occur.
Provide as much information as you can to the 311 agent from the list below to help in the investigation:
- Licence plate and vehicle number
- Description of driver, vehicle, or company logo
- Record of transaction
- Phone number on vehicle
- Date and time of incident/concern
- Pick up and drop off location, or location of concern
- Direction vehicle last heading
- Description of incident/concern
- Complainant information for fare issue
Step 3: Complaint Intake
If the complaint has been substantiated and falls within the jurisdiction of the City, a file will be created and assigned to the Vehicle for Hire (VFH) Enforcement Team through their dispatch:
- If an offence is actively happening, an on-duty Peace Officer may be dispatched to investigate
- If the complaint is post-incident, the file will be assigned to a Peace Officer on their complaint list to investigate
If your complaint is not within the City’s jurisdiction, the City will not be able to determine outcomes or solutions on such files.
Step 4: Investigation
The Vehicle for Hire enforcement team will investigate the complaint.
An officer may contact the complainant for additional information or to fill out a witness statement form.
The investigation* may include inspections, review of records and trips taken, review of photographs and video evidence and other information. Evidence is compiled and reviewed in its entirety.
*The complexity of the investigation will determine the time it takes to resolve the complaint.
Step 5: Resolution
The investigation will be concluded and enforcement action may or may not be taken based on the findings.
An officer may contact the complainant to discuss the outcome and answer any questions but the result may, or may not, be communicated, due to privacy and enforcement reasons.