Safety Measures Airport Taxis Should Take During Pandemic

There’s a lot of confusion around COVID-19 related rules and safety measures with them changing a lot over time as the provincial and federal governments figure things out. On this background of constant uncertainty however, there are a few things that don’t change and those also relate to the way Toronto Taxi Companies are expected to operate during this crisis.

Most of those rules are proscribed in the Reopening Ontario Act, a document published with the intention of assisting and guiding businesses and individuals with a safe return to normalcy. Since we are mostly interested not in the document in its entirety but with the section dealing with taxis, water taxis and ride share employers, drivers and vehicle owners, we decided to publish the gist of them here. This of course is done mostly for the benefit of our Etobicoke Taxi Service clientele but also for the general benefit this will bring.

Naturally, this is not intended as medical or legal advice but as a public service announcement of sorts and to inform our riders what to expect when boarding a Toronto Airport Taxi for example.

So let’s drive on and get to know some of those guidelines first hand:
1. Employers are responsible for making sure all staff members complete a screening questionnaire prior to every shift.

2. Drivers (and passengers) should wash their hands with water and soap or otherwise use hand sanitizer (with 70% alcohol concentration or higher).

3. The latter should be done after every time contact is made with money, a passenger’s personal belongings or other items that may change hands.

4. Signs are posted for cough and sneezing etiquette as well as instructions to sanitize for the benefit of all passengers as it keeps the interior maximally clean.

Cleaning Procedures Done in Toronto Taxi Companies include:

● All surfaces that come in direct contact with passengers’ hands are to be cleaned and sanitized at least twice per day.

● This procedure is to be repeated after transporting a medical patient or passengers with respiratory symptoms (coughing and / or sneezing)

Additional prevention measures we employ in our Toronto Airport Taxi and Etobicoke Taxi Service include but are not limited to:

1. Promotion of prevention measures by conveying them to passengers over the phone or by putting up signage.

2. A strong recommendation to install plastic screen dividers between the front and back seat areas.

3. Mask wearing is mandatory for drivers and passengers alike during the entirety of the trip. Toronto Taxi Companies drivers are encouraged to wear medical grade masks for the highest level of protection as well as eye protection, especially when exiting the vehicle to assist riders with luggage and other items.

This is really far from all but it is enough to convey the most important message, and that is our riders are safe with us