A B.C. tribunal has ordered a taxi company to repay one of its drivers $1,530 in fees charged to the man for allegedly failing to pay operating costs on time.
In his Nov. 1 decision, B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal vice chair Christopher Rivers said the bill from Richmond Taxi Co. Holdings Ltd. to Muhammad Ayub was made up entirely of late fees.
Ayub said Richmond Taxi withheld the late fees from his cheque after the board of directors passed a resolution that required its drivers to pay operating costs by the 15th day of each month or it would charge $10 per day as a penalty.
The driver said the penalty does not follow the law and sought reimbursement.
Richmond Taxi, for its part, said it gave notice to its drivers of their obligation to make payments on time.
“It asks me to dismiss Mr. Ayub’s claim,” said Rivers.
The tribunal vice chair said Ayub owns and/or operates a taxicab in association with Richmond Taxi but that the exact nature of the parties’ relationship was unclear. All sides agreed Richmond Taxi withheld $1,530 from Ayub.
In his ruling, Rivers said that without an employment contract or shareholders agreement, the company did not provide any legal authority for it to unilaterally impose penalties on its drivers, including late fees.
“Richmond Taxi does not provide any case law or evidence to support its position," Rivers said.
