Taxi Drivers Required to Pass Drug Tests

People who travel across town in taxis may still have an occasional hair-raising ride, but under a new policy they can be assured that the reason is not that the driver is impaired by drink or drugs.

By September, all 81 drivers who work for the city’s nine cab companies will have to prove that they have passed a drug test within the past year, said Police Chief Richard M. Tefank, who drafted the policy earlier this month.

Under the plan, which the City Council unanimously approved this week, taxi companies will be required to test job applicants and begin random testing of all drivers at the company’s expense.

The policy was the result of new state legislation passed in January mandating that cities require drug and alcohol tests of taxi drivers, Tefank said.

Companies that fail to comply can be fined as much as $1,000 a day for the offense, and company officials face six months in jail, according to the ordinance.

City Atty. James L. Markman said Buena Park will have the power to shut down companies that fail to comply.

Jim Higgins, general manager of Yellow Cab of Northern Orange County, said his company has been testing drivers for more than a year.

“We have found it to be an effective deterrent, particularly for new operators,” Higgins said. “The ones who want to drive with us go through it, and the ones who don’t don’t even show up for the test.”