Toronto taxi fleets have been switching over to snow tires all week.
December 1, 2015 (Toronto)—December 1st is “Snow Tire Day” for Toronto’s taxi industry.
From December 1st to March 15th, licensed taxis in Toronto are required by City by-law to have snow tires on their cabs.
“It costs extra money and time to switch over twice per year, but the by-law was written with the safety of Toronto residents in mind. It only makes sense,” says Sam Moini, spokesperson for the Toronto Taxi Alliance. Moini manages a taxi fleet and has been busy all week changing the cabs over to snow tires.
A recent study reported on Wheels.ca noted that stops on cold bare pavement from 50 km/h produced results of 18 metres for winter tires and 27.1 metres for all-seasons. That’s 33.6-per-cent shorter for winter tires, which in Toronto could be the difference between a stop and a collision.
The requirement for snow tires applies only to licensed taxis. “Unregulated operators like UberX are not subject to this requirement,” Moini notes.
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