By Ashiyana Hanif

For more than 30 years, the people listening to my shows at two in the afternoon have been sitting in taxis. I started hosting my radio shows in 1992 for Surrey’s Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu communities, and I opened my own station, Media Waves Live, in 2015. I know my callers. Drivers waiting in airport queues. A driver who just paid for a licence, an inspection, and a dispatch fee, and hasn’t picked up a fare yet.

If you drive a taxi in Surrey, you know the story. You bought into a system that was supposed to be regulated for a reason, and then the rules changed. Your costs didn’t go down. Your day got longer and your job got harder. And when you finally have a passenger, you sit at a red light on King George beside a bus lane you’re not allowed to touch.

Your riders know it too. The senior in Newton who needs a ride to Surrey Memorial and doesn’t have an app. The family that comes home late from the gurdwara on a Saturday. They pay for every minute you spend in traffic.

Here’s my pledge: I will give taxis a break.

First, let taxis use bus lanes where it makes sense and when it makes sense. A bus lane with no bus in it is a wasted lane. Taxis carry people who are paying to get somewhere. Let them move.

Second, cut the cost of the licence and the paperwork. City Hall controls the business licence, the fees, and the hoops. We’ll lower the licensing costs and cut the red tape so more drivers can operate and prices stay competitive for the people who ride.

The same parties have run City Hall and been at the table without delivering for our taxi industry. Drivers have been asking for this, but none of the legacy parties have done anything about it. I’ve had drivers on air asking for the rules to change, and that’s why I am running to change them. A bylaw change costs almost nothing. It’s just never been done.

Meanwhile, council approved a $360-million arena project downtown behind closed doors. There’s always time for the big announcement and photo-op. There’s never time for you and your needs.

I’ve lived in Surrey for 40 years. I raised three children in Panorama. For three decades I’ve put a microphone in front of the people who run this city and asked hard questions. I’ve decided the faster way to get answers is to sit at the table.

On October 17, vote for Mike Starchuk and the entire Imagine Surrey team, and let’s give Surrey’s drivers the break they’ve earned.

Ashiyana Hanif is a Surrey broadcaster and the founder of Media Waves Live. She is an Imagine Surrey candidate for Surrey City Council.