Bar patrons afraid of violating Alberta’s new impaired-driving legislation face even longer waits for a ride home, says a taxi-driver representative who believes the city’s current fleet is already overwhelmed.

The provincial government pushed measures through late Tuesday that will now place heavier administrative sanctions on drivers who provide a blood-alcohol reading to police between .05 and .08.

Rajiv Kapil, head of the Calgary Cab Drivers Association, said confusion over what actually constitutes impairment now will turn more people towards the services of the drivers he represents, but they won’t be able to keep up.

Couple that with reports he receives of verbal abuse from passengers fed up with long waits, and Kapil worries for the sanity of current drivers.

“It’s very concerning,” he said. “This is a big problem. We need many more cabs.”

But not everyone in the taxi industry agrees with the association’s stance.

Associated Cabs president Roger Richard said Calgary’s taxi fleet is adequate 95 per cent of the time and extended service delays are only typically experienced during peak-demand times on Friday and Saturday nights.

“We are servicing a huge area,” he said, before encouraging customers to be proactive. “It’s no different than trying to fly out on the 24th of December. If you don’t book it six months in advance, you aren’t going to get a flight.”