Halifax cab companies say they’re already seeing an impact on their business after a driver was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger.

“It makes people question whether they feel safe in taking a taxi,” says Brian Herman, the president of Casino Taxi.

Halifax Regional Police say an officer on patrol was searching for another taxi believed to have been involved in a string of robberies when she came across a taxi parked at the corner of Atlantic and Brussels streets before 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

Police say she observed suspicious activity inside the vehicle and, upon further investigation, she determined the driver had sexually assaulted his 26-year-old passenger.

The driver, 39-year-old Bassam Aladin Al-Rawi, was arrested on the scene and held in custody until a court appearance Monday morning.

Facing a charge of sexual assault, Al-Rawi was released on the condition that he not operate a taxi at night. He is due back in court in July.

Herman says Al-Rawi doesn’t work for Casino Taxi, but his company has been receiving calls from angry customers.

“Basically saying I’ll never take a cab after hours again, and some other individuals are just accusing one of our drivers of the alleged incident,” he says.

The alleged victim told CTV News she will never take a cab again, but acknowledged it is typically safe to take a taxi.

“I’ve taken many, many cabs and had absolutely nothing wrong,” she told CTV News earlier this week.

Cab companies say the alleged crime is a rare example of an isolated incident, but they say there are ways to make the industry safer for everyone.

Majid Latif, the general manager of Yellow Cab, says the Halifax Regional Municipality should create legislation making cameras mandatory.

“Every vehicle needs to be equipped with a camera,” says Latif. “Now that camera would provide safety, both to the driver and the customer.”

Both Casino Taxi and Yellow Cab have launched apps that show the driver’s name, roof light number and the make and model of the car.

“People have the opportunity to note that and to make a complaint if something inappropriate happens,” says Herman.

Both companies say it’s too early to tell whether the alleged incident will impact their business in the long run.

Calls to Bob’s Taxi were not returned.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell