Vancouver Taxi Association still hopeful more taxis will be approved by the holidays
Posted October 25, 2018 1:19 pm.
Last Updated October 25, 2018 7:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LOWER MAINLAND (NEWS 1130) – They haven’t been approved yet, but up to 500 more taxis could be on B.C. roads in time for the busy holiday season, including 300 across the Lower Mainland.
Under a new streamlined application process, requests for more than 100 taxis from companies across B.C. have been received, but Carolyn Bauer with the Vancouver Taxi Association says nearly 200 more are waiting for approval.
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“The applications that were sent over were for Black Top Checker Cabs, McLure’s Cabs, Vancouver Taxi, Yellow Cabs, Bonnie’s Richmond and North Shore,” Bauer says. “Once we receive the final approval then the companies will get together right away and start getting cars and getting them out before the busy season begins.”
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There could be 120 new taxis in Vancouver by Christmas. Bauer says she would love to know when the new taxis will be arriving, but says she can’t be sure when it will happen.
“I would love to be able to crystal ball gaze into the future, but it is weather-dependent for us, as well,” she says. “You know, I mean, there’s going to be the one-off where we have the snow people can’t get around, so when other people have their vehicles out there and they’re stuck on the road, the taxis are getting stuck. I hope everybody’s happy at Christmas time.”
Bauer says changes made to the application process definitely helped, noting that what used to be a 900-page process is now a simple request.
RELATED: Push to get ride-hailing services approved in BC continues
Companies in Surrey are hoping to add 43 taxis and Coquitlam’s existing fleet could grow by 20.
But Coquitlam’s mayor Richard Stewart is still lobbying for other ride-sharing options like Uber and Lyft.
“If we approve all of these licenses, we’ll still have a desperate shortage of cabs on Saturday night at midnight,” he says. “Let’s do as every other city has done and approve ride hailing.”
Back in September, the chair of the Passenger Transportation Board Catharine Read told NEWS 1130 that up to 500 cabs could “easily” be added across B.C. by December.
