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Cab companies seek fare increase

By: Staff Writer

28/10/2009 4:48 PM | Comments: 18

Taxis wait for passengers at Winnipeg's airport.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Taxis wait for passengers at Winnipeg's airport.

WINNIPEG - Unicity Taxi and Duffy’s Taxi are seeking a 30-cent increase in meter tariffs.

The cab companies have applied to the Manitoba Taxicab Board for the increase to cover the cost of replacing in-cab cameras.

The 30 cents would be added to the starting fare, bringing it to $3.60. At the proposed new rate, a typical 10-kilometre ride would cost $17.30.

The Manitoba Taxicab Board will hear the application at a public hearing on Wed., Dec. 2 starting at 10 a.m. in room 204 - 301 Weston Street.

Any person wanting to make representation at the hearing should file a written notice and statement of their position with the board secretary before Nov. 25. Written notice may be sent to:

Jerry Kozubal, Secretary
The Manitoba Taxicab Board
Room 200 - 301 Weston St.
Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3H4
Fax: 204-948-2315

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18 Commentscomment icon

I remember when gas was 1.22 a litre they asked for a "temporary" increase until the price came back down. Well, it's been down for over a year and the "temporary" increase is still in place. Why don't they use the money from that?
Or better yet, sell those ridiculous and useless shields they were forced to buy.

Being a Winnipegger that has lived in several different Canadian cities I can attest to a few things from experience. Winnipeg has fairly low cab fares, comparatively. However, they offer one of the worst cab services I’ve ever experienced. There are not nearly enough cabs available in the city. On one occasion, having just returned from living in Montréal, I walked from roughly Portage and Main all the way to Academy and Beaverbrook without being able to hail a cab…on a Friday night. That’s almost a 2 hour walk I’d say. Several cabs passed me but did not stop. Why do they not have taxi stands in central areas of the city? Further, the use of the cab light on top of the vehicle is perplexing to say the least. In most major cities an illuminated light means the cab is available, while an off light means occupied. The cabs in Winnipeg seem to operate their light with no discernable purpose.
Montreal probably offers the best cab service I’ve ever experienced. Granted, it’s a larger, busier city but one would think that the model could be adjusted for size. On top of this, many cab drivers in Winnipeg seem hopelessly lost while driving, which is totally inexcusable for a cab company. I'd suggest WPG cab companies work on these issues before charging more for a sub-par service.

Who ever wrote this article, sure needs to put more information into it. How much does the camera cost that needs replacing? Does it need to be replaced? If running a taxi is a such a low paying job, why do they do it?

Sorry to say it but every time i get in a cab i get terrible service, complete with slow driving, wrong turns, and even a driver demanding i pay $20 up front while proceeding to drive away and leave me in the middle of nowhere should i refuse.

Taxi fares in Winnipeg are much better than in other cities in Western Canada, this increase is reasonable and won't make taxis too expensive to afford.

This is nothing but a government protected cartel. Open this industry to competition as its ludicrous that a cab license in Manitoba should cost over $125,000 dollars. That doesn't even include the 1997 buick they use as a cab.

wondering if this increase might at all be related to the business they will lose out to Avion and the shuttle service they are starting..

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Let them charge whatever they want, but open up the industry to competition.

Perhaps we should be like the tropics and have no meters, but a point to point fixed cost.

Maybe I'm just a typical cheap Winnipegger but I find cab rides are already too expensive!
The only time I ever use cabs is when I'm going out with friends and we plan on drinking. A ride from Portage and Main to Portage and Valour at 2/3 in the morning costs $12 and upwards. There's essentially no traffic out and that's a ride that takes maybe 7 minutes?
I think this will just deter young people even more from taking cabs and will instead drink and drive.
It doesn't help that half the time the cabbies try to take long convoluted routes to the destination so they make more money!

Seriously, it cost 20 bucks at least to go anywhere in this city. Buy a bus pass! Save money on parking and for those enviornmentaly friendly ppl....cut down on traffic in streets and emmissons from other vehicles stopped idling while waiting for the cabs to get out of the way because the dumb cabbies don't know they can't just stop anywhere they please!

news_reviewer

I do work and have 2 cars!I don't use cabs.
People who use cabs usally have little money.Or they use them as a DD if they have a few drinks.
almost $18 for 10Km is too much already!

Uhh...it's 30 cents to the initial fee, i.e. 'starting fare' as was pointed out in the article...It's not that bad!

Maybe you should work instead sitting at home complaining, if you can't afford the 30 cents don't take a cab.

It will soon be cheaper to rent a tow truck

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Are you telling me Taxi's have saved no money switching from old propane fueled crown vics. to the new hybrid boxes? I wanna see these numbers.

I Guess I missed the memo when the Taxi board decreased costs.

sounds like someone needs to pay their seat belt tickets...

The company is the one that wants the damn cameras there to begin with to protect thier drivers, so they should eat the cost of the cameras, not pass the buck onto the consumer! I'm glad I don't need to take taxi's!

Rip off!

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