Duffy’s Taxi hails move

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This article was published 12/08/2024 (597 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The taxi industry has changed significantly in the last decade, but a local cab company has doubled down on its future by moving into a larger building.

Duffy’s Taxi celebrated its grand opening Monday at 1034 Notre Dame Ave. Located 200 metres southeast of the company’s previous Notre Dame headquarters, the new building has nearly twice the square footage and additional parking for the vehicles Duffy’s dispatches.

“For more than 75 years, we have been proud to serve Winnipeg citizens and visitors of Winnipeg,” general manager Ram Valluru said during the celebration. “With the opening of our new building, we are investing in the next 75 years.”

Located at the corner of Notre Dame and Ingersoll Street, the new Duffy’s headquarters houses its call centre and approximately 30 staff members. The company dispatches 240 taxis that serve thousands of people daily.

“A lot has changed since Duffy’s Taxi was founded in late 1948, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to provide customer service to Winnipeg citizens,” Valluru said.

Changes to the local taxi industry accelerated starting in March 2017 when Brian Pallister’s Progressive Conservative provincial government decided to bring more competition to the industry. The province disbanded the Manitoba Taxicab Board and turned over regulation, at least within Winnipeg, to city hall. Other municipalities already regulated the taxi industry in their own communities.

City council approved the Vehicles for Hire bylaw that December, overhauling the regulation of the taxi industry and allowing such ride-hailing services as Uber to start operating in March 2018.

Duffy’s Taxi has made major changes to its operations in recent years to stay competitive with ride-hailing services, including a state of the art dispatch system to improve its on-time performance and an app that customers can use to book rides. The app’s GPS tracking allows customers to track their taxi and share its location with friends and family.

Coexistence between taxi companies and ride-hailing services is possible, Valluru told the Free Press, adding that Duffy’s has found its own place in the vehicles for hire industry by serving government agencies and hospitals that have accounts with the company.

The company’s speed also makes them competitive, Valluru said. The average wait time is seven minutes for 93 per cent of the taxis Duffy’s sends out, which he believes makes Duffy’s one of North America’s fastest taxi services.

Mayor Scott Gillingham was on hand to participate in the ribbon cutting.

As the city invests in getting more people to use Winnipeg Transit, Gillingham said it has “a complementary” partnership with Duffy’s, since transit users occasionally require the point-to-point service that only vehicles for hire can provide.

Gillingham thanked Duffy’s for the key role it plays in Winnipeg Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), a city service providing on-demand, accessible rides to Winnipeggers who rely on wheelchairs.

Before WAV, some passengers waited up to two hours for accessible transportation, Gillingham noted. Today, 93 per cent of trips are completed within 20 minutes.

“These improvements… represent an enhanced quality of life for our residents and they represent a more inclusive city,” Gillingham said.

During McPhillips MLA Jasdeep Devgan’s remarks, he shared that one of his earliest jobs was working as a dispatcher at Duffy’s. A number of Devgan’s family members work in the industry, which he believes doesn’t get enough recognition.

“It’s incredible what you guys are doing every day,” Devgan said to the cab drivers in attendance. “I think it’s important for us as a community to recognize the role you play not only in our economy but in our delivery of services across the city.”

Duffy’s Taxi was founded in 1948 by Russell Duffy, a veteran soldier. It soon merged with United Taxi. The consolidated company retained the Duffy’s name and adopted the distinctive chain element of United’s branding.

Today, the gold chain surrounding the Duffy’s logo symbolizes the integration of the two companies.

Barry Homenick, son of United founder John Homenick, is a dispatcher, customer service representative and road supervisor at Duffy’s.

He’s been with the company for more than 50 years.

“I’m wishing Duffy’s the next 75 years of health and happiness,” said Barry, who is 75 himself. “In my books, Duffy’s is number one. It’s the finest taxicab service in Manitoba.”

The vehicle-for-hire industry provided a record-setting 6.7 million rides in 2022, according to a city report released last November. That figure was up from 4.3 million in 2021 and 5.4 million in 2019 (pre-pandemic).

From January to August 2023, ride-hailing vehicles provided an average of 47.8 per cent of trips, with about 52 per cent covered by taxis and the remainder by limousines/luxury vehicles.

In 2022, taxis provided 64 per cent of all trips, down from 77.6 per cent in 2021.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca