How long should someone have to wait for a taxi in Calgary?
You can’t compare apples to oranges, the head of Voters For Taxis says, but the reality is Calgary lags behind other cities in taxi-to-population numbers and the city needs to better regulate the taxis we do have.
“The industry is hanging their hat on a 25-year-old ratio. Not only was it calculated incorrectly then, but when you update the data and compare it today, Calgary has dipped below the average,” Sandy Jenkins said.
But the real problem, he added, is the way taxis are regulated. “They often sit at the airport and wait for the big fares instead of helping little old grandma home from the grocery store. They pick and choose their customers.”
Jenkins and Voters For Taxis launched the first of a series of public information sessions yesterday at city hall.
Karen Cameron, technical adviser to Voters for Taxis, cautioned against reading too much into plate-to-population ratios, which can be skewered.
“Even if we had the ‘right’ number of taxis, demand will not be met if the taxi industry cannot manage the fleet of taxis it has.”
