Calgarians contributing to cab shortages
Posted Jan 19, 2013 7:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Many Calgarians have often reported problems when trying to get a cab during busy times like Stampede or Christmas, which can include waiting a long time to get a hold of an operator before finally booking a ride.
But according to City of Calgary statistics, customers make the problem worse by calling multiple companies.
The problem is no-trips, when cab drivers arrive at the destination of a call only to find nobody there.
According to the City, in one pre-Christmas weekend alone there were almost 5,000 of those calls, a ratio of three wasted calls per cab.
One taxi president said on any given Friday or Saturday night, they have about 20 to 25 per cent of cabs playing catch-up.
The Herald reports the City’s advisory committee will be making some recommendations to hopefully slow down shortages.
But when it comes to no-trips, one official said all they can do is try to educate the public.
Next month, the City will also get legal advice on an app which lets customers pay in advance for cabs at busy times to see whether it breaks Calgary’s taxi bylaws.
