A new Calgary cab service dedicated to individuals with special needs was announced Sunday.
Calgary City Cabs will offer specialized service by dedicating an entire fleet of accessible vans and drivers to cater to people with special needs.
“We realized that in the city of Calgary our special needs community deserves much better service,” Naeem Chaudhry, president of Calgary City Cabs, said.
Previously, Chaudhry said there had been issues with some cab drivers not picking up accessible fare because of the cost and time involved.
“There is a disadvantage to the driver, because there is more time and more costs, they try to ignore it. Not all of them, some of them. So that’s why our service level was below the standard or below the expectation of special needs people,” Chaudhry said.
Calgary City Cabs is starting with a fleet of 25 vans but they have a commitment from around 80 drivers who want to join.
Chaudhry said there are several incentives for the drivers to join the new company. They will pay a lower standard of rent and drivers will be offered profit sharing, as they will be shareholders in the company.
Calgary City Cabs will provide one dedicated phone number as well, as an app that will be in place next week.
“Disabled individuals can get service 24/7 whenever they need to so they can move around the city of Calgary,” Chaudhry said.
On demand service provided by taxi companies is different than what Calgary Transit offers. “Calgary Transit Access” provides only pre-arranged service to qualified customers. The city run service took over from Handi-Bus two years ago.
According to the City of Calgary’s website, they stated that they’re making improvements;
“One of our top priorities is to improve on-demand wheelchair accessible taxi service and response times. That’s why we’re reviewing the on-demand wheelchair accessible taxi framework in Calgary. For customers, we know you deserve the same quality service as non-accessible on-demand taxis. We are considering ways to improve on-demand taxi service to meet your needs. For drivers, we know driving an accessible taxi is more expensive than a non-accessible taxi. We are considering different ways to compensate drivers to help improve on-demand taxi service,” it stated on the website.
Lauri Brunner is the chair for the City of Calgary’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility. She says it’s discouraging for people with special needs when they can’t get a cab on demand.
“They’re unable to get to doctor’s appointments. They are unable to get into social engagements. They want to participate just like everyone else. And it’s hard when you can’t get a cab on demand just like everyone else,” Brunner said.
Brunner hopes this new service will go a long way in providing better service for people with mobility issues.
“It remains to be seen if they will increase the response times. Sometimes people are waiting up to an hour for an accessible cab. That seems unacceptable. Everyone else seems to be able to get one within five to 15 minutes. We hope this will improve service and that people will get out and be more mobile,” Brunner said.
The company officially opens this week and features a mobile booking app and online booking. Visit their website or call 403-605-9999 for service.
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