Kingston’s two biggest taxi companies are refusing to implement higher fares, recently approved by the city’s taxi commission.
The higher rates were supposed to take effect on Monday in response to rising inflation but taxi companies say they won’t comply.
A rate increase of 40 per cent was approved in March by the Kingston Area Taxi Commission
It would be the first rate increase since 2019, due to rising inflation pushed higher by skyrocketing gas prices.
“Though we do need an increase, we don’t need a 40-per cent increase. We asked for a 20-per cent increase and to leave the drop rate the same. This was a shock to us and an even bigger shock that they passed it,” said Mark Greenwood, owner and president of Amey’s Taxi.
Greenwood said his company serves many clients who are on fixed incomes, including the elderly and single parents and a 40-per cent increase to fares would kill their business.
In a statement, Chair of the Kingston Area Taxi Commission Joe Dowser said:
“This is not just about a fare or rate increase; it is about reinvesting in the good people who operate or own taxicabs and to help bring sustainability to the industry. Since the start of the pandemic, the taxi industry has been an essential service. The operators and owners have worked to ensure that they keep Kingston and Loyalist Township’s citizens safely moving, we thank you all for that.”
In his own statement, Greenwood said there is no trust between the commission and the industry.
He told Global News that, as far as next steps are concerned, he just doesn’t know.
Meanwhile, Kingston’s other major taxi service provider, Modern City Taxi, also released a statement Monday confirming they too would not be implementing the approved increase.
The owners of Modern City are calling for a smaller, more proportionate charge to rates.