Norfolk County is taking a look at taxicab fares following a plea for help from a local cab company.
Chris Lafond told councilors at a council-in-committee meeting, that the last four years have been hard on cab companies.
“The last Norfolk County took a look at its taxi bylaw was in 2019, roughly four years ago,” Lafond said. “Since then, a lot has changed.
“We went through two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and that was extremely hard on business.”
Lafond told councilors there were several times when the company thought it was going to go bankrupt.
Speaking to counselors, Lafond cited several cost increases including minimum wage, which have affected the industry.
In 2019, the minimum wage in Ontario was $14 an hour. It will rise to $16.55 this year – an 18.25 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, the price of gas is now anywhere from $1.50 to $1.60 a litre, up from about $1.05 a liter four years ago, Lafond said.
Vehicle insurance and the cost of vehicles have also increased dramatically, Lafond said.
“These are just some of the issues,” Lafond said. “We’re hoping council will re-evaluate the bylaw and we’re hoping for an increase of some sort.”
“The seniors’ rate is also on the low side and we’d like to see that addressed as well.”
Under Norfolk County’s bylaw, the maximum rate that can be charged by a taxicab is $2.50 a kilometer. That is in addition to the meter drop rate of $3.75 which is the flat rate charged to the customer for using a taxi.
The seniors’ rate is a flat fee of $7 within urban areas.
Lafond told councilors he’d like to see a fare increase in the range of 20 per cent because the company’s costs have increased between 18 and 25 per cent.
Councilors accepted Lafond’s presentation as information and instructed staff to look into the issue and come back with a report on the county’s taxicab fares.
twitter.com/EXPVBall