Deregulate Calgary's taxi industry, report suggests

[Dion]

Deregulation of Calgary's taxi system would create new jobs in a time of economic downturn and help stranded people hail a cab much faster, says a study by a Saskatchewan think-tank.

Study author David Seymour of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy argues cabs are still too difficult to get in Calgary.

The regulated market has made it impossible for new drivers to enter the system, he adds, creating a bartering system between licence holders and those who want to rent licences so they can work.

Seymour's paper, released Thursday, says the number of taxi licences in Calgary has stayed virtually the same since 1986, at 1,311, with only the addition of 100 new handicapped-accessible vehicles in September 2006.

"While obviously welcome, that these should be the only increase shows how far behind city growth the licensing regime has fallen," the report reads.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...007/story.html

[Claeren]

Talk about stating the obvious (we need more taxis).

Although I am not sure where the jump to total deregulation comes in? Simply increasing the number of permits would have the same affect.

1300 taxis divided into 2 primary shifts/day means only 600 taxis at any given time for 1+million people assuming each of those taxis works 7 days a week/365 days a year.


There are more Tim Hortons in Calgary than there are taxis!! lol

(And more seriously, there are probably more gas stations than taxis on the streets on any given moment!)


Claeren.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Claeren

Talk about stating the obvious

Well, it was a Saskatchewan think tank.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by fotze

Totally unneccesary, the one and only solution to eliminating drunk driving is for people to not drink and drive.

Normally I would agree but when you freezing stiff waiting for a cab at 3am and your car is in the parking lot sometimes the urge is a little too much.

Then you have the friken cop that gave a buddy of mine an impaired because he was asleep in his car with the motor running, yeah he ended up getting off on the charge but it cost him 3 grand to do so and had it not been -20 he most likely wouldn't have beat it.

The structure of this city makes it difficult not to drive impaired sometimes. Citys like Toronto and Montreal have very little wait time for cabs, In Calgary you can't even get them to answer the phone.

[The Ditch]

I also believe out of all the theoretical drunk drivers, the majority of them are people who are going to drink and drive no matter the circumstances, I have nothing to back this up though. I've met people before who don't have any concern for their well being or others.

[fredr123]

Kind of off topic, but the United Taxi Drivers' Fellowship of Southern Alberta (whatever that is) challenged the City's power to limit the number of taxi plate licenses quite a while ago and it actually got all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004. City won. http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/...2004scc19.html

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by T@T

Normally I would agree but when you freezing stiff waiting for a cab at 3am and your car is in the parking lot sometimes the urge is a little too much.

The structure of this city makes it difficult not to drive impaired sometimes.

LOL And it's selfish people like you who kill innocent people trying to get home NOT driving drunk. Freezing cold? The urge? The city's structure? Come on give it a rest....its called PLANNING!

If cabs are hard to come by at 3am when everyone is leaving the club, why not leave at 2:45. What are you going to miss? The ugly lights coming on.

Take turns with friends on who is going to DD, so you don't have to worry about that "urge" of being an idiot and driving drunk.

Pathetic people make up excuses to make them feel like it's alright to put others in danger, for your convenience.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by HOOT

If cabs are hard to come by at 3am when everyone is leaving the club, why not leave at 2:45. What are you going to miss?

Fifteen minutes of prime pickup time!

[T@T]

Originally Posted by HOOT

LOL And it's selfish people like you who kill innocent people trying to get home NOT driving drunk. Freezing cold? The urge? The city's structure? Come on give it a rest....its called PLANNING!

If cabs are hard to come by at 3am when everyone is leaving the club, why not leave at 2:45. What are you going to miss? The ugly lights coming on.

Take turns with friends on who is going to DD, so you don't have to worry about that "urge" of being an idiot and driving drunk.

Pathetic people make up excuses to make them feel like it's alright to put others in danger, for your convenience.

I wasn't talking about me I use to own a bar and the staff had to get 195 people out of the pub starting at 2:30am in -20, cabs were called (when you could get threw) starting a lot sooner than that and maybe 4 or 5 would show up. Reality is lots of people would rather take the chance of driving than freeze to death waiting for a cab.

If your stuck in a black & white world and seem to think people plan out their evening to a tee...I can't help you.

[Vulcan]

This should have been done 8 or so years ago when the economy was surging. Now that we are going into a recession, the cabs will be less busy and easy to find.

The other side to it is that the cab companies and other plate holders don't want more plates released as it will lower their value. Since regulation came along limiting the number of plates, these license plate holders have seen their value rise from $300 to maybe $80,000.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by T@T

I wasn't talking about me I use to own a bar and the staff had to get 195 people out of the pub starting at 2:30am in -20, cabs were called (when you could get threw) starting a lot sooner than that and maybe 4 or 5 would show up. Reality is lots of people would rather take the chance of driving than freeze to death waiting for a cab.

If your stuck in a black & white world and seem to think people plan out their evening to a tee...I can't help you.

But you are making excuses for these people and make it sound like it's okay if they have a good enough one.

Freeze to death, ha! I use to walk from the Dome to my condo (10th st/12th ave) almost every game -30 or +5. Sure it was cold, but not worth driving home drunk. Or taking someone elses life so I could be a little more comfortable for 20 minutes of my life.

Why do you have to plan it to a tee? How hard is it to have one friend that doesn't get drunk, you an still have a few drinks throughout a 4hr night, just not get loaded. Buy that friend a few free drinks at the beginning of the night, give him some gas money, whatever it takes to get at least one friend not to drive drunk.

People are just lazy and stupid if they feel their only solution is to drive home drunk. Just my opinion.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by HOOT

But you are making excuses for these people and make it sound like it's okay if they have a good enough one.

Freeze to death, ha! I use to walk from the Dome to my condo (10th st/12th ave) almost every game -30 or +5. Sure it was cold, but not worth driving home drunk. Or taking someone elses life so I could be a little more comfortable for 20 minutes of my life.

Why do you have to plan it to a tee? How hard is it to have one friend that doesn't get drunk, you an still have a few drinks throughout a 4hr night, just not get loaded. Buy that friend a few free drinks at the beginning of the night, give him some gas money, whatever it takes to get at least one friend not to drive drunk.

People are just lazy and stupid if they feel their only solution is to drive home drunk. Just my opinion.

No I am not, I am simply stating reality, woopee, you walked for 12 blocks but you probably dressed for the walk in the first place, some people walk 30 to get home but others don't and most people that go for a night in the bar don't layer themselfs in cloths for the walk home.

[browna]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Well, it was a Saskatchewan think tank.

No kidding. Probably spawned when a few of them couldn't get home from whatever pub they were at when visiting Calgary.

Also makes you think that maybe that Rider fan who jumped the cop from behind just wanted a ride early back downtown as the RIder were getting shallacked.


I also agree the lack of cabs excuse for any sort of justification for driving home plowed is weak. Most of the time you can anticipate the chances of probably getting hammered when you go out somewhere, so basic planning and common sense should kick in well in advance.

If you plan not to drink, but you drive, and it turns into one of those nights, you take responsibility for your actions and suffer the consequences of your car being stuck where it is, and the fact that you didn't wear a jacket. If there's no cabs when you want to leave and you get kicked out of the place you were at, maybe it means drying out at someone's house for the night or stumbling to a diner for 1h until more cabs come..whatever it is, you do it. That's what most of my buddies did and do when things turn from the original plan.

Its lazy, selfish people who make the decision to throw common sense and self control and paitence out the window, and use excuses like this as crutches to justify their dangerous actions. If there were more cabs, there would just be a different reason for people justifying getting behind the wheel.

I do agree some more cabs are needed just for better service/ competition. I really have never had an issue getting one, or, at least am conditioned over all the years here there there isn't going to be one on every corner/bar the exact time you need it, and some paitence is required. The last couple cabs I've taken downtown will give you any excuse in the book if you're going well into the deep south of suburbia, they want to stick around the dt it seems. So my buddy that lives in the deep south doesn't tell the cabbie until I get to my place that he has to go down there...he can't refuse it then.

[ken0042]

I just can't believe how many people fell for Fotze's attempt to turn this into another thread about taxis vs. drunk driving. I thought we pretty much beat that subject to death about a month ago.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I just can't believe how many people fell for Fotze's attempt to turn this into another thread about taxis vs. drunk driving. I thought we pretty much beat that subject to death about a month ago.

Well some people might have missed round 79, this gives them their chance to do it too.

[doozwimp]

In Peru, anyone can go into transportation...all you need is a drivers licence, and you can be a bus or taxi service.

[browna]

Yeah, didn't get into the first debate, and I've said my peice re drinking and driving.

As for more on the issue, I don't think a full deregulation would work, it would mean wild variations in rates, which would be confusing to consumers and may limit taxi's from earning what they probably deserve.

IMO just add 20% more licenses immediately with a review every 3 years and formula that dictates how many licenses should be out there at that time. Also more relaxed regulations in general such as more upper level private "car services" as an alternative to taxi's, that are still regulated, or at least approved through, the taxi commission.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

The city can't very well have cheap acessible taxis providing service on roads when they are trying to herd everyone on transit now can they.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by browna

Yeah, didn't get into the first debate, and I've said my peice re drinking and driving.

As for more on the issue, I don't think a full deregulation would work, it would mean wild variations in rates, which would be confusing to consumers and may limit taxi's from earning what they probably deserve.

IMO just add 20% more licenses immediately with a review every 3 years and formula that dictates how many licenses should be out there at that time. Also more relaxed regulations in general such as more upper level private "car services" as an alternative to taxi's, that are still regulated, or at least approved through, the taxi commission.

Or hire more drivers to replace the ones sitting in the casino's all day and all night. I swear 30% of the citys cabs are parked there at any given time.

[ikaris]

Could somebody please explain to me why there are any limits at all to the number of permits? Seems quite communist to me.

EDIT: On a sidenote, sometimes I happen to work at an office building that houses the Livery Transport Servicves office and they often hold training seminars for new cab drivers. One day when I was walking by I overheard some advice being given by the instructor regarding customers that want to solicit prostitutes.

The suggestion was that while it is illegal for the cab driver to allow the customer to solicit the prostitute while in the cab, the cab driver could allow the customer to get out of the cab, solicit the prostitute, and then both get back in the cab in order to get around this. I had a pretty good laugh about that with my co-workers.