BRACEBRIDGE, ON-Bracebridge council may have the solution to solving the shortage of taxis.
On December 10th, Chief Bylaw Enforcement Officer Scott Stakiw presented recommendations to the general committee to repeal the current bylaw that restricts the process to become a taxi driver.
In an interview with the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom, Stakiw said that Bracebridge only has 11 drivers between three different taxi companies even though the town allows up to 16 drivers to transport residents at a time. “I have had 9 complaints from residents over the past year about taxis being hours late or not showing up at all,” said Stakiw.
The bylaw that Stakiw suggested would refund the existing taxi licence holders the $250.00 they paid for their 2019/2020 licence and replace it with a new voluntary $100.00 registration fee.
This new bylaw would also allow the opportunity for freelance drivers to transport residents.
“If council decides to go ahead with this we will promote the service and bring more attention to it in hopes of attracting more drivers,” said Stakiw.
When asked about if ride sharing serves could become available for the area like Uber or Lyft, Stakiw said that he has been in conversation with Uber, but the service would take about two to three years from being readily available. “Even though ride sharing services will not be available for a few years, we still have to improve our taxi service”
Council is currently discussing how they would like to proceed with the new bylaw but not future dates have been set as to when they will reach a decision.