INNISFAIL – The town has amended its taxi bylaw to ensure more cab companies have a fair chance to set up shop in the community.
Since 2014 when the town brought in its first taxi bylaw to regulate the service, Innisfail has been served by just one cab firm– Associated Cab, a Red Deer-based company.
The bylaw specified that eight licences would be issued annually for Innisfail. However, each year since 2014 Associated Cab has been able to purchase all eight licences, with an option that gave the Red Deer-based company the right to grab all eight licences at the beginning of every year.
“That is the way the bylaw stated. It was whoever had the previous (licences) got first dibs, and if you took all eight no one else could have any,” said Heather Whymark, the town's director of corporate services. “That’s what I was changing because we do have other people who are interested.”
Whymark said in the past year alone she dealt with two people who came to town hall wanting to start their own taxi company but was unable to issue them licenses because all eight were already taken.
She briefed town council on Nov. 23 that she wanted to introduce an amendment to the taxi bylaw before 2020 came to a close so that no one company could purchase all eight “right off the bat” for 2021. Whymark added the amendment would give other cab companies a chance to secure a licence to serve the community.
Council was also told there was a lot of other work to do on the bylaw but Whymark said with time running out in 2020 she only wanted to deal with the amendment on Nov. 23 to ensure all eight licences did not go to “one individual entity”.
Council unanimously approved a motion, which required three readings, for a bylaw amendment that states tax companies only get a maximum of three licences per each applicant, and that they must reapply each year. The troublesome option is now gone.
John Whittingham, the owner of Associated Cab, declined to comment on the town’s amendment other than to say he was “not involved” in the town’s process to amend the bylaw.
“So, I have no comment. That’s it. I was not asked nor contacted,” said Whittingham, adding he is not sure whether his company will seek licences for 2021. “We are not sure what we are going to do at this point. I haven’t talked to anybody from the town and they haven’t contacted me directly.”
Whymark said she contacted Associated Cab on Dec. 1 and spoke to a company representative of the town’s taxi bylaw amendment.
She said the amendment will give a company a maximum three licences for individuals to drive. She said before the amendment it was the company that was granted the licences, all eight of them.
Whymark said the company had to give the names of the eight drivers but it was actually the cab company that had the licences. Council was told the town never saw eight vehicles in town.
She said the town will now give three licences for up to three vehicles. The cost for a company to get an annual licence in Innisfail is $150. On top of that, each of the three drivers must get one for $45.
“You can have eight drivers if you want but you are only going to be allowed three cars for your company,” she said.
Some time in the new year Whymark intends to give the entire taxi bylaw an overhaul, or what she calls, “stripping the bylaw back.”
“It is very thick and heavy and it needs to be redone in a more modern-type fashion. It is 20-some pages. It’s huge, and really says a lot of nothing and was very catered towards Associated Cab,” she said, adding it was satisfying to finally change the bylaw to make it more fair to all cab companies who are interested in providing the service to Innisfail.
"This has been a long time coming. I am very happy to get this one changed."
