The former longtime owner of Vet’s taxi and Ward 3 councillor Gerry Lowe believes council’s decision to give preliminary approval to new cab meter rates was an excellent one.
He thinks this is a much fairer system and fairer rate.
The new rates will slightly increase fares for shorter trips but majorly reduce fares for longer ones. They involve the initial cost increasing by two dollars but the distance rate going down by 54-cents per kilometre.
Councillor Lowe says the amount of cab business that has been lost in the last three weeks is unbelievable, and believes it’s going to take a long time to reclaim what was lost.
“I think in a couple of weeks everything will move along smoothly again, I hope eventually we get the customers back that we lost that’s all,” says Lowe.
The city’s new taxi bylaw, which makes meters mandatory in cabs came into effect at the beginning of the month.
Councillor Lowe declared a conflict for the agenda item during Monday’s Common Council meeting.