A number of Kelowna taxi drivers are protesting the addition of a user fee to each trip they make to YLW International Airport.
Every time they pick up or drop off a passenger at the airport in Kelowna, cab drivers have been adding an extra $2 cost since July of last year. Although the price has helped the drivers’ operating costs, many of them told Global News that the additional fee is unpopular with many city taxi customers.
Sam Bansal, a cab driver in Kelowna, said, “They always say, ‘This is outrageous,’ and that they’ve never seen this kind of rate anyplace.
Every time we have to explain it, the customers are tremendously upset.
It pains me, said cab driver Fred Guigue, because they believe we are swindling them out of an extra $2.
“I don’t enjoy the fact that me as a cab driver has to be a tax collector for the city.
They claim that some consumers are so irate over the extra charge that they are intentionally underpaying drivers.
Many clients believe it to be an airport tax heist, according to cab driver Lorraine Worsnop. The fact that clients must pay the fee means that they are not tipping as much.
Geoff Ritchie, senior airport development manager at YLW, says that added fee is a good thing for the cab drivers.
He stated, “If you are doing ground transportation, you have to come acquire a licence.” The price of a licence is $638. What we’re arguing is that the licence costs $50, and to recuperate the remaining cost, you must add a $2 travel fee to it.
Ritchie noted that in the future, if additional transportation businesses were given permission to run in Kelowna, the same regulations would be in effect for them as well.
Ritchie said, “All ground transportation is on an even playing field.”
“Let’s assume someone who drives for Uber part-time and may not be able to afford the higher front-end price. They now have a more reasonable and cost-effective way to achieve it while still being able to recover.
While the cab drivers in Kelowna are saving $588 dollars on their up-front cab licensing fees to pick up passengers from the airport, they’re still more concerned about the customer.
The per-passenger charge also adds up.
Every driver pays the fee once a month, and YLW collects the money on their behalf.
Guigue said that she was spending more than $50 a week on airport fees.
“So that’s $200 just from one driver a month, and over $2,000 a year. “Wow, that’s a lot of cash.”
Cab drivers in Kelowna protest airport fees
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