Hay River’s senior administrator says the only two taxi companies in town – Island Taxi and Reliable Cabs – have struggled to recruit staff in recent months.
Glenn Smith said interruptions in cab service have been ongoing in Hay River since the Covid-19 pandemic, when the town met with drivers to better understand ways to provide support.
More recently, Smith said, the requirements of a bylaw that expects cabs to be running round the clock could be a reason why “it seems apparent that the service gaps are growing.”
“It was impacting services, but it seems like maybe now at least one, if not both of the companies, are not providing regular taxi services,” he said. “We’ve had reports over the last couple of months that there’s been almost no availability of cabs.”
The taxi bylaw, which was last updated in August 2022, requires drivers to supply “24 hour taxi response” for a license to operate a cab. Smith said the town plans to discuss that requirement in the next month or so.
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Smith said the town has not received any new applications from people wanting to start a cab service. He said however, if changes are made to the bylaw, that could open doors for people to enter the transportation business.
During the recent flood and wildfire evacuations, arranging for transportation for evacuees, both within and outside of Hay River, was a challenge, Smith said.
“We were looking at some of our public transit as a potential opportunity,” he said. “There’s a lot of federal funding out there right now for rural transportation. While it might not be the demand specifically for a bus service, there might be some form of public transit that could help.”
To help with travel during busy festive seasons or special events, some non-profit groups in Hay River have offered transportation services.
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Smith said the town has not received requests or complaints from travelers inquiring about cabs.
But the town recently increased ambulance fees due to increased demand for the service. Smith said he suspects that could be partly due to the lack of cab service.
“When someone needs to go to the hospital, if they can’t drive themselves, and a friend is not available, it kind of leads to the conclusion that they might be contacting the ambulance,” he said.
“It is not what we want, but so far, our data suggests that those calls are very limited.”
