A bid by a cab company to get in on the lucrative YVR market has been tempered by the City of Richmond.
Garden City Cabs applied to the Passenger Transportation Board of BC to add nine vehicles to its existing fleet of 30 in order to service the airport.
Four of the additions would be conventional taxicabs, with the remaining five being accessible vans that would serve YVR on a full-time basis a region theyre prohibited from picking up passengers as per their current licensing agreement.
The city expressed concerns about the rest of the city being under-serviced as a result and asked the company to take heed.
The companys part-owner, Paramjit Randhawa, addressed a council committee Wednesday, saying, hes heard concerns from business owners and hotels.
They want us to pick up their guests from the airport while their shuttles are not running, said Randhawa.
Late night or early mornings. Without having access to pickup rides from the airport, we cannot serve them according to their needs.
The committee had issue with the wording of the application, which did not specifically state the airport-only restriction for the five accessible vehicles.
This could potentially allow the company to allocate more of its fleet to YVR impacting service levels in other areas in Richmond.
Randhawa said that is not the companys intent and theyre working with the Vancouver Airport Authority, which had requested more vans, capable of carrying up to six passengers and bags, to meet growing demands.
We are only saying five accessible vans to serve the needs of our local community and the business community in Richmond, he added.
