The two Timmins taxi companies, Vet’s Taxi and Northern Taxi, profoundly disagree over the need for additional taxi licence plates that would put more taxis on the road.
The disagreement started last month at the April 2017 Timmins Police Services Board meeting when the owner of Northern Taxi, Dauda Raji, asked for additional taxi plates to serve his taxi business, that he claims has grown by about 500 per cent.
Raji started Northern Taxi a little over a year ago when he purchased six taxi licence plates from A-1 Taxi. He previously was the manager at Walmart.
Rick Lafleur, the owner Vet’s Taxi, who owns 18 taxi licence plates, strongly disagreed with granting Northern Taxi additional licenses.
He spoke on behalf all Vet taxi drivers and brokers, who collectively own another 31 plates for a combined total of 49 plates.
Lafleur, accompanied by about a dozen taxi drivers and brokers belonging to the Timmins Taxi Association, who use Vet’s call centre, pointed out, that the current taxi by-law had set a limit of 60 plates for a reason, and additional plates should not be granted.
“The current by-law is based on the formula of one taxi to serve 1,000 people,” noted Lafleur.
“Even by that standard with sixty taxi plates we have too many,” he told the board.
“In fact, Timmins has lost about 2,500 people in the last several years, and we have an even smaller population,” he added.
Raji asserted that, “Northern Taxi wants to meet the needs of my customers, and right now I cannot do so with the fleet that I have.”
One option is for Northern Taxi to purchase taxi licence plates from Vet’s Taxi, but Raji argued the asking price of $30,000 is prohibitive.
Lafleur said, that the current market value price of $30,000 for purchase of an existing taxi licence plate is very fair as the price reflects the cost of purchase a business that has been developed over the years by the taxi operator.
“It’s the business that is of value, not the plate which costs only about $125,” said Lafleur.
The under servicing of South Porcupine, Porcupine and Whitney Township portion of Timmins, was a source of concern for John Curley, Timmins Police Services board member, and the former councilor for the area.
He said he still receives complaints about the poor service for the area, despite the by-law stating that a permanent taxi stand must be provided for the area.
“One of the problems that we had in the past was servicing South Porcupine,” agreed Lafleur.
“But we have taken care of that problem,” assured Lafleur. “We don’t have a station there, but we do have cars that are standing by there.”
Lafleur, also pointed to improvements he made to Vet’s Taxi, citing the praise given to the company by former Mayor Tom Laughren a few years ago when he was in office.
In a side issue, Lafleur complained that Vet’s Taxi was not allowed to pick up customers at the last August’s Kayak Challenge and Festival, as Northern Taxi had rights to pick up customers as it was a sponsor.
Raji refuted Lafleur’s description of the what transpired at the Kayak Festival. He said Vet’s Taxi was involved in passenger pick and up drop off throughout the event, a fact that could be verified by event organizer Guy Lamarche.
Lafleur also wanted to know why one taxi licence plate owned by Northern Taxi was not being used and a car involved in an accident still not back in service.
Raji explained that the plate is with the office of the Issuer of Licences for Timmins Police, because he is trying to expand his fleet and purchase new vehicles rather than repairing the damaged taxi. That is why he was asking for additional taxi licence plates, he told the board.
Raji said it was not right for Mr. Lafleur to go on the attack.
“I do not believe in attacking anyone, I do not believe in a negative approach to business,” Raji told the board.
“We live in free enterprise system,” added Raji. “That is what makes Canada great, and that is how Timmins was built.”
Mayor Steve Black said the too favours a free enterprise system, but the taxi industry as it evolved is a government regulated industry
At one point, the Mayor asked the speakers to keep to the topic of the need for more taxi licenses, and to avoid attacking each other.
Mayor Black said he hopes that over the next month, Timmins Police Services will make a decision.
Tom Buczkowski, Issuer of Licenses at the Timmins Police, said he believes the current plate limit of 60 is sufficient, but the by-law taxi allows anyone to apply for more plates.
The Timmins Police Services meets again next month in June and a decision is expected by that date.
