High cost of fuel makes taxis hard to come by in P.E.I.

Despite coming down from its peak, the high price of fuel is still causing problems across the Maritime region.

It’s become a challenge to hail a cab, especially on Prince Edward Island. At peak times, it can take an hour to get a taxi in Charlottetown.

Cab drivers say the high price of fuel is keeping some off the road.

“It’s a constant struggle,” said cab driver Dwight McEwan. “We’ve seen our margins nearly disappear over the last year and a half or so. It just keeps getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller, and there’s little sign that it’s going ever be better.”

Cab drivers need to be able to make money, but city regulations limit what they can charge. Officials recently increased fares by $1 and bumped up per-rider charges.

“It’s stemmed the bleeding a little bit, but it’s not enough,” said McEwan. “I don’t think it’s enough.”

McEwan adds, at current rates, there just aren’t enough people willing to drive a cab.

Long taxi wait times are also inconvenient for everyone, but it can be even worse for people with mobility issues.

“We’ve talked to clients who have had to wait hours for them to show up,” said Alan Stanley, community outreach coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury PEI. “If you are in a wheelchair, it’s not just as simple as walking around the block from wherever you were, maybe going to coffee shop. It’s harder for you to get around.”

There are non-profits operating on P.E.I. that provide relatively inexpensive transit for people with mobility issues, but they require users to call ahead and make special arrangements.

Stanley says that’s helpful, but isn’t always what they need.

“Sometimes you’re out for an evening and you don’t know if you’re gonna be finished and ready to come home at 10 or midnight,” said Stanley. “If you have to book ahead, then everything is blocked out and the spontaneity is gone from your life.”

Stanley says Charlottetown also lacks any accessible taxis, meaning taxis are only an option for people with enough mobility in their upper body to be able to transfer themselves from their chair to the seat of the car.

Too few taxis is a problem that could solve itself if gas prices fall back. However, if they don’t, then a change in regulation will likely be required to make it competitive for cabbies to keep working.