'They need us for travelling': Winnipeg taxi company suffers sharp drop in demand

Winnipeg's largest taxi company says cab drivers are making efforts to keep taxis clean in light of the COVID-19 virus, yet they've seen business drop by about 50 per cent in recent days.

Unicity Taxi general manager Harjit Chahal says drivers have been asked to clean the interior of their cabs with disinfecting wipes and sprays after each customer. But Chahal said one problem is that he, like many other Manitobans, was not able to buy enough of the wipes to distribute to drivers.

"Some [drivers], they have these things. But like many drivers and owners, they told us 'we don't find these things in any store in Winnipeg'. So that's the hard situation for us also," said Chahal.

That has left some drivers trying to clean the cabs in other ways, such as with soap and water, he said. 

"We need these things on priority," he said, adding the problem can be stressful for drivers.

"As a cab industry we can't stop our work. Everyone in the city, they need us for travelling. So we need to provide a service. But in these circumstances we think about our drivers' safety plus our customers' safety," Chahal said.

City recommends precautions

The City of Winnipeg Vehicles for Hire branch licences taxi drivers and sent a notice to taxi dispatchers last week with advice on helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Responding to the public risk of COVID-19 has caused significant challenges for all service-based industries," Kalen Qually, communications officer for the City of Winnipeg, said in a statement.

"The City has been in contact with all licenced Vehicle for Hire dispatchers, including taxi and personal transportation providers (both limousine and ride-sharing), since early last week on recommended precautions that would reduce any risk to drivers and passengers," Qually said. 

"Each vehicle should maintain anti-bacterial disinfectant wipes," the document sent to taxi companies says. It advises taxi operators to use a disposable disinfectant cloth to wipe down the following surfaces:

• Seats and seat-belts
• Door handles
• Steering wheel (especially after a change of drivers)
• Taxi meters
• Console area
• Credit/debit card PIN pad
• Any other shared equipment or areas that are commonly touched.

Unicity has 290 taxis, making it the largest taxi company in Winnipeg.

Dispatches to ill passengers

Concerns by drivers over the possibility of being dispatched to passengers who are ill has resulted in a few drivers not wanting to continue the job, said Chahal.

He said that so far he's not aware of any cases of a Unicity driver being called to pick up a person showing symptoms of illness similar to COVID-19. 

Unicity Taxi picks up passengers at Winnipeg's airport and has an account to transport patients to and from the Health Sciences Centre, he added.

"Sometimes we have a call from the sick people," Chahal said. "So whenever we want to go there to pick up that customer, we are not sure like what kind of illness he or she has at that time, right. So it's also a big challenge for us," said Chahal.

"Right now, it's normal. But in future, if it's going worse, then we also need some precautions," he said, explaining he wants to discuss that further with the City of Winnipeg Vehicle For Hire branch. 

Drivers are being asked to avoid contact with passengers, such as hand shakes, and sometimes drivers will ask a passenger to sit in the back seat, rather than the front, Chahal said.

From a business perspective, he observed that with casinos in Manitoba closing, and with fewer people going to bars and restaurants, the taxi industry stands to lose more business in the near future.