October 15, 2008

EIGHT PER CENT INCREASE APPROVED FOR TARIFFS CHARGED BY STANDARD AND ACCESSIBLE METERED TAXICABS IN THE CITY OF WINNIPEG
The Manitoba Taxicab Board has approved an application from Duffy’s Taxi (1996) Ltd., and Unicity Taxi Ltd. for a proposed rate increase. The applicants were proposing a 15 per cent increase in meter tariffs for both standard and accessible taxicabs due to the increasing cost of fuel.

The new tariff for standard and accessible metered taxicabs in Winnipeg will be an eight per cent increase over the current rates and will take effect on Nov. 3, 2008. The last taxicab meter rate increase was in November 2005.

The new meter rates for a standard taxi and accessible taxicab will be $3.30 for the initial meter drop rate, which includes the first 72.5 meters, $0.10 for each additional 72.5 meters, and $0.10 for each 13.18 seconds of metered waiting time.

At the new meter rate, the cost of a 10 kilometer trip in a standard or accessible taxicab in Winnipeg would increase from the current rate of $15.75 to $17.00. Waiting time is not factored in to the cost of a 10 km trip but it will affect the final meter rate. Winnipeg taxicabs offer one of the lowest fares for a 10 km trip.

Over the past three years the taxicab industry has introduced over 230 hybrid vehicles to the taxi fleet. Taxicab owners have also brought in over a 100 mid-sized vehicles to replace the full size cars that were common three years ago. In addition to being more costly, these vehicles are newer, have more safety features and reduce the carbon footprint in our environment. The Winnipeg taxicab industry is a leader in North America in adapting to fuel efficient vehicles.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ATTACHED
The Government of Manitoba is distributing this news release on behalf of the Province of Manitoba and the Taxicab Board.