What is happening with the taxi companies? In Montreal, Quebec City and even more in Gaspé, customers encounter undue delays, or even no service. Can we hope for a return to normal?
The image is evocative: in Thailand, the taxi industry is going through such a crisis that drivers have decided to grow vegetables on the roofs of their vehicles to feed themselves, instead of rolling them… The situation is certainly less dramatic in Quebec, but the service is certainly not what it used to be.
In the capital, users say they almost missed their train after trying unsuccessfully to call a taxi to take them to the station. In Quebec, the situation is all the more frustrating as there are no real alternatives, Uber having almost disappeared from the map.
The problem is that there are not enough drivers, explains Taxi Coop spokesperson in Quebec, Luc Selesse. “There are a lot of seniors who have left the industry, and it sure shows. In our region, we have between 30 and 40 elderly drivers who have left. The sector has suffered a string of hard knocks in recent years. There was the arrival of Uber, Bill 17, which made the profession much less profitable, and finally the pandemic, which caused drivers and customers to desert. “There is a surge in demand on evenings and weekends, but [c’est dur] during the day and at the start of the week, ”recognizes Mr. Selesse.
Despite everything, he considers that the stations and the airport are relatively well served. When it is pointed out to him that many people complain, on the contrary, of waiting in vain at the bus station, he retorts that “it may be”. “But you have to understand that the station is not exclusive to our company and that other companies, such as Taxi Laurier and Hypra Taxi, work throughout the city. “
What to do then? Should customers lower their expectations and abandon the taxi on certain occasions? Mr. Selesse suggests that customers book their groceries by phone or through his mobile application. People also shouldn’t be shy about complaining to get certain things fixed, he says.
Exodus of elderly drivers
In Montreal, the offer is greater, but remains lower than in the past. At Taxelco, the number of drivers has decreased from 15 to 18%, according to its general manager, Frédéric Prégent. “We are working on a plan to bring drivers back into the industry,” explains the boss of the group which owns Téo Taxi, Taxi Diamond and Taxi Hochelaga. “The profile of a taxi driver is particular: they are self-employed workers who want to have a certain freedom, who have the profile of an entrepreneur. They are not necessarily easy to replace. “
Feeld Jean is one of those who left the profession. This former spokesperson for the Haitian Taxi Association returned to his former profession in 2019: mortgage financing advisor.
According to him, the Bonnardel reform of 2019 hurt the industry more than COVID-19. By abolishing permits that previously gained in value over time, Bill 17 ensured that older drivers no longer had any incentive to stay on the job. Therefore, those who had not left the profession before the pandemic did so afterwards, the virus placing them particularly at risk because of their age. “Those who stay”, believes Mr. Jean, “do it for the way of life, social life, freedom”.
The profile of a taxi driver is particular: they are self-employed workers who want to have a certain freedom, who have an entrepreneurial profile. They are not necessarily easy to replace.
One factor, however, is in favor of the Montreal taxi industry. Uber, which was a great threat to them before the pandemic, has lost a lot of drivers and customers, who turn to taxi companies, notes Mr. Prégent.
Information that Uber says it cannot confirm. Yes, “demand has dropped sharply”, says its spokesperson, Jonathan Hamel, “but it is picking up quite rapidly”. During this time, the multinational is increasing its advertising campaigns to recruit drivers.
An essential service in the region
Can we hope for a return to equilibrium in the future? Not sure, retorts the sociologist Jean-Philippe Warren, author of a book on the history of the taxi in Quebec. “It will stay that way as long as the COVID measures are not lifted and the incomes are less attractive than for other professions,” he said.
The balance, “we always had it and we never had it”, he argues. Thus, long before Uber and Bill 17, customers found that they waited too long and that there were not enough taxis, he notes with humor. “It will never be completely to customer satisfaction […] The taxi experience is a regularly frustrating experience. The people who take taxis, in many cases, are people who are in a hurry, and the streets of Montreal are not made for motorists in a hurry. “
Those who stay do it for the way of life, for social life, for freedom.
We must not forget that the taxi is a “luxury service”, continues the author, and not an essential service. Except perhaps in the region. Thus, in the Gaspé, taxis are often called upon to transport people to the hospital. Failing to be able to take a taxi, some patients sometimes have to call the ambulance when it is not essential, according to Serge Lebreux, the former president of the Association des taxis des regions du Québec (ATRQ) and director of Taxi Porlier. , which serves Gaspé, Chandler, Mont-Joli, Rimouski, Havre-Saint-Pierre and Kegaska.
“We lost about 50% of our workforce,” he laments. For the drivers who have stayed, the weight of responsibilities is strong, and some accumulate shifts to ensure a minimum of service, he adds. Last summer, the service closed at 5 p.m. in Gaspé for lack of personnel. From now on, it stops at 8 p.m. And the solutions? “In Gaspé, I don’t have a solution. Call your brother-in-law. “