Wood Buffalo, taxi drivers

Local taxi drivers in Wood Buffalo recently started negotiating with the Taxicab Advisory Committee and the municipal council members, but it is still possible that the drivers could end up going on strike on September 6 if their demands are not met. One of the biggest issues that Wood Buffalo taxi drivers have is the $3 surcharge every time the driver goes to the new airport but this is not the only issue involved. When the old airport was in place Wood Buffalo drivers paid an $250 per year fee to take fares to and from the airport but this ended when a new contract was negotiated for the new airport. Other issues that have drivers upset is the annual cost of the license, and another is the lack of benefits that drivers have on the job.

What happens if Wood Buffalo taxi drivers decide to strike in early September? There may not be an available taxi when residents or visitors need one. According to both sides the other side is wrong, and many Wood Buffalo taxi drivers feel that the new $3 per airport fare is steep, and that this should not be charged to the customer either. Abdihanan Hussein, the Taxi Driver Committee representative, “We’re the ones saying you cannot charge this to the customer. Sun Taxi wanted to charge this to the customer. I don’t want to see the customer paying $3 or the driver. But I could shut my mouth and say nothing and charge the customer. So that $1 million is between us and the customer.”