Iqaluit cabbies get fare hike

IQALUIT — Iqaluit residents are now paying a little more to take taxis.

Last week, the Iqaluit Town council agreed to allow cab companies to raise their fares to $4.50.

The decision is music to the ears of cab drivers, who were at odds with the town council for several months about hiking their fares.

“We are really relieved,” said Jamie Guilboard, a driver with Nunavut Taxi, after hearing the news.

In early March, Iqaluit’s taxi drivers staged a four-day strike, vowing they wouldn’t go back on the roads until they got a fare increase.

Many of Iqaluit’s councillors were against the increase, saying residents wanted to see better customer service before they would be willing to pay more for a taxi ride.

After much debate, the council agreed to raise the fares from $3.75 to $4. But when taxi drivers walked off the job, the council agreed to the cabbies’ $4.50 request.

Besides the taxi fares, the Town has put some new conditions on taxi drivers. As in the past, each driver will have to pass a criminal records check.

But they’ll also need to show knowledge of the town’s streets, public buildings and house numbers. All licences will come with a one-year probationary period.