Taxi drivers oppose public transit

DENISE RIDEOUT

The debate about whether to introduce a public transportation system in Iqaluit has longtime residents eager for a cheaper way of getting around town and local taxi drivers worried about losing customers.

At a public meeting on May 27, elders, residents and taxi drivers told the city exactly what they thought of the plan to put buses on Iqaluit’s streets.

Following the success of the public transportation system that ran during the Arctic Winter Games in March, the council is bantering around the idea of a full-fledged bus system for the capital.

The city’s engineering department is trying to gauge whether Iqaluit residents really want public transportation, and is studying how much it would cost to run the system.

The city is planning to put buses on the streets this September for a trial run, and will later decide if it’s worthwhile to run the buses full time.

At the meeting, Elisapee Davidee, who grew up in Iqaluit, told council that public transit would be a cheaper alternative to taxis. She said many people, especially lower income families, can’t always afford the $4.50 taxi fare.

“I think as consumers it would be great to have an option,” Davidee said.

Davidee recalled that Iqaluit residents made good use of the town’s first bus system, which ran in 1980. It was a popular mode of transportation considering few people in Iqaluit had vehicles then.

“The buses provided a community feeling that isn’t there today,” she said.

Longtime resident Okee Kunuk, who has seen the town branch out over the years, told council it’s more difficult to get around Iqaluit now that it’s grown.

“The community has grown so much that we become too tired to walk two miles to see our relatives,” Kunuk said.

She also travelled around town on the old bus system when it was up and running. “I would like to see the time when the service would be back again,” Kunuk said.

Newcomers to the capital city also support the plan for public transit. Hugh Moloney, who lives in Iqaluit during the summer, said public transportation is a good move to reduce the congestion on Iqaluit’s streets.

“I don’t think the infrastructure in Iqaluit can take the damage it’s taking now with so many cars on the road,” he said.

While a handful of residents came out in support of a bus system, taxi drivers at the meeting opposed the plan.

Mark Hobson, a driver with Pai-Pa taxi company, said the money needed to pay for public transit could be better used fixing up the pothole-covered roads.

“We want a bus system?” Hobson asked, a sarcastic tone in his voice. “We don’t even have roads that are good enough.”

Hobson said buses that only run at certain times and on certain streets will do little to satisfy people who want to get somewhere in a hurry.

“Are people ready to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a bus? Are people willing to walk 10 to 15 minutes to a bus stop in the winter?” he said.

“I doubt it’s going to be feasible and I doubt it’s going to work.”

Hobson said if city council has money to implement public transit, it should consider putting that money into the taxi service.

He suggested the city buy taxi vouchers from cab companies and sell them to lower income families at a reduced rate.

The Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce also took hold of that idea.

Steve Cook, the chamber’s president, said it makes sense for the city to invest in the taxi service because the essential things, such as the vehicles and the drivers, are already here.

“You’d have a lot less headaches,” Cook said.

After the meeting, transportation consultants asked people to the fill out a questionnaire asking them how often they would take a bus and where they’d like it to travel.

“You’re the people who know best what the city needs,” said Richard Puccini, a consultant who is conducting the transportation study for the city.