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A dispute with airport taxi drivers has led to disruptions at Ottawa airport in a disagreement over a new contract deal between the airport and the Coventry Connections cab company that requires the drivers to pay more per trip for fares from the airport.
Coventry has barred Airport Taxi branded drivers from the airport and allowed regular Blue Line and Capital taxis to pick up passengers.
The Ottawa Airport Authority has tweeted that passengers should expect delays due to the dispute.
The new contract more than double the fees — from about $2 to $4.50 per trip — that airport taxi drivers pay for the exclusive right to park at the airport and accept new fares, according to Hanif Patni, president of Coventry Connections.
Krista Kealey, a spokeswoman for the airport, confirmed that the airport had recently renegotiated its taxi dispatch contract with Coventry Connections and that new contract included an unspecified increase to reflect “fair market” fees.
While any taxi can drop passengers at the airport, only Airport Taxi branded cabs can park and pick up fares. However, the 150 cabs have struggled to keep up with traffic at times due to the increasing numbers of passengers coming to the nation’s capital and higher air traffic.
Patni said the new airport contract also allows other drivers to service the airport during peak periods when Airport Taxi cabs are not available.
Airport Taxi licences were sold to a limited number of cabs about 15 years ago.
Since then they have been sold off or leased to other drivers with turnover in the taxi workforce. The airport licences are some of the most coveted in town, as trips from the airport are typically higher fares and licences to pickup fares at the airport have been sold or leased at a premium over regular licences.
Allowing regular taxi cab drivers to pick up at the airport would reduce the value of the licenses, which upsets the permit holders.
Patni said the new arrangement for picking up passengers, coupled with the higher fees, has led to a contract impasse with Airport Taxi drivers who have been turned away from the airport as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.
A representative for the union was unavailable to comment on the situation.
The airport is now being serviced by regular cab drivers who are willing to pay the higher fees associated with working out of the airport, according to Patni.
The unrest at the airport comes at a time when Patni is already dealing with labour issues within his organization. On Aug. 1, regular Ottawa went on strike against Coventry Connections by withholding withholding what the drivers consider to be unfair fees from taxi dispatcher Coventry, which handles dispatch duties for more than 1,000 of the 1,200 licensed cabs in the city.
The public shouldn’t feel much effect, at least in the short term, as Patni released a statement saying that the company will continue to provide dispatch services to taxidrivers even though they are not paying their fees and are on strike. They will also be given access to privatetaxi stands.
More to come.
查看原文...
Coventry has barred Airport Taxi branded drivers from the airport and allowed regular Blue Line and Capital taxis to pick up passengers.
The Ottawa Airport Authority has tweeted that passengers should expect delays due to the dispute.
The new contract more than double the fees — from about $2 to $4.50 per trip — that airport taxi drivers pay for the exclusive right to park at the airport and accept new fares, according to Hanif Patni, president of Coventry Connections.
Krista Kealey, a spokeswoman for the airport, confirmed that the airport had recently renegotiated its taxi dispatch contract with Coventry Connections and that new contract included an unspecified increase to reflect “fair market” fees.
While any taxi can drop passengers at the airport, only Airport Taxi branded cabs can park and pick up fares. However, the 150 cabs have struggled to keep up with traffic at times due to the increasing numbers of passengers coming to the nation’s capital and higher air traffic.
Patni said the new airport contract also allows other drivers to service the airport during peak periods when Airport Taxi cabs are not available.
Airport Taxi licences were sold to a limited number of cabs about 15 years ago.
Since then they have been sold off or leased to other drivers with turnover in the taxi workforce. The airport licences are some of the most coveted in town, as trips from the airport are typically higher fares and licences to pickup fares at the airport have been sold or leased at a premium over regular licences.
Allowing regular taxi cab drivers to pick up at the airport would reduce the value of the licenses, which upsets the permit holders.
Patni said the new arrangement for picking up passengers, coupled with the higher fees, has led to a contract impasse with Airport Taxi drivers who have been turned away from the airport as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.
A representative for the union was unavailable to comment on the situation.
The airport is now being serviced by regular cab drivers who are willing to pay the higher fees associated with working out of the airport, according to Patni.
The unrest at the airport comes at a time when Patni is already dealing with labour issues within his organization. On Aug. 1, regular Ottawa went on strike against Coventry Connections by withholding withholding what the drivers consider to be unfair fees from taxi dispatcher Coventry, which handles dispatch duties for more than 1,000 of the 1,200 licensed cabs in the city.
The public shouldn’t feel much effect, at least in the short term, as Patni released a statement saying that the company will continue to provide dispatch services to taxidrivers even though they are not paying their fees and are on strike. They will also be given access to privatetaxi stands.
More to come.
查看原文...
