Accessible cabs in Toronto are dwindling. One company says the city is failing to support drivers

One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.

Zerihun Alemu has been an accessible cab driver with Beck Taxi since 2015. He says he paid out of pocket to convert his van to be accessible, which included adding a ramp.

Alemu says he made the investment because he wanted to help people with disabilities, and he thought providing accessible and regular taxi service would help business.

But Alemu's vehicle is about to age past the city’s standards and he says he can’t afford to continue his service. He spent about $50,000 on the accessible vehicle in 2015, but it would cost about $130,000 now, he says.

“The maintenance cost is too much,” he told CBC Toronto. “I feel sorry for the customers."

And he’s not the only one. Many drivers who once had accessible vehicles are also deciding not to get new vehicles for financial reasons, according to Kristine Hubbard, the company’s operations manager.

Beck Taxi once had a fleet of 200 accessible cabs, says Hubbard, but now that number is down to 50. And after March 31, when most of the vehicles officially expire past the city’s age limit, there will only be three left, she says.

Hubbard said other taxi dispatch companies are facing similar shortfalls of on-demand accessible vehicles. CBC reached out to Diamond Taxi and Co-op Cabs for comment but did not receive a reply.

Hubbard said taxi companies are responsible for dispatch while the city is in charge of overseeing the taxi industry, including regulating and licencing vehicles. Licenced taxi drivers are responsible for vehicle costs, including converting them to be accessible, she said.

Hubbard says the city is offering little help and has no long-term plan.

“They've turned their backs on that community and the community of taxi drivers who have lost everything waiting for a plan and now they'll be out of business,” she said. 

“The drivers have lost all trust in our regulator and in our council, and customers now will be stranded.”

She said she would like to see the city make more investments into accessible taxis and set up a centralized call centre so customers don't have to call multiple companies to see who has an accessible vehicle available.

Last year, the city amended a bylaw to increase the lifespan of accessible taxis from seven years to 10 years, according to a statement from city spokesperson Jas Baweja.