A lack of taxis in the evening has one uptown Saint John food and beverage operator concerned.
Corey McGill wrote to the city after a student reached out to Councillor Greg Norton on Twitter about the lack of cabs.
McGill tells us patrons often have to wait a considerable amount of time for a taxi.
“At 2:30 in the morning, every single licensed establishment has to have their people out, we can’t allow people to stay in our businesses after that point because of our liquor act,” says McGill, “so everybody has to go, and if there’s a lack of quantity of cars out there, then it’s dangerous.”
As food and beverage operators, McGill says the last thing they want to see is people choosing to get behind the wheel if they can’t find their own way home.
McGill says he’s not slamming the taxi companies because they’re small business owners like him and he understands they have costs of being out.
“I’m supportive of the taxi cab industry in Saint John, I’m supportive of them as businesses,” he says, “but it’s the amount of cars that are on the road that is the issue in the evening.”
McGill thinks the city should look at changing its bylaws to allow ride sharing services in the event Uber or other companies want to expand here in the future.
