Taxi service in the Pemberton Valley is running on fumes as the only taxi company in the Spud Valley faces potential closure due to severe labour shortages.
Mountain View Taxi has operated in the Pemberton Valley since 2020 and has served as the lifeline of the valley for people without vehicles, especially when the longest transit strike in the province's history was in effect.
The labour shortage has pushed the company to a skeleton crew, resulting in unreliable service and overworked employees that have had to do overtime to try to keep the service running.
“We started it up two years ago, and everything was OK. We made it through COVID, but since the fall of last year, we can't find drivers,” said Mountain View Taxi's owner Mike Woodley.
“We've been updating regularly in the forums, and we get requests, but nobody has a Class 4 licence, which has got us running on a skeleton time. We have one full-time guy still hanging in there, but he's kind of burning candles at both ends," he continued.
“We need one more full-time guy, and we need a part-time guy at the moment because we got to try and pick it back up again. Many people are getting used to us saying we don't have a driver available, and they have to find other ways.”
As it stands, Pemberton isn't well serviced by public transit, with the 100 bus being the only local route within town, as well as the relatively infrequent 99 Commuter bus to Whistler, making taxi and ride-sharing services all the more crucial.
“[We serve] lots of seniors to get to their shopping and medical appointments. We get a lot of tourists that fly in that we take to the golf courses. Right now, we have a lot of requests for weddings, and then we do stuff for the emergency room for the hospital and the ministry," Woodley said.
According to Woodley, there is more than enough work in the valley, and the wages are good, with drivers taking home 45 per cent of each cabfare, plus 100 per cent of their tips, with the remainder paying for the cars and fuel as well as maintenance and insurance.
The issue seems to be finding drivers with the appropriate Class 4 licence. “We give people a call, and they want to do the job until we tell them you need to have a Class 4 licence. They say they'll check into it, and we never hear from them again,” Woodley said.
The worker shortage has resulted in empty cabs, while insurance and licensing costs continue to drive the Pemberton operation into the red. With less reliable service, more people are choosing alternative transportation or avoiding trips altogether, Woodley said.
The company also runs towing services in the Lower Mainland, and that side of the business has helped keep the company afloat.
“We're not bringing enough revenue now because we only have the one fellow that's full time, and he can't run seven days a week," Woodley said.
“We're bankrolling it, and it's just to the point where we can't afford to keep shelling money out every month here to pay for all this."
With its taxi licensing insurance due for renewal, the company said it is looking at September as the unofficial deadline to hire some new drivers or else it will close up shop for good.
Learn more about getting a Class 4 licence here.
