Calgary introduces financial incentive for accessible taxis

By Lauryn Heintz City News

Taxis in Calgary that install a wheelchair ramp will be eligible for a $25,000 incentive, thanks to a new city program.

The incentive is a new addition to Calgary’s existing Accessible Taxi Incentive Program (ATIP), created in 2019 to help accessible taxi plate holders and drivers with the cost of buying, adapting, and operating wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“This is a great win for the customers who rely on wheelchair-accessible taxis to get to appointments and connect with their communities,” said Deputy Chief Cory Porter of Public Vehicle Standards.

The city says last year, more than 30,000 trips were taken by Calgarians requesting on-demand wheelchair-accessible taxis.

“Since these customers are paying the same metered rate as non-accessible users, we want to ensure they are getting the same level of service,” Porter added.

The hope is the initiative will support accessible taxi operators in getting more wheelchair accessible vehicles on the road.

Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are more expensive to operate, according to the city, and the new program address that disparity and reduces costs.

In addition to the new incentive, ATIP also provides holders of an accessible taxi plate license with annual incentives of up to $3,500 plus per-trip driver incentives. Drivers of wheelchair-accessible taxis are also eligible for yearly incentives of up to $4,500 plus per-trip driver incentives.

According to the city, the program is funded by collecting a $0.10 fee per trip, which is added to the total fare of all taxis and transportation network company trips taken in Calgary.

Calgary has issued 189 accessible taxi plate licenses.