Cab fares in Quebec will rise by more than 17 per cent cent in September

In addition to fuel prices, food and housing costs going up, Quebecers cab rides are about to be more costly than they once were.

The Commission des Transports du Quebec announced Friday that taxi fares will increase this year.

In a 53-page decision, the commission details the history of cab fares and shows how the increase will work.

Since 2018, the price at the point of pick-up has been $3.50. Come September, that price will now be $4.10, an increase of just over 17 per cent.

The price per kilometre will now be $2.05, up from $1.75, and the price per minute will be 77 cents, up from 65 cents.

Between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., those prices increase to $4.70 at point of departure, $2.35 per kilometre, and 89 cents a minute (about 33 per cent).

This is the only time cabs in Quebec can charge more for a fare.

Champlian Taxi president George Boussios said that after nearly five years at a fixed rate, it was time to make the unpleasant choice to raise fares.

"We're in a bad situation with gas, buying a car, repairs, insurance, joining a company; what you buy today wasn't the same price last year," he said. "We never like raising the fare. If you ask any driver, they're going to say, 'we don't like it...' We have no choice."

Boussios said his company has lost vehicles and part-time workers due to gas prices making it not worth it to drive on the weekends or late at night.

He added that drivers sometimes won't take a 20-minute trip to pick up a fare because the payment isn't worth the trip.

"You're going to the gas pump every single day, and you're putting in $70 to $80, you really need to work a few extra hours to make up for that loss," said Boussios. "If you're downtown and you get a call in the East End in Anjou, many drivers won't take that 20-minute drive to get that customer because they're saying, 'I may not find that customer after 20 minutes and, second, the gas I'm spending to go there, it's not worth it.'"

Boussios added that, unlike Uber, cabs cannot institute surge pricing at any time and that cab companies still struggle to persuade drivers not to work two jobs - for the cab company and Uber.

"Our drivers are allowed to work for Uber as well," "When I have a client at 2 o'clock in the morning that wants to go to Laval, and another Uber client wants to go to Laval, and it's $150 for an Uber client and $50 for a Champlain client, which client is my driver going to take?"

The price rise comes after consultations with taxi companies in March.

Boussios knows his drivers may see less tips and that some will be upset with the hike, but that taxi companies need to adjust with inflation just like everything else.

"We're the only thing that hasn't gone up. How can you blame us?" said Boussios.