City of Burlington Issues Licence to Blueline Taxi Company, Service in City Starts Dec. 7

Transportation
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*Please see below a news release issued by the City of Burlington.

"I know we all welcome the news that taxi service can resume in our community as early as today, and in time for the holidays. I want to thank the successful applicant for coming forward, and I’m grateful to City staff and my Council colleagues for working quickly to find a temporary solution to restore taxi service in Burlington immediately. I also thank staff for their ongoing efforts to bring forward a permanent solution to this issue. As well, thank you to Burlington Taxi for their 53 years of dedicated service to our community." -- Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

Burlington, Ont. — Dec. 7, 2021 — With the Public Vehicle By-law amendments providing a temporary solution to replace lost taxi service, the City of Burlington is sharing that Blueline Taxi company has been issued a new taxi licence. Blueline Taxi will start to service Burlington residents today. To book taxi service, Burlington residents can call Blueline Taxi by phone (905) 525-0000 or book online at 525blue.com.The by-law that governs the issuance of new taxi licences was written to meet the needs of the taxi business model that existed in 2009.  To allow new business to enter the Burlington transportation market, City staff recommended interim by-law amendments.  These amendments provide flexibility in the application process to meet the demands of current business models.Quick Facts:

  • Burlington’s main taxi service provider Burlington Taxi ceased operation on Nov.26, 2021
  • At the Nov. 30, 2021 Special Council meeting, City Council approved amending the Public Vehicle By-law to allow exemptions to existing licensing requirements so other taxi services could apply to provide service for Burlington residents
  • The by-law amendments allowed applications for new taxi owner licences/plates to open on Dec. 2, 2021 until all spaces are full
  • The by-law amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution. City staff are aiming to undertake a comprehensive review and consultation and have a new by-law created prior to December 31, 2023. Further review is required not only to determine appropriate taxi licensing requirements, but to investigate the ‘rideshare’ businesses and options for regulating that market.

"As we learned earlier this morning, amendments to our Vehicle/Taxi Bylaw will allow us to welcome 13 new taxi vehicles onto to our streets as of today, Tuesday, December 7, 2021.  Staff are open and eager to review additional licenses to increase this number of available taxi vehicles as multiple companies in the taxi industry continue to come forward with applications.  It was unfortunate that these changes and amendments were not considered before the closure of Burlington Taxi as this could have avoided the subsequent transportation crisis for many Burlington residents, but I am relieved that an expedient way forward was sought by staff and I look forward to the renewed commitment to this valuable mode of transportation for Burlington residents in the future." -- Ward 4 Counc. Shawna Stolte, City of Burlington"Last week’s by-law amendments allowed new applications for taxi owner licences and plates to be submitted. The City is happy to announce Blueline Taxi met the requirements and can begin servicing our community. The overall health and safety of our residents continues to be a key priority and we thank residents for their patience as we addressed this service gap.  The bylaw amendments were put forward to help facilitate a new business to start in Burlington and we are pleased taxi services can resume." -- Nick Anastasopoulos, Director of Building & Bylaw, City of Burlington

Links and Resources:

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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