The financial impacts of COVID-19 on the GTAA and our commercial partners, including the airport taxi and limousine community has been significant. In Q2 passenger traffic was down by 96% year-over-year. In Q3 passenger traffic was down 88% year-over-year; while we have seen slight improvements, we continue to expect 2021 to be a difficult year for our business and our business partners. The GTAA continues to be committed to working with our commercial partners to provide relief wherever possible in the face of this economic and health crisis.
On January 1, 2021, we will launch a two-year pilot of reduced fees for airport taxi licence, taxi permit, and limousine permit holders. We will continue to move forward in consultation with the airport taxi and limousine community.
This fee change pilot is based on per-trip data. It creates financial sustainability while also providing immediate relief due to significantly reduced passenger traffic. It can save the airport taxi and limousine industry as much as 75% in 2021 alone. The reduced minimum fee with incremental increases as industry volumes increase will help account for passenger volatility as the GTAA and the airport taxi and limousine industry gradually recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a direct result of consultation with the airport taxi and limousine industry, the two-year pilot incorporated important feedback and will launch on January 1, 2021. We will closely monitor the pilot implementation and continue to encourage feedback from industry.
Consultation panel of your industry representatives
Prior to the pilot launch, the GTAA consulted with the taxi and limousine industry. A panel of industry representatives listed below were brought together to discuss the details of the pilot as well as feedback submitted by the airport taxi and limousine community. The Consultation Panel met three times; once in November and twice in December 2020.Panelists:
- Sami Khairallah (Taxi Permit)
- Rajinder Singh (Taxi Permit | ATA)
- Vazken Keramentlian (Taxi Permit)
- Mohinder Sandhu (Taxi Licence)
- Taralochan Saggu (Limo Permit)
- Joshua Zahavy (Limo Permit)
Throughout the consultation period, we have received feedback from the panel and the taxi and limo community as a whole:
|
# of Panel Consultation Meetings |
# of Online Feedback Submissions Received |
Feedback Themes |
|
3 |
22 |
|
Share your feedback
We will continue to consult with the industry during the two-year pilot project. We encourage you to continue to give feedback about how the pilot is working. You can give your feedback to panel members or use the online form below.
All feedback will be considered anonymously and grouped by theme to be discussed with the panel. If you submit a question through the form it will not be answered directly, rather addressed with the panel.