Article content

Calgary’s taxi industry may be struggling, but market competition from ride-sharing companies continues to keep customers happy.

The Livery Transport Advisory Committee’s annual report showed customer satisfaction with cab companies was up in 2016, but the overall number of rides per year continues to drop.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Calgarians are more happy with cab companies, but they're using them less Back to video

Naeem Chaudhry, spokesman with the Calgary Accessible Cab Driver Association, said the trend is largely due to the lagging economy and the introduction of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber and TappCar to city streets.

“Of course (TNCs) are also taking the same business,” Chaudhry said. “So now we can see — especially the drivers who are full-time — they are facing some challenges to survive.”

Since giving the green light to TNCs last April, council has approved operationsfor seven licensed ride-share companies and issued 1,500 Transportation Network Driver’s Licences. Chaudhry said the added competition from TNCs has hurt the bottom line of cab companies, but customers are reaping the benefits in the form of lower fares and better service.