PARRY SOUND – Arrow Taxi has just over one month to comply with the current transportation bylaw, which requires them to have a dispatcher during the company’s hours of operation.

Owner Lorne Contin, who runs the business from home and from a car phone, wrote a letter to council asking them to give him until February 1, 2007 to get a 24-hour dispatch system. The request was denied, giving Mr. Contin until January 1, 2007 to comply. 

Tuesday evening, Mr. Contin and associate Glenda Dunn spoke at length to council about their denied request.

“There’s never been 24-hour dispatch for as long as I can remember,” said Mr. Contin. “I know in your bylaw in no way does it say 24-hour dispatch in here. We’ve got all kinds of violation notices, one from August 5 and (a bylaw officer) came by again on August 7 and he came again a day later and he told me that it was totally unfair for Parry Sound Taxi to have 24-hour dispatch and we don’t. I thought that wasn’t nice for him to do that.”

Ms Purdy said its possible Ms Dunn and Mr. Contin have misunderstood the bylaw which says that a cab company must have a dispatcher only during the company’s hours of operation.

“When we gave (Arrow) the amendment allowing them to use the 10-4 cell phone system we had to meet with the police and the Ministry of Transportation,” said Ms Purdy. “And they stressed safety and were concerned because those drivers are out there by themselves.”

Ms Dunn, who said she’s been in the taxi business for about 17 years hasn’t ever had to comply with 24-hour dispatch and doesn’t understand why it’s so important now.

“If there is a great emergency, (the driver is) better off to call 911 then a dispatcher who can’t get to them or help them anyway,” said Ms Dunn.

Ms Purdy disagreed, saying there could be an instance where a driver has gone for a pick up and doesn’t check back in, then the dispatcher could radio for help.

“Right now the driver answers the phone and he’s answering the phone while he’s driving, that’s very unsafe,” said Ms Purdy. “We’ve already told them that they could dispatch from their home during slower hours, there just needs to be someone available at all times of operation.”

“We are trying our best to comply with your wishes, but we’re kind of at a loss as to why we need to have 24-hour dispatch when there never has been in the past,” said Ms Dunn. “This is a small business that will never survive. We average maybe eight calls from around 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. we have to pay a dispatch or Vipco (answering service) for those hours. We’re not even making enough money to pay that dispatcher, never mind the driver. I feel that we are being harassed, unfairly and unjustly. We want to operate a company in this town that gives people an alternative to the one other company that there is. We are a company that cares about this community.”
http://www.parrysound.com/press/1164378959/