The taxi industry has yet to see a boost despite New Brunswick’s low-number of COVID-19 cases.
Amanda Raynes is a driver with Vet’s Taxi, and she says it seems like people are mostly homebodies these days.
Raynes believes the lower number of customers can be attributed to folks staying at home, as they avoid restaurants and social venues during the pandemic.
“A lot of people are scared that they’re going to catch something,” she said.
While governments attempt to stimulate local economies, it hasn’t yet translated into an uptick in customers for cab companies.
“It’s depressing knowing that you’re going to come into work and it’s not going to be busy,” Raynes said. “We work for commission, the company drivers do. If there’s no calls coming in, we don’t get any money.”
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Raynes does say she feels safe working with the public.
She credits regulations like face mask requirements, regular sanitizing between each call, and having hand sanitizer in each vehicle as rules that have made her feel safer while working.
However, it’s distracting to think that each customer could have been in contact with a carrier.
“We don’t know who we’re picking up every time we pick someone up. They could be a carrier, and we don’t even know it,” Raynes said.
She says customers have generally been understanding and respectful about the regulations, though she is confronted by the occasional rider who doesn’t believe the rules apply to them.
“We get some customers that instantly open the front door,” Raynes said, despite the fact riders are required to sit in the back for physical distancing purposes.
“It’s for our protection and for theirs,” Raynes said. “When you politely ask them to get in the back, they get upset. ‘I’m not sick.’ Well, you’re not sick right now, but we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next 14 days.”
As the industry continues to slump, Raynes says she’s not optimistic for a bounce-back, especially as epidemiologists forecast an uptick in COVID-19 cases during the upcoming flu season.
However, she got into the job because she loves driving, and it’s that love of the road that keeps her going through this tough stretch.
“All of us are just doing what we can,” said Raynes. “We come in every day… we try to get the customers as quick and as happy as possible, and hope that every day gets better.”
