FYI Victoria Port Taxi Situation

[Clashed]

FYI, there was a huge line for taxis at the Victoria Cruise terminal this past week, took over an hour for some people to get a cab ... and i could not get a signal to call for an Uber

 

So we took the shuttle bus into downtown ($15 roundtrip) instead and then got a cab from the Empress (you could probably walk to another location and call a taxi from there but again still a delay to factor in your time frame if you are trying to schedule something independently) 

 

apparently taxi drivers have to pay $200 for a sticker to gain access to the cruise port so while all cabs can drop off there, not all taxis can pick up from cruise terminal (i do not know if Uber, Lyft have cruise port restrictions) 

This was very early in the season so perhaps more taxi drivers will upgrade and purchase the sticker as the season goes on but don't expect to easily catch a cab from cruise terminal

 

 

[martincath]

2 hours ago, Clashed said:

apparently taxi drivers have to pay $200 for a sticker to gain access to the cruise port so while all cabs can drop off there, not all taxis can pick up from cruise terminal (i do not know if Uber, Lyft have cruise port restrictions)

While it's good to get a 'boots on the ground' report, your cabbie is just confused about the details of the Terminal Training decals! They have applied since 2022 (when it was $305+tax; not sure whether $200 is correct this year or not) and the rules do apply to every For Hire vehicle, from pedicabs to Ubers to horse trolleys to boats to buses - primarily it's about educating the drivers to minimise the dangers of them harming themselves or others while at the pier, and secondarily ensure efficient flow of the various vehicle types by giving them designated zones (the guide first issued 2 seasons back has a very detailed map breaking down where each flavour of vehicle is supposed to be, which roads to come in and leave by, and even separates the horsey-cycley vehicles from the motorized ones - it's pretty well thought out!)

 

Unlike a permanent operation Ogden Point is just a big slab of tarmac with painted lines and some temporary barriers, so folks not paying attention can very easily end up driving the wrong way, mowing down pedestrians etc. in a worst case - or more likely just causing delays by e.g. parking their Uber where tour buses are supposed to be! Ensuring that all the folks who will be driving in and out throughout the season know where to go really helps with efficiency and safety.

 

The requirements are that you complete a form each season (April-October) confirming that your business is licensed and properly insured, list your drivers for each registered vehicle, and a short bit of online training to complete for those drivers to ensure that folks driving around the pier during working hours don't do anything stupid or dangerous to harm themselves or others... this early in the season, it's very likely that the cab firms just need to get their paperwork in order for 2024 season is all. This applies to all vehicular entry to the pier area except private vehicles (although it doesn't include the Helijet part of the pier right nextdoor, as that is a year-round operation - so if there's ever a long cab queue, walking about the same distance from the giftshop building to Helijet as you already did from the gangplank to the giftshop gets you to somewhere that's staffed all day and will even call you a cab if there's none waiting).

 

The cab and coach companies won't want to miss out on lucrative rides, so the proverbial ducks should be in a row soon enough, but I'm not at all surprised that this early in April some still don't have the new season paperwork in order - for the UberLyfters the admin burden will be on them individually as 'private contractors' so any new ones of those who aren't moonlighting cabbies might be rudely surprised when turned away from the pier...

Edited April 9 by martincath

[martincath]

Too slow to edit, curses. Just to reiterate that it was good of OP to provide a warning, in case my overly-detailed response comes across as snarky in any way!

TL;DR - the decals have been normal for 2 full seasons now, no reports of major issues in '22/23, so folks going later in the season should expect an easier time getting cabs... but walking the short distance out onto Dallas Road or even over to Helijet will open up more options, especially rideshare drivers for whom the decals are more personal hassle to acquire.