Tania Phiefer was sitting on the No. 72 bus at Swartz Bay on Tuesday morning when a visibly shaken man in his 70s boarded the bus and sat in the seat reserved for people with mobility issues.
Upon questioning the man, who needs a cane and struggles with mobility, Phiefer and others learned he was upset because he was turned away by a taxi driver.
“He was so upset, he said ‘the taxi won’t give me a ride to Sidney because it’s not enough of a fare,’ he told passengers,” Phiefer said.
The next morning, Wednesday, Phiefer posted her disappointment with the cab company on Facebook and it struck a nerve among the Greater Victoria community. As of Friday at noon the post had gathered 1,288 shares and 400 comments.
According to the comments, many people have experienced the same thing, that cabs waiting at Swartz Bay often turn away rides to Sidney in waiting for bigger fares, such as downtown.
“He didn’t know where he was going on the bus, so another lady and I, we helped him to understand where he was going,” Phiefer said. “The lady also assisted him off the bus, his mobility is very limited, he needed help.”
Yellow Cab did not respond to requests for comment from Black Press.
