Skeena Taxi Ltd., is currently operating on reduced services and is working hour by hour due to office and administration staff being affected by COVID-19, the organization announced on July 18.
The only taxi company in Prince Rupert may need to close solidly for a five-day duration, estimated until July 23, depending on the health and wellness of office and administration staff.
Bill Langthorne, manager of the transport company advised customers to download the Skeena Taxi app, which is free from the app store. The app will allow customers to order taxi’s in a safe and socially distanced way while office staff are absent from the facility.
Langford said, through a staff spokesperson, that at this time, the company is not aware of any drivers being affected by the virus and decisions will be made regarding operations as things develop. Evening and nighttime services may be shut down as there is less demand during those hours.
While this is a stressful situation for the company, Langthorne stated, the app will assist riders in being able to still order vehicles while services are reduced, but longer wait times may occur.
The phone app will send information to Skeena’s computer system, which will then dispatch the next available cab. Customers should note, that if the icon on the app keeps spinning, it means that a cab is being searched for, the company stated. The icon will stop turning when an available ride has been found.
K-J Millar | Editor and Multimedia Journalist
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