Monday, July 28, 2008

 

A taxi? Doing business as BC Rail?

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Noted in passing: It seems there's a taxi running up and down Highway 16 doing business as BC Rail.

On March 4, 2005, their Application was signed by the Passenger Transportation Panel Chair, David McLean*. No mention of BC Rail.

On March 5, 2008, a Special Authorization was signed by William Bell, Board Panel Chair. The same applicant but this time,
identified as "dba British Columbia Railway contract".

Excerpts tell us:


Page 1
Application Decision
Application: 3304-07
Applicant: EMERALD TAXI LTD.

Trade Name:
British Columbia Railway Contract

Address:
966 5th Avenue, Prince George BC V2L 3K8

Principals:
BHANGOO, Balraj Singh
BHANGU, Gurbir
PANNU, Balbir S.
PAWAR, Narinder Singh

Current PT Licence:
The applicant has special authorization to operate passenger directed vehicles. This can be viewed in the PT Board Bulletin of March 16, 2005 at www.ptboard. bc .ca/ptb/bulletins.htm .

Summary:
Amendment of Licence (PDV)
(Section 31 of the Passenger Transportation Act)

Proposed replacement of Return Trip authority with Reverse Trip authority for
Service 1 (respecting railway contract service)


Publication:
The application was published in the PT Board Bulletin on February 6, 2008 .


Application Matters:
The Board views taxicabs as complementary to the public transportation system used by many people in their daily life. For these types of applications, the Board is looking for supporting documentation from potential users as well as business plans and financial statements when considering public need, applicant fitness and economic conditions. The length and complexity of the business plan and financial information as well as the volume of letters or statements from potential users should reflect the following factors: the type, size, and complexity of the proposed transportation business; and the degree of comparable competition in the operating area.

Application Decision
Passenger Transportation Board

The Board approves the requested amendments to the terms and conditions
of licence.

Board Decisions:
Background:
Emerald Taxi Ltd., dba British Columbia Railway Contract, is authorized under PT Licence No. 70760 and is under contract with Alberta Co-op Taxi Ltd to provide passenger directed vehicle service transporting Canadian National Railway crews to and from certain points in north-central British Columbia. The applicant seeks to amend Service 1 to include reverse trips authorization that would enable the applicant to originate trips along the Canadian National Railway line west to and including the town of Smithers and
east to and including the Village of McBride.


http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/ptb/Applications/2008/080312/3304-07_Decision.pdf .

*Yes, that David McLean.

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Another impressive factoid noted in Vancouver Sun's letters to the editor:

The cost of train travel
Letter: Tuesday, July 29, 2008

In 1961, the median salary in B.C. was about $7,500 and a train ticket from Vancouver to Montreal was $16. Today's median salary is about $42,000, or
5 1/2 times that amount; the cost of a train ticket, however, has gone up almost 100 times, to $1,524.60.

You can take a two-week ocean cruise for that kind of money and an equivalent train trip in the United States is only $848.

If Canada is going to get serious about reducing carbon emissions, greener alternatives to flying, such as train travel, are going to have to become more affordable.

Brockton Macdonald
Vancouver

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Comments:
Oh . . . you mean the same David McLean that went to University with his pal Gordon Campbell?????

Isn't that a coincidence? Wow . . .

I wonder how McLean acquired the BC Rail 'gift'?
 
Didn't they attend some "narrow stance" US College - the school in their neighborhood (Point Grey) may have offer too "comprehensive" of an education - then there is the question of being admitted!
 
I'll bet they failed Ethics l0l, Koot.
 
BC Passenger Transportation Board website
 
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