Prince Edward County is preparing to start up a grant program to support the taxi sector.
During Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, councillors received a report from municipal staff outlining the proposed grant program, with a motion to enter into an agreement with Community Futures to administer the program.
The program will have a budget of $40,000, paid for out of the Municipal Accommodations Tax. $4,000 would be paid to Community Futures to run the program, with $36,000 available for grants. Any unspent funds would be returned to the municipality.
Companies currently licensed to operate taxis in Prince Edward County will be eligible for the grants, with an objective of increasing the number of available taxis in service, increasing the availability of service outside the Picton area, and upgrading the taxis to safer vehicles.
Currently, there are two taxi services in Prince Edward County, which operate a total of eight cars.
The program is expected to start accepting grant applications in May.
The motion was approved without debate, and sent on to the next council meeting for final approval.
