Hamilton’s Blue Line Taxi to serve Burlington following closure of local taxi service

The City of Burlington has licensed the Hamilton-based taxi service Blue Line Taxi to fill the void following the closure of the city’s main taxi company.

After 52 years of service, Burlington Taxi stopped operating on Nov. 26 due to a major driver shortage and difficulty paying insurance rates on the vehicles.

City council approved amending their taxi bylaw on Nov. 30 to allow exemptions to existing licensing requirements so other taxi services could apply to provide service for Burlington residents.

The by-law amendments are intended to be a temporary solution. City staff are aiming to undertake a comprehensive review and have a new by-law created before Dec. 31, 2023.

Burlington Ward 4 city councillor Shawna Stolte said in a statement that Blue Line Taxi will provide 13 new taxi vehicles.

“I’m grateful to City staff and my council colleagues for working quickly to find a temporary solution to restore taxi service in Burlington immediately,” said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward. 

“I also thank staff for their ongoing efforts to bring forward a permanent solution to this issue. As well, thank you to Burlington Taxi for their 53 years of dedicated service to our community.”