After getting tired of raising insurance charges and income that was not steady, Scott Ferland set aside his 5 taxis and ended City Cab firm after 88 years of service on Wednesday.
Ferland purchased the business 9 years ago from Leonas family, that began the firm in 1932.
“It’s not worth it for what we’re getting paid, that’s the biggest thing right there — it’s not worth it,” stated Ferland on Thursday.
Apart from the several dispatchers, Ferland had ten drivers, and the firm had been declining.
“We used to run 13 to 14 cabs and a couple buses, just a few years ago. We had some really super employees, really good dispatchers. A lot of people who had been here a long time. That’s really why we kept going with it,” he said.
In fact, he presumably should have shut down a year ago, Ferland stated.
“We just kept kind of dragging along. This insurance (latest) increase just would have made everything terrible.”
He also added that the charges continued to increase and pay was not going anywhere. Cabs in Lewiston-Auburn work on a complicated zone mechanism established by the town, it charges a lot to move from area A to area B, that has not had the charges relooked into in years.
“Uber and Lyft, they can come into town and give you a ride and not have to carry the heavy policies that we have to carry, or have ‘for hire’ plates,” noted Ferland. “The city seriously has to do something — we need meters, it’s only fair, for the riders and the cab companies. We really figured it out four years ago when we put GPSs on the cars and tracked the miles. Some people are basically getting ripped off and some people get the rides cheaper than they should, nothing makes sense.”
Ferland, who also possess Pepperell Mill and Almight Waste complex stated he intends to auction the cabs.
