Yellowknife (Mar 31/04) - Trips to the airport won't be worth the cost to cab drivers if they have to pay a $10,000 a year licensing fee to use the taxi stalls. Omer Abdelsalm, a Yellowknife taxi driver, says airport trips are not sought after now, even without the fee.

"I don't go to the airport that much," Abdelsalm said. He prefers to take two trips around town in the time it takes to go to the airport.

Airport authorities claim the fee is manageable for cab drivers, noting the $21,000 dollar a year licensing fee City Cab Ltd. paid for exclusive use of the stalls until their license expired in 1997.

The Yellowknife Airport changed hands from federal to the territorial government in 1995 and airport authorities had more important things to worry about when the previous licensing agreement expired in 1997.

According to Jim Winsor, director of airports divisions for the Department of Transportation, the territorial government has revised the licensing agreement since then.

"We are now catching up on outstanding business arrangements," Winsor said.

The agreement was designed to be inclusive of all cab companies, with each paying $10,000 dollars a year for one taxi stall. Winsor says companies would be allowed to purchase more than one stall and one Yellowknife cab company (he would not specify which) has expressed interest in purchasing all the stalls.

"We're interested in the level of service at the airport," Winsor said.

Abdelsalm indicated that cab drivers have to be more concerned about their bottom line than customer service.

"It's only $10 or $12," said Abdelsalm, speaking of the average cost of a trip to or from the airport.

Abdelsalm added he would not be willing to pay for use of the stalls even if it were in the range of one dollar a day.