Cabbies can afford to be choosy in a city starved of taxis

Vancouver

If Vancouver residents had their own version of the elusive hunt for the perfect man, one quality would be markedly different from those on most wish lists: he would be driving a taxi.

Hailing a cab in Vancouver is one of the most difficult things to do in the city. There are shift changes among cabbies during commuter hours that leave a period of time when they are unavailable. Only a limited number of taxis are allowed to work at the airport or pick up passengers downtown.

Cruise ship passengers disembarking in one of Vancouver's busiest areas have complained that they have waited as long as two hours to get a cab.

Demand is rising with tourist numbers at near record levels and tens of thousands of new residents living in the downtown core.

Vancouver is in the unique - and frustrating for those waiting for a ride - position of having the least cabs per residents in Canada and possibly in North America.

If you live in Boston, you are three times more likely to get a cab when you need one than if you lived in Vancouver. The populations are approximately the same, but Boston has Vancouver beat in one area: there's one cab for every 329 residents of Boston; in Vancouver, that ratio is one for every 1,258.