Gas prices killing cabbies' profits

Cab drivers in Windsor are lamenting the skyrocketing price of gas.

'Frankly, it's killing us. What's left for us?' — Ahmad Hassoun, Vets Cab driver

Ahmad Hassoun has been driving for Vets Cab for nearly 15 years. He said he's spending $1,000 a month on gas. That will only rise after the overnight gas price hike of nearly five cents per litre Tuesday.

"Frankly, it’s killing us. What’s left for us?" Hassoun said.

Hassoun said he's not making half of what he made when he started driving cab in the late 1990s.

Baruk Mohamed has been driving cab for 10 years. He said the rising cost of fuel is costing him an additional $10 dollars a day, on average.

"It’s a big difference. It's huge money," he said.

Mohamed and Hassoun both said cabbies are suffering from a double-barrel blow to their bottom lines. They said business is as slow now as it's ever been.

"When business is good we don’t think about gas. But now there’s no business," Mohamed said. "It’s not very easy to run a taxi now."

Hassoun said he would get out of the business, if he could. He said he's too old and no one wants to employ someone of his age.

"I’m willing to work for minimum wage," he said. "Really, I am."