Taxi Biz Stung By Driver Shortage

Tourism is rebounding in cities that have lifted pandemic restrictions, but taxi drivers aren't returning as fast as customers, WOAI news reports

John Bouloubasis, who heads Texas Taxi, says they're having a hard time finding drivers in San Antonio, Austin and Houston. 

"We still have a number of drivers who have parked their cars. They still are receiving government assistance," he tells WOAI's Michael Board.

Bouloubasis says a lot of drivers would rather collect extended unemployment than get back to work. 

He says this hurts tourism. If cabs are scarce, and drivers are late, it gives the city a bad image. 

And it's not just in Texas. In New York and Chicago, fewer than half of certified taxi drivers are back on the road.