On a recent morning at Sykes’ in downtown Kalispell, Lee Sturdevant’s phone rang just about every five minutes. While this might be an annoyance for some, it’s a good sign for Sturdevant, who is launching a taxi business serving Kalispell and Whitefish after both cities have gone for months without one.
Last Monday, state Public Service Commissioner Ken Toole announced at a Whitefish public meeting that Sturdevant was being issued a one-year taxi permit, allowing him to operate in a radius of 50 air miles from the downtown Kalispell post office. A separate permit allows him to offer taxi service in Lincoln and Sanders County with some restrictions.
Sturdevant planned to have his taxi service up and running this week, and views it as a public service just as much as it will be a business.
“We’re here to try to service the night clubs,” Sturdevant said. “There have been too many drunk-driving deaths on the roads.”
He also hopes it will provide another transportation option for senior citizens who need to get to medical appointments or the grocery store but may not drive.
“We have a lot of people in this community who are aging and they don’t want to drive at night,” Sturdevant added. “We’re here to help those people.”
Sitting in the crowded dining room of Sykes’, Sturdevant’s comments reveal just how tenuous the support network can be for senior citizens in the Flathead. For months, the lack of a taxi service left some residents, particularly seniors and the disabled, without a means to leave their homes at certain hours. And while Sykes’ was closed, many of those same residents were without a familiar and popular place to socialize.
All this occurred within and largely due to the poor economy, which forced funding cuts upon many local nonprofits that had to cut back on services at a time when they were needed most. But at least in the case of Sykes’ and Sturdevant, some of these needs are once again being met.
The regulation of taxi service in Montana is handled by the Public Service Commission, a state entity that spends the bulk of its time regulating telecom and energy utilities. But according to Toole, “Montana, taxis really are kind of like the transportation of last resort.” Unlike large cities, where taxis are there for those willing to pay more to avoid other forms of public transportation, in Montana they are used primarily by those who may have no other way to get around.
“It’s a big deal when there isn’t a taxi service in town,” Toole said, noting Ravalli County is also struggling in the absence of a taxi service. The permits issued by the PSC require that the taxi be available at all hours, not only for the airport or to serve bars at closing time, when the most money can be made.
But just because it’s needed, doesn’t mean a taxi business is easy to run or guaranteed to be profitable, as Sturdevant was learning last week when calls were coming in while he was still working the bugs out of his phone system. As of last week, he hadn’t yet worked out an agreement to take people to and from Glacier Park International Airport, though he hoped to have that in place soon.
He doesn’t expect to clear much of a profit, at least initially. Low-cost government-subsidized competition from Eagle Transit bus service and other services also provide stiff competition, and many shorter rides may not cover the cost of fuel, much less vehicle maintenance
“Running people to the hospital is usually a real short fare,” Sturdevant said. “It doesn’t make money, but it’s a critical service.”
And that’s what matters to Sturdevant, who drove his wife, Becky, to Helena several times during last year’s Legislature to advocate on behalf of stricter drunken driving measures in the state. Sturdevant formerly served in the U.S. Air Force, and also piloted commercial cargo flights. Born in Ennis, he grew up in Missoula and has lived in the Flathead for several years.
Sturdevant recognizes that several unlicensed ride services have sprung up around the valley to serve a need, but also points out that his taxi service needs riders in order to stay afloat, and he is now the state-licensed provider within the area of his permit.
“As long as the community supports us, we’ll be able to sustain a taxi service,” he said. “If they don’t, we’ll go out of business, we’ll be short-lived and a lot of folks will go without a service they could use.”
And then his phone rang. It was someone needing a ride, and Sturdevant left to go pick them up.
Sturdevant’s rates are $5 for pickups from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and $2 per mile. The pickup fee increases to $7 between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. and then to $9 between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. with the mileage fee remaining the same. There are additional fees for waiting, multiple stops and/or multiple passengers. He is available at 752-4022 or 862-TAXI (8294) or 752-TAXI.