Taxi service is returning

It looks like Whitefish will be getting taxi service within the next week or two, about six months after Josh and Peggy Hertlein shut down Whitefish Taxi for economic reasons and headed to Helena.

Lee Sturdevant, of Kalispell, told a meeting of concerned citizens at the Whitefish Community Center on Monday that he was subleasing two state permits for taxi service inside and between Whitefish and Kalispell.

He said the permit has a 50-mile radius, so he can take passengers to Libby but can't do business inside town there.

"Some of my plans are conceptual for now," he said, noting that his primary reason for getting into the business was to help "get drunks off the road" by picking up bar patrons.

Sturdevant also said the state permit allows him to take passengers to Glacier Park International Airport, but he hasn't yet gotten permission from the airport management to do so. He was confident that situation will eventually change.

The Public Service Commission approved the permit process on Jan. 22, but Sturdevant was still organizing communication, vehicles and drivers for the new business.

Ken Toole, PSC vice chairman and the elected commissioner for District 5, which includes the Flathead, was on hand to address the public's concerns about missing taxi service here.

"Lack of service has been an open sore in the Flathead," Toole said, adding that the PSC wouldn't get into Sturdevant's negotiations with the airport.

Taxi problems exist across the state, Toole said, noting that PSC recently pulled the permit for a taxi company in Ravalli County that left Hamilton with no service.

Starting a new taxi business is difficult, he said. In addition to providing vehicles, dispatch and expensive liability insurance, the industry has segmented, with lodge shuttles and nonprofits for sick people siphoning off a lot of business, he explained.

Sturdevant said he talked to attorneys and accountants about setting up a nonprofit taxi business but decided against it.

"It's harder than it looks," he said. "This is the fastest way to get it up and running."

Whitefish Chamber of Commerce executive director Kevin Gartland said the chamber sent out surveys about the taxi situation to its 525 members and received answers from about 75. While some were willing to contribute to a taxi business subsidy — one offered to contribute up to $1,000 — others were philosophically opposed, Gartland said.

All told, Gartland estimated $7,000 to $8,000 could be raised from chamber members, a figure that closely matched what Ride Guy operator Brian Murchie said he could raise. The Ride Guy provides free rides primarily to bar patrons, but Murchie has been considering expanding the operation as a nonprofit.

Toole said he wants to hear about any taxi operator who has a permit for Whitefish but won't come to Whitefish and pick up rides. State regulation is intended to protect existing businesses from competition that could hurt them, but the point is to ensure the public benefits by having good service, he explained.

Toole characterized a business plan that focuses on just providing rides to the airport or picking up bar patrons as "cherry-picking," and he encouraged people to call him directly at 406-444-6169 if they have complaints about service here.

Sturdevant said he plans to station taxis in both Kalispell and Whitefish and begin regular service at 7 a.m. Appointments are a good idea, he said, but people can call anytime 24 hours a day at 862-TAXI in Whitefish and 755-TAXI in Kalispell.