Taxi service could return by mid-August
Another person has come forward with a proposal for taxi service in Whitefish — this time with a new angle that could support the business.
Jeanne Herron said last week she had received permission from the estate of former taxi operator James Michaels to lease the Kalispell Taxi permit and start running taxis in Whitefish and Kalispell.
That's the same permit Lee Sturdevant used for six months this year. Citing a tough business environment, Sturdevant shut down his taxi business on July 9.
Operating under the name Drive4U, Herron says she expects her lease of the Michaels permit will be approved by the state Public Service Commission by July 22.
"It will take another two to three weeks for the approval to be processed, so we'll be up and running by mid-August," she said.
Herron had been in talks with Winter Sports Inc. about using the ski resort's taxi permit, but it was limited to a 15-mile radius around the Whitefish post office, meaning she could operate as far south as Kalispell Regional Medical Center but not much further. The Kalispell Taxi permit has a 50-mile radius.
Herron said her original goal was to transport people to hospitals and clinics for medical treatments, including dialysis, and for errands, including shopping.
But with Sturdevant's announcement last week, Herron decided to change her business plan to provide taxi service to elderly and disabled people who can't drive and to tourists who don't have a vehicle, such as Amtrak passengers.
Herron plans to apply for her own taxi permit in the future, rather than continue to lease the one from Michael's estate, and she hopes businesses and community members will come to her PSC hearing in Whitefish to show their support.
"The other businesses with taxi permits have been protesting anyone who applies for a permit," she said. "The public support is key at the hearings."
Her plan is to have drivers based in Whitefish and Kalispell in order to provide timely and efficient local service. She and her daughter plan to drive during the day, and hired drivers would work at night. That could include serving the bar crowd now handled by The Ride Guy, which isn't licensed and can't accept money for rides.
"I was taking people to clinics and charging them without a state permit," she said. "When I found out, I stopped."
Herron, who has been a medical caregiver for several decades, said she wanted to combine that career with driving. She said she spoke with people at the Flathead County Agency on Aging and Eagle Transit about options, and she planned to meet with the Kalispell Business Development Center this week to refine her business plan.
Herron has two vehicles now and is looking for a minivan equipped with an hydraulic wheelchair lift to transport disabled persons. Both her vehicles are already insured, and she anticipates needing to hire a lawyer to get her through the PSC hearing if there are protests, but she's upbeat about her prospects.
"There's a lot of business opportunities for elderly, disabled and medical transport," she said. "A lot of these people have just gotten used to not having any service available. There's a big demand for it."
Drive4U can be reached by calling Herron's cell at 212-7361 or at her home at 882-4371.