A new taxi company is on the road in the mid-Island.
Oceanside Taxi opened its passenger doors Thurs., April 7, with three cars and an eye on one more — a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
Owner Mike Muelleder says he spent the last seven years operating a taxi with Alliance Taxi and decided it was time to be his own boss and provide a little competition. Cab rates, however, remain regulated and the same as all local taxi companies, he added
“The demand is there,” he said. “In my business plans, it is shown that people need more taxi service here.”
Oceanside Taxi — in white cars with blue checked trim — employs three drivers, not including Muelleder — and uses the same automatic dispatch system as cab companies in Nanaimo, Howe Sound and on Gabriola Island. Each of the cabs, he said, have mobile date terminals to keep drivers in touch with customer calls.
His company will cover most of District 69 — from Nanoose Bay to Qualicum Bay and west to Coombs and Whisky Creek.
“That’s 500 square kilometres,” he said. “Our cars will put 110 to 115 thousand kilometres on them each year.”
Muelleder said his fourth vehicle — a wheelchair accessible one — is on order and awaiting a licensing ruling from the Passenger Transportation Board (a provincial body that determines the number of taxi licenses in any given area).
Muelleder added his cabs will come complete with debit and credit card readers for customers’ convenience.
Oceanside Taxi can be reached at 250-954-TAXI (8294) or online www.oceansidetaxi.ca.