Wayne Grant is picking up a regular. It is New Year’s Eve and fireworks are going off, even though midnight is hours away. Ann Chambers hugs a friend goodnight, climbs into the backseat of Mr. Grant’s Dodge Ram, and gets a lift back to her apartment above The Sullivan Pub in Kimberley, B.C.
But the local taxi company’s demise is about more than big nights in the Purcell Mountains. About 8,000 people live in Kimberley, and many relied on taxis to deliver groceries, takeout, prescriptions, booze and smokes. Drivers conducted wellness checks. If a regular didn’t have money to pay the fare, drivers would shrug it off, knowing they were good for it.
Today, Kimberley offers recreational activities such as golf courses, bike trails and a ski hill with runs named after mining claims. The city is about 400 kilometres southwest of Calgary, making it a popular playground for Albertans. Many tourists and visitors counted on taxis to get from the resort accommodations on Northstar Mountain to the restaurants, pubs and attractions downtown.
the government also demanded expensive upgrades such as electronic logs and GPS for L&K’s aging vehicles. Cole Davies started offering rides in his 2015 GMC Sierra just before Christmas and has been going every night since. The 27-year-old general contractor isn’t in it for the money. He just wants people to get home safely.
He advertises on Facebook, asking for donations in lieu of fares, hoping that is enough to stay on the right side of the regulatory regime. He has collected about $350 since starting the unofficial enterprise, with the largest payment clocking in at $50.
lots of booze cruising going on
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