~Toby Tannas~

Service should be magical, not tolerable.B次元官网网址� That deeply ingrained belief is what launched KelownaB次元官网网址檚 Dale Conway into the taxi business three years ago. With a more than two-decades-long career in hospitality under his belt, Dale set out to change the game in an industry he believed had been sub-standard for far too long. An industry in which he had no previous experience.

B次元官网网址淚 spent more than 10 years dreaming up a business plan. IB次元官网网址檇 never worked in the taxi business but I had been working in casinos for 17 years. The two industries actually have a lot in common,B次元官网网址� Dale explains. B次元官网网址淭hey are both highly regulated by the government. I know how to work with regulators.B次元官网网址�

Dale may have been green when it came to running a taxi business, but so was his vision: to create a local, environmentally friendly company that the community could be proud of, with high-end electric cars, well-dressed, personable drivers and rates on par with other companies.

B次元官网网址淚 knew my plan was solid. When I finally decided to quit my job, I shared it with two of my co-workers and they asked to be part of it.B次元官网网址�

The Current Taxi team was born, but the real work lay ahead. Conway knew it had been 14 years since the Transportation Board last approved a new taxi service for Kelowna.

B次元官网网址淕etting taxi licenses is notoriously hard. I had to make a strong case.B次元官网网址�

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Dale knew community support was vital. His application included a stack of letters from various hotel managers and the Mayor of Kelowna.

B次元官网网址淭hey gave me a shot. My partners and I, we pooled our money, we bought two Teslas and hit the road!B次元官网网址�

That was February of 2017. It was just Dale, his business partner Jerry Pokorny and four part-time ambassadors behind the wheel in those early days. But after only a few months it became apparent two Teslas werenB次元官网网址檛 going to be enough to meet demand.

B次元官网网址淏y April we were turning down 500 calls a day; we went running back to the Transportation Board for more licenses. If we couldnB次元官网网址檛 expand our fleet, we were quite literally going to drown in our own success.B次元官网网址�

Dale was granted approval for four more cars.

B次元官网网址淚 was happy. That was the original business plan. Six cars in Kelowna. I was going to drive a taxi for a living. It would be a small, family-run business. I realized fairly early on, though, that wasnB次元官网网址檛 going to be the case.B次元官网网址�

Word of Current TaxiB次元官网网址檚 exceptional service was spreading quickly. Emails poured in from all over North America.

B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址榃hy arenB次元官网网址檛 you in Calgary?B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址榃hy arenB次元官网网址檛 you in Edmonton?B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址楥ome to Ottawa,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Conway recounts with a chuckle. B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址楬ave you thought about Vegas?B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址榃hat about Hawaii?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Fast-forward three years. There are 10 cars on the road in Kelowna and in December of 2019 Current Taxi expanded into Victoria with six Teslas.

B次元官网网址淰ictoria made sense,B次元官网网址� Dale explains. B次元官网网址淭he city is environmentally focused. A lot of the local politicians in Kelowna used us to get to the airport for their Victoria-bound flights and theyB次元官网网址檇 say they wanted to make the entire trip green, so could we pick them up on the other end? Now we can.B次元官网网址�

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DaleB次元官网网址檚 business plan is not one for the faint of heart. Buying $100,000-dollar vehicles, paying drivers a true living wage and keeping prices in check takes a lot of juggling. But Dale is adamant that is whatB次元官网网址檚 fuelling Current TaxiB次元官网网址檚 success.

B次元官网网址淲e could grow quicker with less expensive cars, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not what we set out to do,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲e are committed to never cutting corners with the cars or losing focus on the environment or the quality of our staff.B次元官网网址�

Dale beams with pride as he talks about his team and the seemingly endless number of five-star Google reviews theyB次元官网网址檝e earned the company.

B次元官网网址淭hey are our B次元官网网址榮ecret sauce!B次元官网网址� We are extremely picky. That makes hiring tough, but it pays off in the long run. The novelty of a Tesla will wear off, but if people get the doors opened for them, have engaging conversation with a knowledgeable, well-dressed person behind the wheel, itB次元官网网址檚 what keeps them calling.B次元官网网址�

The Current Taxi driver roster isnB次元官网网址檛 what you would expect. It includes former bartenders, real estate agents, lawyers and photographers. Like Dale, most had never driven a taxi before they got behind the wheel with Current. The turnover rate is low because they love the job, the people and the company. Their service excellence is having an effect on the entire market.

B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 getting us excited is that other taxi operators are starting to notice. Now I see other taxi drivers wearing suit jackets. ItB次元官网网址檚 what should be happening. When service gets better it benefits everybody. We raised the bar. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a good thing!B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 why Dale isnB次元官网网址檛 worried about ride-share companies coming in to take a piece of the pie.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a place for ride share and IB次元官网网址檓 probably the only taxi service provider thatB次元官网网址檚 going to say ride share is a good thing. Are they going to be competitive with me and try to take my business? Yes, but IB次元官网网址檝e never been afraid of competition. I believe my service is better.B次元官网网址�

The only time fear has been a factor for Dale is when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. Current Taxi had just expanded into Victoria.

B次元官网网址淭hings just died; we started pulling cars off the road. We were afraid like everyone else. April and May were tough.B次元官网网址�

Dale wasted no time outfitting the Tesla fleet and his drivers with the required safety equipment. Today, call volumes have returned to pre-COVID levels and thatB次元官网网址檚 turned fear into optimism.

B次元官网网址淏efore the shutdown, at least 50 to 60 per cent of our business was coming from an airport, a hotel or a restaurant. When you factor in that those places have been essentially closed and are just starting to re-open, but our call volume is still high, we can say weB次元官网网址檝e actually built business.B次元官网网址�

Dale predicts he will have all of the 28-car fleet on the road in Kelowna (13) and Victoria (15) by the end of the year.

B次元官网网址淎nd weB次元官网网址檙e not stopping at 28. I got into this business to disrupt something. I am an instigator. I want to make the other businesses sweat a little,B次元官网网址� he says with a laugh.

DaleB次元官网网址檚 hope is that what heB次元官网网址檚 instigating on the environmental side will also shift into high gear.

B次元官网网址淥ur six cars in Kelowna put on three million kilometers in three years. ThatB次元官网网址檚 700 tons of CO2 weB次元官网网址檝e saved. WeB次元官网网址檙e five per cent of the local market. Just imagine if the entire taxi industry in Canada electrifies, which it will eventually. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a big difference to be made.B次元官网网址�

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With a team heB次元官网网址檚 proud to work with, Dale is looking to the future. His wife Trisha has joined him and Jerry full time since the Victoria expansion. She manages the growing number of staff (90 and counting) as director of people and culture. Fourth partner Kate Wilson handles the marketing.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a heck of a ride for the first three years,B次元官网网址� exclaims Dale. B次元官网网址淲here it will take us, we donB次元官网网址檛 knowB次元官网网址�B次元官网网址�

Dale actually does know where Current Taxi is next hitting the accelerator on expansion but (at the time of publication) the where and when are still a secret.