Article from the Point Raise Light newspaper.
West Marin Taxi, a cab company serving southwest Marin County, could see its first runs next week. Or maybe next month. Even company founder John Posadas, 61, can’t say exactly when the keys to the one-car fleet will be turned with paying customers in tow.
His initial startup date of June 1 has come and gone. The reason for the delay, he said, is that tourism in the area is flagging. And then there’s the $1200 in insurance that hasn’t been paid. But money isn’t a problem, Posadas said. Neither is money the only motive behind the company.
“It’s an outreach,” Posadas said. “I hope to eventually bring in enough capital to file as a nonprofit. My outreach is not only to alleviate accidents, to pick up people under the influence of alcohol, but also to provide a service for shut-ins, the elderly.”
Posadas’ visions for West Marin Taxi are lofty. He said he works with a nonprofit called Respect for Your Elders, and with them wants to provide low-cost rides to and from food pantries. He wants handicapped people—Posadas himself has a debilitating disease for which he wears a bulky metal knee brace—to call him to help streamline their transportation.
The impetus for the cab company came in 1993. Posadas, who suffers from benign but painful tumors in his spine and adrenal glands, and who is hypoglycemic, was prescribed conflicting medications for his conditions. He awoke one night feeling woozy and couldn’t lift the phone to call for help. He fell into a coma. Though help arrived, Posadas nearly died.
“I was aware of the ascension at a very atrociously fast speed” while in the ambulance, he said. “I came up on top of a cumulus and saw the great energy cloud.”
Because of the coma, Posadas was found unfit to drive and lost his license, though he has since regained it and said he has never had an accident. Yet from 1993 to 1995, he had to hitchhike from Mill Valley to his office in Stinson Beach. He learned firsthand that a lack of affordable transportation can make it daunting to get from point A to point B.
“I started this company because of the disparity of service out here,” Posadas said.
Rates for West Marin Taxi will be: $1.90 initial fare, $3 per mile and a flat rate of $30 per hour. Posadas’ son Marius and business partner Manual Urritia are co-owners. Posadas expects to get a handicapped-accessible cab donated through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Elderly and Disabled Advisory Committee.
Taxi requests for West Marin Taxi (WMT) can be made to (415) 868.1330, 868.1034 or 868.9828. You can also book online taxi requests at requests-awestmarintaxi@gmail.com.