Independent Taxi Driver Offers Late-Night Ride Services in Port

With the  the city-sponsored taxi service, employee Brian Maher had a decision of his own to come to terms with.

Having worked for TransPORTTaxi Service for five years, Maher realized the service was something a lot of people depended on — and something he couldn't watch just disappear.

So Maher decided to open his own independent version of the service, called Hometown Taxi Service, catering to clients of the city's service but also spreading his reach to the community as a whole.

"There were people that need the service and depend on the service — so that was the biggest reason why I started the service," Maher said. "(The client base has) changed a little bit because I don’t provide wheelchair service … but for the most part, I would say I picked up ... 70 to 80 percent of what the city was getting. For me, I couldn’t ask for anything more … that’s a great, great start."

Maher began offering rides on Jan. 2, just one day after the official end of the city service. His success with former clients has not stopped him from seeking new business: starting March 1, Maher decided to extend his weekend service hours, running until 2:30 a.m. on both Fridays and Saturdays. His normal weekday hours run from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

While the extended hours didn't offer much business in its first weekend, Maher said he's confident it will pick up.

"I was expecting that (there wouldn't be many riders, because of) no advertising as of yet for night hours," he said in an e-mail, "but we (Maher and the tavern league) are working on that asap."

The Common Council decided to end the city-sponsored taxi because the group felt it was a service that duplicated the Ozaukee County’s Shared-Ride Taxi Service. A petition with about 400 signatures hoping to keep the service alive circulated shortly after the council's vote, according to the Ozaukee Press.

Maher generally requires no advance notice for a cab rides, and can often arrange to pick up someone in 20 minutes or less. Time permitting, he'll offer rides to people from Port to Saukville, Grafton and even Fredonia. Contact Maher for a ride at 262-339-6338 and learn more on Hometown Taxi Service's website.