CORVALLIS - Rideshare apps have become extremely popular in recent years.
Before Uber and Lyft, there were those bright yellow cars that you’d call and someone would pull up right to your door.
Right now in Missoula County, there are no records of taxis.
However, in Ravalli County, there’s a taxi service filling a need for locals like Thom Webb.
The Corvallis resident would usually ask his wife to take him into town to run errands, to the doctor’s office for check-ups, or any other destinations.
At 84 years old, Webb said his health has started to decline, and his 83-year-old wife’s comfort level of driving in high-traffic areas has also fallen.
So, when Webb was on his way to see his doctor one weekday afternoon and saw an SUV that said “Bitterroot Taxi” surrounded by yellow and black colors, he didn't hesitate to approach the vehicle.
“Are you booked on Thursday,” he asked Bitterroot Taxi owner Adrianna Maza in the parking lot across the street from Bitterroot Health.
The two continued making tentative pick-up arrangements for a Taxi ride to the Missoula airport after she handed him a business card out of her window.
Maza told MTN that the bulk of her clients is older residents in the Bitterroot that are in need of routine commutes to doctor’s appointments.
“I actually work with quite a few people in the Valley to get them to dialysis,” she said. “A lot of the people that I know up here that are up there in age, most of them use rotary phones or landlines.”
Thom said he has never used a ride-share app, and he has no desire to use them if not necessary. That was one reason why he sticks to a more traditional rideshare option.
“I guess I’m of the old school. It just wasn’t used in our time. Taxi is kind of just a known quantity and easier,” Webb said.
Another reason? He feels more comfortable being in a car with a local resident.
“I know I’m getting someone dependable that’s a part of our community, and I know they’ll treat us well,” Webb said.
Maza has been a Montana resident for 17 years. She and her husband started the company in 2021 for a few reasons.
“I care about people here. We didn't have one. It was desperately needed,” Maza said.
She frequents popular Bitterroot hotspots such as Naps and the Rainbow and has invested in a vehicle that can travel up a steep mountain in the wintertime.
She also helps nonlocals with directions, providing tours on occasion.
“I had people help me when I first moved here and honestly, if it wasn’t for them I probably would’ve gotten lost on the top of this mountain,” Maza said.
She knows her way through the back roads, but she’s no stranger to the big cities, including Missoula, upon request.
“The furthest I’ve gone was to Spokane, Washington; Billings and Salmon, Idaho,” Maza said.
Outside of her regulars, she also provides transportation to customers of the hit TV series “Yellowstone” that’s filmed in the Bitterroot, she told MTN.
“I met a couple of people from the production crew,” Maza said. “They were actually pretty nice. I didn’t know they were out here because I didn’t watch the show or anything until 2022. I finally watched it, and it’s not bad. It’s actually pretty good. They [filmed] right here in front of the rainbow and the Eagles.”
From production crews to Montana families, Bitterroot Valley Taxi Services is open 24/7 with three drivers ready to serve the community.
“There are characters in everybody. You just have to treat them all the same and treat them with respect,” said driver Christopher Travis.
The Bitterroot Valley Taxi owner said she’s only aware of one other taxi service in the area, but there’s room for other entrepreneurs in the Bitterroot and across Western Montana.
“Show support to the small businesses that are around small towns,” Maza said. “Yeah, we might be small but we’re here, and we don’t want people to think that just because we’re a small town that the taxi service is a joke.”
Bitterroot Valley Taxi is located in Ravalli County, which has a population of 47,298 people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau. Missoula County has a population of more than 121,000.
Although Missoula is one of the biggest Western Montana counties, it appears it doesn't have any current taxi services.
“I know people that live down in Missoula that I’ve known for years. They utilized Yellow Cab,” Maza said. “I’ve had a few of them call me and ask if I could come down there just to drive them from one side of Missoula to the next because they don’t drive.”
MTN reached out to the Montana Public Service Commission to see if Missoula County had any operating taxi companies in 2023.
PSC Executive Director Brad Tshicda said there are only records of previous taxi companies since the agency stopped regulating state taxis two years ago.
The deregulation came after the boom in ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft.
On July 1, 2021, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 365, which repealed the Class B motor carrier classification and other requirements, Tshicda said.
That means anyone can now start a taxi business without government approval.
If you type in a quick Google search, you’ll see Missoula yellow cab is listed as permanently closed.
MTN reporter Kierra Sam went to the Missoula Yellow Cab headquarters off Montana Highway 200 and saw what appeared to be a fleet of abandoned yellow cab cars sitting in a parking lot.
The City of Missoula and the Missoula Chamber of Commerce also said they have no knowledge of any operating taxi services within city limits.
MTN made multiple attempts to contact the previous owner of Missoula Yellow Cab to confirm if the business closed, but did not receive a response.
