~Toby Tannas~

Service should be magical, not tolerable.害羞草研究所� That deeply ingrained belief is what launched Kelowna害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淚 spent more than 10 years dreaming up a business plan. I害羞草研究所檇 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,害羞草研究所� Dale explains. 害羞草研究所淭hey are both highly regulated by the government. I know how to work with regulators.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淚 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.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淕etting taxi licenses is notoriously hard. I had to make a strong case.害羞草研究所�

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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.

害羞草研究所淭hey gave me a shot. My partners and I, we pooled our money, we bought two Teslas and hit the road!害羞草研究所�

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 weren害羞草研究所檛 going to be enough to meet demand.

害羞草研究所淏y April we were turning down 500 calls a day; we went running back to the Transportation Board for more licenses. If we couldn害羞草研究所檛 expand our fleet, we were quite literally going to drown in our own success.害羞草研究所�

Dale was granted approval for four more cars.

害羞草研究所淚 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 wasn害羞草研究所檛 going to be the case.害羞草研究所�

Word of Current Taxi害羞草研究所檚 exceptional service was spreading quickly. Emails poured in from all over North America.

害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克鶚Why aren害羞草研究所檛 you in Calgary?害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所榃hy aren害羞草研究所檛 you in Edmonton?害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所楥ome to Ottawa,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Conway recounts with a chuckle. 害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克鶚Have you thought about Vegas?害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所榃hat about Hawaii?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

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.

害羞草研究所淰ictoria made sense,害羞草研究所� Dale explains. 害羞草研究所淭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 they害羞草研究所檇 say they wanted to make the entire trip green, so could we pick them up on the other end? Now we can.害羞草研究所�

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Dale害羞草研究所檚 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 what害羞草研究所檚 fuelling Current Taxi害羞草研究所檚 success.

害羞草研究所淲e could grow quicker with less expensive cars, but that害羞草研究所檚 not what we set out to do,害羞草研究所� he says. 害羞草研究所淲e are committed to never cutting corners with the cars or losing focus on the environment or the quality of our staff.害羞草研究所�

Dale beams with pride as he talks about his team and the seemingly endless number of five-star Google reviews they害羞草研究所檝e earned the company.

害羞草研究所淭hey are our 害羞草研究所榮ecret sauce!害羞草研究所� 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, it害羞草研究所檚 what keeps them calling.害羞草研究所�

The Current Taxi driver roster isn害羞草研究所檛 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.

害羞草研究所淲hat害羞草研究所檚 getting us excited is that other taxi operators are starting to notice. Now I see other taxi drivers wearing suit jackets. It害羞草研究所檚 what should be happening. When service gets better it benefits everybody. We raised the bar. That害羞草研究所檚 a good thing!害羞草研究所�

It害羞草研究所檚 why Dale isn害羞草研究所檛 worried about ride-share companies coming in to take a piece of the pie.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a place for ride share and I害羞草研究所檓 probably the only taxi service provider that害羞草研究所檚 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 I害羞草研究所檝e never been afraid of competition. I believe my service is better.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淭hings just died; we started pulling cars off the road. We were afraid like everyone else. April and May were tough.害羞草研究所�

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 that害羞草研究所檚 turned fear into optimism.

害羞草研究所淏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 we害羞草研究所檝e actually built business.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淎nd we害羞草研究所檙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,害羞草研究所� he says with a laugh.

Dale害羞草研究所檚 hope is that what he害羞草研究所檚 instigating on the environmental side will also shift into high gear.

害羞草研究所淥ur six cars in Kelowna put on three million kilometers in three years. That害羞草研究所檚 700 tons of CO2 we害羞草研究所檝e saved. We害羞草研究所檙e five per cent of the local market. Just imagine if the entire taxi industry in Canada electrifies, which it will eventually. There害羞草研究所檚 a big difference to be made.害羞草研究所�

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With a team he害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 been a heck of a ride for the first three years,害羞草研究所� exclaims Dale. 害羞草研究所淲here it will take us, we don害羞草研究所檛 know害羞草研究所�害羞草研究所�

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.