Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Jan 18/02) - Can a community of 1,200 people support two taxi services?

Cecile Gaule, owner of a new taxi business thinks so, but Yanni Yan, proprietor of B&L Taxi, isn't so sure.

Gaule, who has had her seven-passenger van in service since Dec. 21, said she

doesn't consider it a competitive situation.

"I'm not that kind of a person," she said.

Yan, with two cars and several drivers on rotation, said he has seen competition come and go over the years.

"It's a free market out there. I don't mind," he said. "A lot of people have tried it before. It doesn't work. It's only a small population."

Yan said the business doesn't yield large profits due to gasoline and car repair expenses. Exacerbating the problem is customers who don't pay their fares, particularly when they're drunk, he said.

"About 50 or 60 per cent of the guys don't pay. It's a simple as that," said Yan. "They say they'll pay tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes."

His company has taken criticism from village Coun. Duncan Canvin and others for being unreliable. Yan maintained that his service is indeed reliable. But he said he won't waste time or money sending cars for customers who have a history of not paying. Those are the people who complain about his business, he contended.

"They can open as many taxi businesses as they want. They can have mine too," he said.

He added that it's not worth calling the police about an outstanding fare of $5 because there's little if anything they will do about it.

Right up her alley

For Gaule, the business was a natural since she loves to drive. She and fellow driver Deanna Warne were behind the wheel often during the busy Christmas holidays, she said.

"I enjoy it ... Andy (her husband) figures we should have did this years ago because now I get paid for hauling people around, before I just did it," she laughed. "It's fun."

Gaule isn't new to business ventures. She and her husband own an office supplies store and she held a cleaning contract at the Fort Simpson airport for 11 years.

She said she expects her taxi business will hold up even as the warmer weather emerges. Some residents in Wild Rose subdivision need the service and there's always an airport run to make.

"I always make sure I stay open until the bar is closed and everybody's out of there," she said.