Support Tony and Melissa's new ownership of Towne Taxi

We are Tony and Melissa Burke! The proud New owners of Towne Taxi! It's an honor for us to carry the Towne Taxi name that was established by the Carley family in Richland Center in 1978 !! Although the family is dealing with the loss of Kevin who drove their Taxi for last 15 years they have decided it was time to pass the torch to someone with a passion for the service and that enjoys it as much as they have over the years! We can't thank Kevin's family enough for this opportunity!

Although we want to be respectful of their time. We have their blessing to push forward!! Because not only do we want Towne Taxi back on the road but this is also a time sensitive situation for Melissa and I and the community! We are taking over this business with a 30 day deadline to apply for the Wisconsin public transportation grant.

Last night October 1st 2024 I spoke at the Richland Center City council meeting introducing ourselves. Pointing out some serious gaps in the current public transportation system in our community and the benefits of using this grant money to support a local business and work together to build a better public transportation system that works for the customer and community.

We started this fundraiser because there are some essential pieces we need in place ASAP and we are a paycheck to paycheck family not sitting on spare funds to make these things happen in short order! With your support we will be able to obtain proper licensing permits, insurance, and technology software to get the operation running and MOST importantly this will show the Council we have the communities support in this adventure! So please help us make a serious case for this grant funding so we can use it to give back to the City of Richland Center instead of using a service that's the farthest thing from local! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts in advance for your support and please feel free to share this anywhere you see fit! To follow are some of my comments from the meeting!

Melissa and I fully intend to address each of these issues and offer a LOCAL family owned and operated transportation service that focuses on the well being of the customer and is an active, productive part of our community.

We were both raised in Richland Center, And for the last 17 years we’ve raised 4 children here. We have two Hornet seniors this year and our youngest is in 3rd grade at the Richland intermediate school. As a family we struggle with a small physical disability of our own. So we personally know and understand how it can feel for someone to do that one extra thing to make simple life tasks just a little easier and that’s the kind of business we plan to run.

I personally have been driving public transportation in Richland Center for the last 10 months and I know first hand the importance a service like this holds in some people’s lives. And I understand the weak spots of our current service that need attention. I have built relationships with current customers and their caregivers and with the assisted living homes, VARC and the medical facilities that also provide a service to these people. And I fully intend to make Towne Taxi a LOCAL and reliable service for not just our customers but for the Richland Center community as a whole!

My wife Melissa has 15 years experience in office and retail management. Her most recent job at the hospital has given her a chance to also meet some of our clients and become familiar with their specific needs . All making her perfect to run the office and dispatch side of our business!

I have Local drivers lined up that have also seen the problems we need to address have their own connections with Richland Center and the people we drive. and who share our vision of putting customer and community first over making an extra dollar.

And we are literally clicks away from having technology set up that makes our booking process Local, quick and easy for both customers and drivers. Combining the original Towne Taxi phone number that their customers have memorized for years with a free customer app eliminating the current large wait times just to book a ride. And we will be able to offer easy booking stations at local businesses and healthcare facilities allowing us to work hand in hand with other local businesses for cross promotion specials. The app includes a GPS mapping system giving our customers, our drivers, and even you the ability to see the locations of our active vehicles on the road. Making Towne Taxi a stream line, trouble free, productive part of the community.

Vehicles are another area I’d like to touch on. Under the current system you see the white wheelchair vans on the road and think that’s great that we offer that service. But what you don’t realize is wheelchair vans are honestly only convenient for wheelchairs. Every time we have a customer that uses a walker or that doesn’t get around very well we need to use a step stool for them to get up in the seat, which seems like an obvious liability if someone slips or misses a step. Ideally we need a midsize crossover SUV with proper seat hight and plenty of cargo room for their walker and groceries and such.

Our plan for Towne Taxis expansion includes a total of 4 available vehicles. 2 wheelchair accessible and 2 non wheelchair like I just mentioned. All vehicles would be equipped with the booking and dispatch technology I spoke about earlier and for liability and safety of our customers and drivers, and community we have dash mount cameras that not only monitor what’s going on in front of the vehicle but also in the the cabin, and rear of the vehicle that run on a constant loop and automatically stop and save in the event of an accident. I can also see a potential benefit in this for the community and police department. With vehicles on the road 18 hours a day you never know when an extra set of eyes may be useful.

The original Towne Taxi was established in Richland Center in 1978. Somewhere in the early 80s Bun and Marion would take me to and from grade school because there was no little bus in town and I couldn’t walk to school every morning like most kids. The business has been serving Richland Center and it rural residents for 46 years and we’re honored to continue the name and tradition. I’m here to stress that we are new owners with a new vision… our aging and disabled population is growing ever year. The number of people choosing alternative transportation in general is also growing every year whether it be for financial reasons or someone trying to help the environment by having one less vehicle on the road. And our local families are busier than ever with both parents working and kids having numerous extra curricular activities and events. We also want those people who would not normally turn to a taxi service to feel comfortable asking for our assistance by offering clean respectable vehicles, drivers that are well dressed and friendly. And a reliable locally owned and operated ride service.

Public transportation is not going away. And whatever the reason may be whether it’s every day or once a year our customers deserve a Local service that understands the growing needs of the community and our surrounding residents. And as the new owners of Towne Taxi that is our focus… customer and community.

OPERATING a business at this scale is just not feasible without the financial backing of the transit assistance grant! And makes it virtually impossible for someone like us to scale large enough to even compete as an option no matter how exceptional our service is… I can get financial backing to purchase more vehicles and set up the software and technology but without the Cities support There’s no point because we can’t afford to run it.

So in closing I stand here tonight asking you to consider working hand in hand with us to build the transportation service our community deserves. To take that grant money and keep it local and give us the opportunity to give back.

On behalf of my wife and family and the customers we serve I thank you for your time and I ask you to consider the new owners of Towne Taxi as your next LOCAL public transportation service.

Thank you