RICHMOND, Ind. — There's a new taxi company in town.
When Depot Taxi closed on March 1, effectively eliminating a vital resource for many of the county's residents, Montana and Christine McNabb saw a need in their community and quickly sprang into action.
The two founded C&M Taxi LLC and began offering rides to passengers.
Who are Montana and Christine McNabb?
The McNabs have lived in Richmond for about five years and are originally from the Dayton-Kettering area. Montana, 25, and Christine, 33, were married in 2018 but found themselves homeless for various reasons a few months later.
The reasons included their home being destroyed by a tornado that hit Dayton, Ohio, over Memorial Day weekend in 2019, and the McNabb family's struggle to find a new home due to the housing market at the time and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The McNabs were homeless for about a year while Christine was pregnant with the couple's first child, but eventually turned to family for support despite the couple's own hardships, including Christine's mother battling breast cancer.
Her father-in-law, whom she amicably calls her “shitty dad” for his stubbornness, helped them purchase the home, which was built in 1880 and needed repairs, through a tax sale in Richmond in October 2019.
The couple share a love of history, and Christine said she fell in love with the house, while Montana loved the “beautiful sliding doors” with brass fittings.
In total, they've invested between $5,000 and $6,000 in the house, and although they acknowledge it needs a lot more work, it's livable.
Although Kristin was a stay-at-home mom for many years, she began gaining business experience at a young age.
She helped her father run a takeaway shop in the Dayton-Kettering area for more than 30 years and helped clean her late grandmother's house from the age of 4.
“I want to do the best I can for my clients,” Christine added, “and I'm always very patient and understanding with my clients, but at the same time, I've worked with them before, but it was years ago.”
The couple also work in the community in other ways, volunteering with Bridges for Life, a nonprofit organization that focuses on “strengthening families through personal interactions and expert interventions” to positively impact families and improve their quality of life.
My experience as a Montana depot taxi driver
Montana went into the taxi business to help support his family after the couple's second child, a daughter who is now two years old, was born.
To make ends meet, Montana worked as a taxi driver for the now-defunct Philip Morgan Depot Taxi for a year and a half.
“This community is awesome,” he said of his time driving for Morgan. “Everyone who gave me a ride while I was driving was very nice and I have never felt intimidated or scared driving a cab in Richmond. It was a lot of fun and I love driving for this community.”
After the store closed, Montana and Christine said they were hurt to see so many people in Montana's car walking outside in the rain and snow.
Montana, who had been working at Papa John's since leaving Depot Taxi, saved up enough money to start C&M Taxi and apply for operating contracts, insurance and permits.
Registered in the state and started C&M Taxi
On March 26, C&M Taxi was officially registered with the state as a legitimate operating business and recently became fully insured.
For now, Montana is the company's sole driver, driving a 2006 Toyota Scion XA, and Christine serves as dispatcher, but the couple hope to have four vehicles, each with a driver, operating by the end of the year.
“We're going to make sure we do background checks on all of our drivers and we're going to take care of any legal procedures that we haven't already done,” he said. “Communities need transportation.”
Montana said he is looking to add more vehicles to the business, including purchasing several Toyota Camrys in good running condition.
Other ideas they are proposing include installing dash cams in taxis to protect passengers and drivers, and asking the city council for funding.
In terms of coverage, the McNabs said they are willing to travel to any international airport in Wayne County, Randolph County, New Paris, Ohio, Dayton, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Chicago. Anyone wanting to travel to an airport should call at least two days in advance.
Rides currently cost $10 for five minutes and $1 for each minute thereafter, and customers can request a ride by calling 765-542-6905.
Opening hours are 5 AM to 2 AM Monday through Saturday, except Wednesday, when opening hours are 5 AM to 5 PM. Closed on Sundays.
It will also be closed on Thursday, May 30, according to its Yelp page.
“We want this to be successful and we want to make a difference for the community,” Christine said.
Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter for The Palladium Item. He can be reached at @evan_weaver7 or by email.Email: eweaver@gannett.com
