Minnesota Accessible Taxi
by Dale Findlay
Minnesota Accessible
Taxi is the brainchild of disabilities advocate Dale Findlay,
who has served on disability advocacy boards for more than fifteen
years. His idea is simple, “My service takes people
where they want to go, when they want to go and ensures that when
they disembark, they are safe.”
Though there are mobility
services that serve the disabled community, Findlay says
they are frequently cost prohibitive or too rigidly scheduled to support
true independence. Findlay says some private-pay carriers
charge a $20 minimum charge if the vehicle leaves Minneapolis plus
up to $2.50 per mile. Moreover, these services use vehicles that
do not accommodate all wheelchairs or more than one wheelchair.
State-funded transportation companies are routed systems that require
reservations up to four days in advance and are inflexible if the rider’s
destination changes. Medical transport carriers are another
option, but they are an option that is also expensive and route scheduled.
For disabled individuals
who live in the suburbs, the mode of transportation is even more
limited because transportation services end at 9:00 p.m. “If
a person is out later than 8 or 9 o’clock, he’d be stranded,” said
Findlay. “If the market supports it, our company would focus
on round-the-clock, curb-to-curb service for people in suburban
communities. In addition, we will ensure that riders successfully
enter their destination and return home safely.”
Findlay, a guest service
team leader at the Target Southdale Greatland store in Edina,
and a proclaimed extrovert, proposes a model that is much closer
to taxi services provided for the ambulatory population—where
service is provided on time at a reasonable cost so people
with disabilities can get to work on time, meet friends for dinner,
or participate in spontaneous recreation.
“The mission of Minnesota Accessible Taxi is to give people
the opportunity to have as much independence as they possibly can so
they can live their lives to the fullest. Findlay said, “This
business model is designed so we can provide a useful service at
competitive rates so that more disabled people achieve greater independence.”
Findlay has established
an answering service to measure the level of interest in the
community for accessible, affordable transportation and to gauge the
interest of potential investors. “We want to
hear from the people who are hungry for this type of service and from
investors who share my passion for providing it,” said Findlay.
Dale Findlay brings more than fifteen years of experience in retail
sales, marketing, and customer service to his role as director of sales
at Minnesota Accessible Taxi. His career includes leadership roles
at Target Stores, and at Hennepin Technical Center in Eden Prairie,
where he earned a degree in retail management in 1987. He has served
on the People with Disabilities Task Force at the University of Minnesota
and on the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services Advisory
Board. He is president of Mobility for Independence, and a board member
for United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota, where he served as chair of
the fund development and the new board member search committees.
He is a frequent volunteer
for activities that have included the Fair Fares Coalition for
Metro Mobility, the United Cerebral Palsy Telethon, and the Initial
State Theatre Collective through which he developed material
for and performed in “Creeps,” a
play about five men with cerebral palsy. In 1992, Findlay received
the title of Optimist of the Year by the Bloomington Optimist Club.
For more information about Minnesota Accessible Taxi, please call
763-767-2503.
