Lone county taxi a friend to many

LAKE COUNTY - It's half past 7 on a recent Friday night and already the calls are coming in. "South Lake Taxi," Dennis Orr says into his cell phone and dispatch center on this and every other night.

We head over to the Salish Lounge in Orr's gold 2001 Chevy Cavalier, his in-town taxi for the last several years. Our first customers, a man and a woman, give Orr an address in Polson and off we go. Orr keeps the mood light on our short trip, bantering back and forth with the man, someone he has driven with before. He seems at home and comfortable with his customers; nothing seems to faze him. Not one minute after the customers are taken home safe and happy, Orr's phone rings again. It's already shaping up to be a busy night.

Such is life for Dennis Orr, the owner and one of four drivers for the only taxi company in the Lake County area, South Lake Taxi. Orr is the third owner and has owned the business for 11 of the 21 years it has been in existence.

"The prices haven't risen in 16 years," Orr says with a grin. "Even when gas was at $3 a gallon. How many other businesses do you think can say that?"

There's a lot more about South Lake Taxi that not a lot of other businesses can say. Like the fact that rather than simply ferrying drunks around each night, Orr will do just about anything for his customers. A pack of smokes at 1 a.m.? You got it, just pay his pick up cost and any sort of tip you see fit. Car broken down outside of town? He'll be there to give you a jump, and/or a ride back into town. These amenities, the simple things that are so much more, are what gives Orr so much pleasure in owning a taxi company in a small, close-knit community.

"Polson's a small little area," Orr said. "You've really got to go above and beyond what you do."

Orr's license gives him the ability to travel in a 70-mile radius from Polson, so he generally travels as far south as Missoula and north to Whitefish. Many of his runs in either direction are to the respective airports, but quite a few of his clients are older citizens that need to get to Missoula or Kalispell for treatment. In such cases, Orr uses his taxi for Medicare runs, taking clients to and from the doctor's office, or to pick up customer's medication. Insurance helps foot the bill. The connection he makes with his older, daytime clients is strong. And he has no problem jumping out of his cab to help bring groceries or shopping bags into the house, part of his commitment to customer service.

The bonds he forms transcend life and death: A former client who passed away gave Orr $1,000 in her will, while another client named him the executor of his will.

"They're not just our customers, they become our friends," Orr said. "They say, ‘You've been there for me.' That sort of thing just blows me away."

The list of people who appreciate all Orr does isn't just restricted to clients. With 371 arrests for driving under the influence in 2009, it's clear intoxicated drivers are a perpetual threat on Lake County roadways. Police departments and bar owners in the area know that without Orr's dedication and service, drinking and driving could be that much more of a problem.

"DUIs in this area, we get them all the time, and we're trying to prevent them from drinking and driving, and the taxi is a good resource to get people home safely," Polson Asst. Police Chief John Stevens said.

Jill Campbell, the DUI Task Force Coordinator for Lake County, has taken proactive steps to work with Orr to keep drunks off the road. Campbell gives Orr a stipend to cover rides for intoxicated patrons and gives him what she can from her budget.

"There's no free rides program in town, so it's big," Campbell said of the taxi service. "If you save one life, there you go; it's worth it."

Orr said that many people drink and drive because they don't want to pay cab fare or because they don't want to leave their car overnight. To eliminate those excuses, Orr will arrange for one of his drivers to come with him on a run and transport their vehicle home as well. For Orr, it's just another day in the life of going "above and beyond."

One of the things that make it so easy for Orr to work so hard is his love for his job. The interesting people he meets and the lifelong friends he has made make the thousands of miles all worth it.

"It's been an adventure," Orr said. "One I don't regret by any means."