TUPPER LAKE - Jesse Bashant had a transportation problem at his tavern.

"Monday through Thursday night, I would have people every night sitting on the sidewalk at 12:30, 1, 2 (in the morning), trying to find a way home," he said.

Tupper Lake has not had a taxicab service since Al's Taxi Service closed in August due to rising fuel costs and insufficient customers. Bashant, who owns and is renovating the Woodsmen's Tavern inside the old Grand Union Hotel, said he looked into giving his customers free rides home. He was told by all the insurance companies he asked that he would need taxi insurance to do so. So he decided to start a taxi company.

Tupper Lake Taxi opened for business in October. A taxi service requires a permit from the village, and the drivers need their "hack" (taxi driver's) licenses. Bashant formed a limited liability corporation and filed with the state Department of Taxation and Finance, and the federal Internal Revenue Service.

The insurance for a single livery vehicle costs about $5,000 per year, and the cost has to be paid up front. Bashant was able to pay the entire policy up front; most people can't, he said, so they pay a quarter up front and pay the rest through a financing company at 27 percent interest.

Bashant has one vehicle and three drivers: himself, Phyllis Amell and David White. Amell also works at the tavern. Bashant said he is trying to be open more than Al's was.

"The cab before only ran until early evening," he said. "I'm trying to do the 24-hour thing."

More bars like Bashant's are taking action to get their patrons home safely. The 5-Hole and Park Restaurants in Tupper Lake have started providing shuttle services for their customers, as does Samson's Bar and Grill on state Route 30 near Meacham Lake.

Although giving people rides from the tavern was the inspiration for starting the business, Bashant said the majority of his business is not from there.

"The majority of my rides are people going back in forth in town and getting dropped off at work," he said.

There are a lot of expenses to starting a taxi business. Bashant is concerned about illegal cab services in Tupper Lake, which do not have the expenses of a legitimate business like he does. He said he is aware of a couple. He said he has heard that, although they do not formally charge "fares," they do accept "donations" on a regular basis.

"If you're taking money and you're not insured, that's a liability problem," Bashant said. "If you're in an accident, it's kind of hard to explain why you've got five drunk people you don't know in your vehicle. I wanted my people to be covered and safe, and that's what I did."

However, Bashant said it is difficult competing against the illegal cabs, as their much lower expenses mean they can undercut his fares.

"It's hard to compete with someone running around doing it for less," Bashant said. "What do you do? What would you do?"

Dave Bell

Bashant stressed that he is not referring to people such as Dave Bell, who claims he has been giving between 20 and 200 people per weekend free rides home for 24 years. In an article about Tupper Lake Taxi in the Nov. 5 issue of the Tupper Lake Free Press, Bashant mentioned the illegal taxi services, and Bell took this as a reference to him. Bell asked village police Chief Tom Fee for his take on it, and Fee told Bell he could be considered a taxi service and should get a taxi license and insurance. Bell protested, and it appears the law is on his side, as both state vehicle and traffic laws and the village law regulating taxi services define a taxi as a vehicle that gives rides for hire.

"We didn't know Mr. Bell (before last week)," Bashant said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have a cab right now! What better thing can you have than someone to bring someone to your tavern and bring someone away from your tavern with no charge?"

Bashant also said he didn't understand how his comments in the Free Press provoked such controversy, as he was attacking illegal cabs, not designated drivers like Bell.

"Designated drivers bring people to my tavern all the other taverns in this town, and they are priceless," Bashant said.

He added that he has nothing against Bell and complimented him for giving so many rides for free.

"Maybe it'll spawn new volunteers across the state," he said. "It's all good if everybody is insured. If his insurance people are OK with what he is doing and people are safe, I think that's great."

Leah Knapp, a spokeswoman for Progressive insurance, told the Enterprise Wednesday that since Bell does not charge or advertise, he should be covered under a personal automobile insurance policy, "generally speaking."

Bashant said he was surprised to hear this, as the insurance companies he called, including Progressive, told him he would need livery insurance to transport passengers on a regular basis.

Contact Nathan Brown at 891-2600 ext. 26 or nbrown@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.

(Editor's note: This article has been corrected.)