Ben Franklin Transit scrambles to help stranded riders

Ben Franklin Transit is scrambling to provide after-hours rides and other services after the unexpected shutdown of A1 Tri-City Taxi.

The three-generation, family-owned company halted operations abruptly at midnight Tuesday, citing unexpected circumstances.

The shutdown put 60 taxi employees now out of work and left an unknown number of Ben Franklin Transit riders wondering how they would get to work, school, doctors’ offices and other destinations not served by regular bus routes.

The company provided night taxi service under a contract with the public transit agency, along with Sunday service and taxi-feeder service.

Driver Archivaldo Jacobo Contreras drove the early morning shift, starting at 4 a.m. and picking up Dial-A-Ride and wheelchair passengers, taxi customers and more. Tuesday, he and a colleague were pulled into the office and told the company was shutting down that night.

“I’m still in shock. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he told the Herald.

Ben Franklin said it learned late Tuesday afternoon that its partner of 16 years would cease operating at midnight.

Transit spokeswoman Ali Madison said the agency is working to notify customers with reservations over the next few days about the situation.

While it seeks a way to fill the gaps, it is working to match affected riders with other programs, such as VanPool, which provides services to certain local employers.

Also, the Community Van program could be used by groups that depend on Sunday service formerly provided by the taxi firm, also known as TC Transportation Services.

“We do not yet have any other specifics to share on this other than our commitment to working aggressively toward solutions to minimize the length and extent of service disruptions,” she said.

The agency will post updates on its website and its social media channels. Customers can call 509-735-5100 for information as well.

The taxi company’s general manager issued a brief news release announcing the shutdown Tuesday, just hours before it took effect.

Owner Mayrene “Mikki” Coyner was not taking calls on Wednesday. And her attorney could not be reached.

But a review of Ben Franklin Transit’s 2016, 2017 and 2018 budgets suggests the company’s revenue drop sharply as the transit agency moved to trim its night service program.

Last fall, Ben Franklin overhauled its route system and added two hours to its regular daytime service.

In tandem with the expansion, it cut its night service budget from about $1.5 million last year to $500,000. The proposed 2019 budget dedicates $580,000 to night service, which is chiefly used by workers and students.

Madison said Tri-City Taxi was aware of the change and agreed to the new contract terms.

The company was founded by Harold Coyner in 1980. Following his death in 2010, his son, Al, took over the business.

Al Coyner transformed what had been a small taxi company into a multifaceted transportation business with interests in traditional taxi service, courier services and public contracts with the transit agency.

He regularly offered free rides on drinking-related holidays such as New Year’s Eve. Following his death in 2011, his son, Mike, took over.

Mike Conyer led the business until his death in April 2017, about the time the company moved from Pasco to leased space on Kingsgate Way in Richland’s Horn Rapids Industrial Park in 2017.

Al Coyner’s widow, Mikki, took over the business and made this week’s decision to close, according to a relative who is no longer involved in the company.

This fall, Ben Franklin Transit came under pressure from the Washington Policy Center.

The policy group questioned if the agency needs the sales tax rate of 6 cents on every $10 in an era of declining ridership.

It said Ben Franklin could save money by contracting services with companies such as Tri-City Taxi.

Mariya Frost, director of WPC’s Coles Center for Transportation, suggested Ben Franklin enlist a rideshare service such as Uber to plug the hole left by Tri-City Taxi.

In April, the city of Mercer Island entered a six-month pilot to use ride-share programs to ferry commuters to a park and ride. Frost called it a worthy model.

“Contracting out existing demand-response services has been about twice as cheap and more cost-effective than BFT operating them directly,” she said.

Ben Franklin Transit is a regional transit agency that employs 326.

Its proposed 2019 budget of $42 million is 7.5 percent higher than 2018 and adds 9.7 full-time equivalent employees.

The budget is based on about 3.1 million annual boardings.