Yellowstone National Park in the Winter — Bozeman, Montana — a one taxi company kind of town
Exploring Bozeman, Montana and dealing with the local taxi firm
December 2013
When I arrived in Bozeman, Montana, I discovered there was only one taxi company in town — Greater Valley Taxi. They had a monopoly, and they knew how to use it.
I had to catch a cab from the airport to my hotel, and Greater Valley Taxi said they would pick me up. In the end, I got into a cab called Yo Taxi, which turned out to be Greater Valley Taxi. Who knew? And I wasted 45 minutes waiting.
The following day I returned to the airport to collect my hire car, and at 7:00 am, I ordered a taxi for 7:45 am. At 7:10 am, I got a call saying they couldn't do 7:45 am but would pick me up NOW. I grabbed my gear and waited in the hotel lobby until 7:45 am, when the taxi finally turned up, with no hint of an apology.
While waiting for 30 minutes for the taxi to arrive, I chatted with the hotel receptionist. The receptionist told me that Greater Valley had a monopoly in the area (I thought there was a law against that In the US?), which they were jealously guarding. I commented that Greater Valley Taxi needed competition. She replied that another taxi company recently tried to set up, but it was hounded out of town by lawyers employed by Greater Valley. Yep, the Greater Valley Taxi Company was a monopoly. Someone should look into that.
So much for a free and open market.
I spent the day exploring Bozeman, Montana.
The town is very American in that it is pretty spread out with sprawling suburbs and shopping malls. But, the town centre, Main Street, was fantastic and well worth a look.
Two things that struck me about the shops on Main Street:
- No chains — not a Gap or a Starbucks to be seen.
- The range of shops — everything from little newsagents, a food Co-op with great smelling soups and bread, a fantastic little photography store, a good old-fashioned hardware store, bars, restaurants, art galleries and a theatre. Pretty impressive.
The best place to park in town was on the side streets, which offered 2 hours of free parking (no parking between 2 am and 7 am).
Driving in Montana
There were some great roads and drives around Bozeman, Montana, but where were all the other cars? It was kind of spooky.
Back driving in the snow
When I visited Bozeman, I lived most of the year in Malaysia with its hot and sticky tropical climate (usually around 30 ºC (83 ºF) and 90% humidity). It was great to be back in temperatures of 0 ºC (32 ºF) with the frost and the snow. I found it refreshing. I felt I had more energy. I wasn’t missing the constant sweating.
While I was out and about in my hire car, I got to drive in snow for the first time in a couple of years, and it was great. I had forgotten how much I had missed it.
I liked Bozeman, Montana, and I enjoyed being back in the cold and the snow. It was great to be back.
