Have you ever been sitting around waiting for a ride, or better yet have you ever been without a ride? Did the thought “Why don’t we have taxis in the suburbs?” ever pop into your head.

The other day when I was driving through town I was shocked at the sight of a taxi driving through Scituate. Being a small town it is very rare to see this form of public transportation making its way through our quaint seaside community. It then dawned on me that although we are not a big town, we do have needs for taxis here, and their presence would help contribute to a better town environment. Taxis have many bonuses and they would be a great addition to the town of Scituate.

                Taxis today are used in several suburbs for many reasons.  For instance, I can recall waiting around for a couple hours after school for my parents to pick me up. A great bonus to a taxi in our town would be the availability for young adults who may not have rides home if they stay after for school activities. According to American Taxi.com there is a two dollar flag fee and a two dollar forty cent fee per mile in the same suburb or an adjacent one. The cost seems reasonable for young teens and it would alleviate stress from parents and students. Another bonus is the availability during the summer for kids and parents to take the taxis around town. Now instead of waiting for a ride, you will always be able to access the beach, or just get dropped off at a friend’s house.

                Although it may seem as though taxis would only help children, it would also be very useful for adults. For instance, adults who have to take the train and deal with the fees of leaving their cars at the station could now take a taxi to catch the train. This would reduce the stress of paying a fee to keep your car at the station, especially if they are year round commuters. Another bonus according to Mr. Roberts the history and psychology teacher at Scituate High School said “It illuminates drunk driving.” Many people are put in uncomfortable situations if they have to deal with someone under the influence. With taxis in the suburbs, someone could just call up a taxi to drive their friend home. In this way taxis would help illuminate people driving under the influence.

                The taxis would also be a great resource for the kids. Being a student myself I understand the stress of waiting for rides. If there were a taxi service when I was younger, I would have been more apt to stay after, as finding a ride would be easier.

With the idea of taxis in Scituate there comes the concern of finances. Many people will be skeptical of the prices of taxis, and their fees. Also, because of Scituate being the small town we might only need around three to four taxis, which would help cut down the cost, rather than buying a large fleet of taxis.

                Taxis in the suburbs would be an excellent addition to our town, because they would create a safe way home for children, accessible cost efficient routes for adults, and it would hopefully cut down the amount drivers under the influence.