Green Ninja Taxi still in service
When Tim Pschierer started his small business, Green Ninja Taxi, eight years ago, he didn’t think about how it would be impacted by a pandemic. But like many businesses across the nation, Green Ninja Taxi has been impacted by covid-19.
He’s the owner, as well as the only driver, for his service. He takes customers all over the NWA region, but a lot of his customers travel back and forth to the airport and to medical appointments. Both those destinations suddenly lost their popularity.
Green Ninja Taxi has remained open, and Pschierer has a few standing appointments to take people to places like grocery stores. Some customers just send him to pick up groceries without leaving their homes.
Uber was getting started about the same time he did and was gaining in popularity before the virus, but it never affected Green Ninja Taxi very much. A lot of business people will use Uber for airport runs, and that’s fine with Pschierer since those trips are often at odd hours. He likes serving Bella Vista residents.
He also shares some customers with the Courtesy Van which is a nonprofit that can offer rides for free. He doesn’t think he picked up much business when the Courtesy Van closed. Many of their riders are probably staying home, he said.
Even when he’s busy,
Pschierer will sometimes wait for his customers so they have a ride home as well. Sometimes he does his own errands during the wait, but when it’s required for the appointment, he sometimes waits in the doctor’s office. He doesn’t charge for his time waiting.
His taxi is a 2015 Honda Civic with over 150,000 miles on it. It’s actually his third vehicle since he opened the business. Customers like it, he reported. They find it roomy and the ride is smooth. Since he keeps up with maintenance, it’s been reliable.
“It’s a simple business model,” Pschierer said, and he has no plans to expand it. He might consider letting one of his high-schoolage sons do some driving when old enough, but it would just be a summer job. He wants to remain a one-man business.
“I’m always happy to go to work,” he said, “I absolutely love it … I’m my own boss and the people are great.”
When he’s not driving, Pschierer is involved with the Facebook group, Positively Bella Vista, that sponsors the Volunteer Patrol. He’s often part of the weekend Volunteer Patrol that helps with yard work, wheelchair ramps and other projects around Bella Vista.
His own Positively Bella Vista project, Six in Sixty — a one day cleanup of Highway 71B, was postponed this year because of the virus, but other neighbors have been out picking up litter anyway. He’s hoping to get Six in Sixty scheduled for the fall.