by SC Features Writer Reanna Haase
Many believe the Sanibel Island experience begins when they first sink their toes in the sand, look for shells, or have a meal at a local diner. But the experience can start at the airport when you take a ride in an Island Taxi.
The drivers first pride themselves on their punctuality at any hour, and they are proud island ambassadors who share local knowledge, tell delightful stories about the island’s past, and are good story listeners.
“There are all kinds of things you hear about, and you learn. It’s just a conversation you want to have because we’re ambassadors to the visitors,” said driver Al Aprile. “And for the locals, we want to be good friends.”
Island Taxi’s services have earned them the ranking of the number one transportation service on Sanibel and Captiva. The drivers attribute their success to not just their punctual nature, but also their ability to create a memorable experience for every passenger.
Whether it’s someone’s first time visiting the island or they are returning home from a business trip, Aprile said that he always shares stories and learns new ones, and that is what makes the job special.
For Aprile, a friend who had been a driver, invited him to work for the company in 2018, shortly after he retired to Sanibel from New York City. He recalled one of his first taxi rides, an unhappy family who had a bad plane ride.
“I noticed how they were complaining about the trip here and I said ‘Okay, that’s over, you’re here,’…,” said Aprile. “They even said to Madeline [the Island Taxi Dispatcher] how terrible they felt, but I was so upbeat and positive about the island and their vacation that it made it for them.”
Driver Jerry Welker has worked for the taxi company for about 9 years, first as a night dispatcher. He has lived on the island for 52 years, and remembers what it was like before the island flourished with visitors.
“Back in the day, summertime came around and you could have thrown a rock down the middle of Periwinkle and not hit anything,” Welker said. “We lived here during the summer, and there were probably only 300 or 400 of us that stayed year-round.”
He says Sanibel has always been a special place, even through all of the changes over the past five decades, and his favorite part of driving for Island Taxi is being able to share stories of Sanibel’s past.
“I take people back to the airport after the first time they’ve been down here, and they’re like ‘I don’t want to go home,'” Welker said. “I say you’d be amazed that back in the day, people did come down here for vacation and they ended up just calling home and saying ‘hey, send me a box of clothes,’ and they’d stay.”
Driver Ron Cheatwood, also known as “Captain Ron,” has also been an Island Taxi driver for the past 9 years. He has lived in Southwest Florida for nearly four decades and is passionate about his music.
Cheatwood often shares his song, “Light the Light,” with his passengers, which is about his days on the oil supply boats. He also produced a video for the song on the east end of the island.
“(The song) says ‘I can run any bayou from Galveston to Mobile Bay’,” said Cheatwood. “When I pick up people (and ask them where they are from), I go ‘oh, yeah, I know exactly where that is,’ or they will stop me and ask how I know where that is.”
Each of the drivers has a unique list of recommendations they share with first-time visitors. Cheatwood often recommends the J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR and island boat charters for fishing or a day trip.
Aprile says he suggests places based on the feedback he gets from passengers, such as Blind Pass Beach for the best shelling. Welker, who has eaten at every restaurant on the island, shares his favorite go-to food spots with his visiting passengers.
Island Taxi, established in 2016, gives more than a reliable ride – the drivers are proud island ambassadors. Aprile says he tells people, “We’re not Uber. We’re an old-fashioned local car service, in your neighborhood, from long ago.”
Island Taxi can be reached by phone at 239-472-4888 or by email at ride@islandtaxi.com. Rides can be scheduled online here, too.
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