Barrel Taxi.
Paula E. Kirman
Barrel Taxi got its start in 1947 or 1948 at 14901 Stony Plain Road when the area was still part of the Municipal District of Stony Plain and had not yet become a village or town. At that time, 149th Street was the eastern boundary of what was known as West Jasper Place, which was considered a rural community, but had many city-type problems such as the traffic jam depicted in the photo1.
Several people who worked for Barrel Taxi in its early days lived in or near Jasper Place. According to the Henderson’s Directory, there were four households associated with Barrel made up of people with the surnames of Saumer, Fretenburg, and two Gobles. They all lived in or very close to what became the Town of Jasper Place.
According to the Henderson’s Directory, those households were:
I and B Goble and W Saumer props 14901 Stony Plain Rd.
Fretenburg R F of Barrel Taxi h 10120 158 St.
Goble I of Barrel Taxi Serv r 10120 158 St.
Goble Barney of Barrel Taxi Serv h 10436 146 St.
Saumer W of Barrel Taxi Serv r 11138 149 St.
While cab drivers come and go, relying on the job temporarily before pursuing other career options, some Barrel drivers were in it for the long haul. James “Sloopy” Waikle had been driving for 34 years as of 1990, longer than anyone in the company at that time – including his boss. Back when Waikle started, a cab ride across the city cost $1.80, the meter read 50 cents at the beginning of a ride, and then clocked 30 cents per mile. His career with Barrel began around 1956 after driving for another company for a while1.
Barrel Taxi was owned and managed by Ken Blazy for 40 years and built up a fleet of 100 cars. Blazy, who also owned Checker Cab, sold both taxi companies to Laidlaw Transit Ltd. in 1999. At that time, Laidlaw owned Yellow Cab, Prestige Cabs, Prestige Limousine, and Sky Shuttle Airport Service. Barrel was operated as a separate division of Yellow Cab, with a dedicated office in the west end and separate dispatch centre2.
The Cyre family lived in Jasper Place and several family members worked for Barrel Taxi. In an e-mail interview with the Jasper Place Community History Project (JPCHP), Roger Cyre described how his father used to drive several routes for Diamond Bus Lines. But later, after the company was no more, he began driving for Barrel Taxi. “He did it for a few years. I do remember a smashed up cab being in the back yard for a while. I think at least two of my uncles also drove for a few years. My aunt Peggy was dispatcher for a while, and I think one of my uncles as well.”
As late as 1965, just following Jasper Place’s amalgamation with Edmonton, the Henderson directory listed over 25 mentions of employees at Barrel Taxi, and about 75% of them lived in Jasper Place.
Here are some other memories gleaned from social media about using Barrel Taxi, and some of their memorable drivers. Only first names are being used, and quotes have been edited for spelling and grammar.
Heather: My dad said: the family didn’t have a car. Taxi would only take them to the edge of Edmonton and they had to walk the breadth of the way. Life was easy and nothing felt overly hard – it’s just the way it was.
Carl: Don’t know when my family moved to Jasper Place. I was born there. We always had a car because Dad drove for Jasper Dairy and Barrel Taxi. Most were ones my Dad would fix up but us kids walked or rode our bikes everywhere. Mom made most of our clothes but for specials we got a trip to Browns.
Barry: I worked at the Saxony coffee shop back in the days when the Barrel drivers came in for get-togethers. It was a different time, but let’s just say that there were more drunk cab drivers in that restaurant on these nights than there were working. Horrible tippers.
Janis: The guy who owned Barrel Cabs used to board his pony out at our place in the 70’s
Garry: I had an uncle who drove for Barrel and a friend’s brother drove for them. Got a few free rides
B: My dad drove for Barrel and Ii drove a retired Barrel taxi to school final year ‘69-70. Maybe the year before too. Still had the paint job.
Bruce: [name redacted] kept a big cigar butt handy while he drove for Barrel, for chasing stupid customers out of his car. Sorry if it happened to you; he was seldom wrong.
Karen: I knew a guy who drove for Barrel Taxi. We called him Biggie.
The recognizable green and white cars remain a fixture in the west end. Barrel Taxi is known today as part of the Greater Edmonton Taxi Service, which traces its history back to 1945. The company includes eight taxi fleets in addition to a limo service and airport shuttle.
References
1“Many Problems Confront Jasper Place Community.” Edmonton Bulletin, Friday, May 28, 1948, p. 8.
2“Cabbie’s meter still ticking after 38 years on the road.” Edmonton Examiner, Sunday, November 25, 1990.
3“Laidlaw takes Barrel’s driving seat.” Edmonton Journal, Tuesday, November 16, 1999, p. 53.
Paula E. Kirman is a freelance writer who grew up, and still lives, near the Jasper Place area.
[This post is an expanded version of an article that appeared in Winter 2023’s SPANN]
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