Amey’s Taxi has been sold to Coventry Connections.
Amey’s Taxi published a news release on Jan. 9 stating the ownership of Amey’s Greenwood Taxi Ltd. has been transferred to Coventry Connections. This announcement comes as Mark Greenwood—owner of Amey’s Taxi—retired this past December. Owned by the Greenwood family since 1945, Amey’s Taxi has been a Kingston fixture since its founding in 1922.
Likewise, Coventry Connections is a family-owned business with deep roots in the transportation industry, dating back to 1938. Marc André Way, the company’s president and chief executive officer, as well as the president of the Canadian Taxi Association, represents the third generation of his family to lead the business, which now operates a fleet of over 1,500 vehicles across Ontario.
In their news release, Coventry Connections stated it would be “business as usual,” and they would honour all legal obligations of Amey’s Taxi, including abiding by Ontario regulations and upholding their standard of safety. Amey’s runs a host of services including airport services, groceries and deliveries, wheelchair accessible vehicles, and more.
In an interview with The Journal, Way said Coventry Connections remains committed to the community and plans to actively local charitable organizations. He asserted Amey’s Taxi will simply be operating under new ownership, with a principal focus on improving the Amey’s image while continuing the company’s legacy.
“We don’t enter into a community and disappear, so our goal is to be heavily involved in the community and to continue whatever what Mark was doing,” Way said.
Way acknowledges the rise of ridesharing apps such as Uber or Lyft—since their emergence in 2009 and 2012, respectively—have caused increased competition in the taxi industry. Amey’s has maintained its place in the Kingston transportation scene by taking steps to modernize themselves, primarily by having their own app which Way feels is superior to its competitors.
For individuals who are risk adverse, Way implores them to consider Amey’s Taxi as a safer alternative given their unique safety measures and focus on hiring trustable drivers.
“Our insurance programs are much stronger [than competitor ridesharing apps] and that is something that [prevents] the risks of getting into a car that is not properly licensed and properly insured,” Way said.
For instance, he explained Amey’s will be placing an emphasis on implementing hiring practices and training in their quest to elevate the transportation industry to another level. Way also indicated his business model for Amey’s Taxi will set itself apart from competition with its pricing.
“Where we’ll make a big difference and where we’re making a difference across the other cities within which we operate is that our pricing is fixed. So, you won’t encounter surge pricing, if anything, you’ll have discounting,” Way said.
Surge pricing—the practice of charging more for a service based on high demand—is a large deterrent for many from services like Uber that use this tactic to garner the most profit possible.
Other taxi companies say the desirability of fixed-priced taxis is especially helpful so students can budget their transportation accordingly with pre-set rates, regardless of inclement weather or busy times.
Amey’s Taxi’s fixed prices also bode well for drivers under Way’s corporate umbrella.
“We as taxi operators have two sets of clients: the one that takes a taxi from ‘A’ to ‘B’ and the driver […] our goal is to do better than [other ride-share services] and make sure our drivers earn more than they would anywhere else,” Way said.
Research shows a push for appropriate pay for performance positively enhances employee task performance, alongside intrinsic motivation. This in turn is shown to stimulate employee engagement, thus setting the foundation of a growth-oriented business plan. A 2023 Gallup report stated that teams with a high employee engagement showed a difference of 23 per cent in profitability, 64 per cent in safety incidents, and 18 per cent in productivity.
Way has big hopes for the future of Amey’s Taxi now that its been taken under the wing of Coventry Connections.
“We’re much quicker to be able to diversify depending on the service needed, so anything from deliveries to school transportation […] we’re involved in pretty much every aspect of bringing something […] from A to B, and we do it quickly and we do it efficiently,” Way said.
As for his long-term strategy for ensuring profitability in an increasingly competitive market, Way says Coventry Connections is still in the early days of the acquisition and is primarily focused on employee and customer experience.
“We’re still in the studying mode […] we’re trying to understand the driver’s side of the business as much as the s,” Way said. “[So, we’re] looking for what’s missing […] there’s that learning curve that we’re going through.”
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