It’s starting to look like Jonathan Schoenakase’s success may have lit the fuse for his potential downfall.
Schoenakase is at the center of a controversy that’s been commanding the City Council’s attention for the past two weeks.
He is the operator of Courtesy Rides, a service that provides free transportation to anyone who calls. Most of those who call are intoxicated individuals who need a ride home from a local bar and are grateful they won’t have to get behind the wheel and risk being arrested for DUI.
While Schoenakase doesn’t charge a fee for his service, he willingly accepts donations and tips. Consequently, he claims he’s a “service” and not a “business” and, as such, shouldn’t be required to abide by the city’s taxi and limousine ordinance, which typically requires a taxi operator to jump through all sorts of complicated hoops to get a required $10 license.
The city, however, is considering amending the ordinance to define “for hire” as any transportation service that accepts “consideration of any kind,” including donations or tips. This would effectively require Courtesy Rides to adhere to the standard licensing requirements.
Since Schoenakase started his business in early 2008, city officials and the Quincy Police Department have pretty much looked the other way and haven’t tried to interfere with his operation. They didn’t try to prosecute him for not having a taxi license because, after all, he was just an individual giving rides to people too drunk to drive themselves. He might even be saving a few lives by keeping drunken drivers off the streets.
But then Schoenakase started to expand his service. He added a couple more vehicles and got a couple of his friends to start answering calls. Then he apparently started using an RV as a bus to haul groups of people from place to place. He also stepped up promotion of Courtesy Rides. One alderman said his business card touts “round-trip” transportation services, not just one-way rides home from taverns.
This suddenly starting looking more like a traditional taxi or shuttle service rather than a one-man campaign to help to keep drunks off the streets.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Police Chief Rob Copley acknowledged Schoenakase’s non-taxi taxi service has become “more noticeable” to law enforcement officials since he added the bus to his fleet.
“That’s drawn warranted attention,” Copley told aldermen. He noted how a police investigator from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office is now planning to check out the service to see if appropriate license plates are being used on Courtesy Rides’ vehicles, particularly the bus.
“He’s deviated from his original mission” of picking up drunken individuals from local bars, Copley said, and now appears to be branching into other transportation services, thereby calling attention to himself and forcing city officials to take notice.
The bus issue was a major red flag for city officials because if an accident were to occur with multiple injuries, it’s conceivable the city could theoretically be held liable for allowing the bus to operate on local streets without adequate licensing, inspections or insurance.
Under questioning from aldermen, Copley said the police department hasn’t received any significant complaints about Courtesy Rides.
Copley also revealed that police used a sting-style undercover operation on several occasions to see if Schoenakase would try to coerce a tip or donation from a passenger who declined to give anything for a ride. Each time, he said, Schoenakase did nothing onerous to demand any kind of compensation.
It appears the only thing he’s done wrong is grow his service too fast so it’s now looking more like a business than a charitable endeavor. That could end up costing him in the long run.
As i said on another site, when your neighbor has two garage sales a year it isn’t a problem. When they start having them every Friday and Saturday from April-Oct, it doesn’t take too long for you to decide its a business. How would you like to be his neighbors when he fires that thing up at 2:30, 3:00, 4:00 in the morning?
A part-time college student can afford four vehicles, and the gas that goes in them, but he doesn’t have the money to be a legitimate business. What is wrong with that picture?
I wonder if richard and confused are upset because they did’nt think of this service?
I also wonder if they would feel the same way if a person that was out drinking and did’nt haved this service
collided with them or a member of their family if they would feel the same way?
I also wonder if they think the saving of one life is worth this service?
I commend him for his service and the people who have the brains to use it if they’ve been out drinking.
They are forgetting there is no charge… tips are up to the person!
mark j,
And how would you feel if this guy slams his RV into a minivan full of kids and it turns out he doesn’t have the proper insurance? Trust me, I’ve been in the insurance business for over 20 years, and I guarantee you this guy does not have the proper insurance, no matter what he says. If you are transporting people and accepting tips, then you require a commercial insurance policy. All this guy is doing is trying to circumvent the laws and he got called on it. Good for the City of Quincy.
people can talk about insurance as long as they want, but it is ignoring the bigger issue: DRUNK DRIVERS. when jonathon started, the cabs did not run after 1am. also, alert cab cannot be called after 1am. the late-night bars are open much later than that. im a college student, i drink, but i do not drink and drive. i’ve called jonathon several times. he doesnt do it for $. the fact that he needed a 2nd vehicle only proves the undeniable NEED for his service! the city ordinance has forced jonathon to jump through hoops, if he cant continue to provide courtesy rides, then an alternative solution needs to be found!!!!!
Good for Jonathan! He saw a need and filled the niche. I hope he works out all the kinks and is able to continue his very needed service. Why don’t we all applaud his Yankee ingenuity in keeping drunk drivers who endanger lives off the roads.
[...] Jonathon Schoenakase was just trying to be a good citizen. When this resident of Quincy, Illinois lost a friend in a drunk driving accident a few years ago, he decided to do something about it: he became the entire town’s designated driver. [...]
Jonathon may be trying to help people and the service may be a good thing but if jonathon wants to keep his service going in the near future he needs to straighten the issues with the insurance and the city ordinance out! If he was to get in to an accident and someone was to sew him and the city there would be alot of complications. And if jonathon keeps running and getting ticked by the police those tickets will turn in to felonys and then he could get arrested and then he wont be able to provide his service so he should just slow down until the hole matter gets straightened out. Then if he gets the proper insurance and licensing then he can start his service agin but if he keeps going the way hes going by ignoring the law and running his service and now caring how the police ticket him for driving without a taxi license he will end up being forced to shut down or get throughen in jail and then he wont be able to provide his service any more. From wat i heard the taxi service in quincy extened there hours I found out the taxi is now open from until 2:30 am sunday through friday and saturdays there open until 3:30 they close just a little bit past the bars closing times to help drunks get home. True the rates could be a little cheaper but those who want to pay for a cab can now call them past 12:00 am
I think what he is doing is graceful,but for the sake of himself and his customers I think he should do the safest thing possible. I think that he would be respecting himself and his customers by getting insurance for safe keeping.