A safe ride home. It’s not something we really think about all too often. Some might even say that we take it for granted. But when we get in a car, whether as a driver or as a passenger, we’re at the mercy of a lot of moving parts. So many things could go wrong if everything isn’t absolutely perfect. Cars are powerful machines, with the ability to cause a lot of damage. So being able to get home safely — to our spouses, to our friends, to our families — is not something to take lightly.
Renard LeBlanc, owner of Elite Taxi Service, understands this. He knows how important a safe ride home is because, years ago, a family member of his didn’t come home.
“People getting home safely has always been important to me, because I personally have lost relatives in accidents due to drunk drivers,” LeBlanc stated. “My close cousins lost their lives because someone was tremendously drunk and decided to drive. And they were the victims of that. So helping people get home safely has always been something I’m dedicated to.”
LeBlanc started Elite Taxi Service in 2019 for that very reason — to make sure people got a safe ride home.
LeBlanc had previous driving experience: While living in San Francisco, he worked as an Uber driver, so he knew what all went into the job. He also owned a bar in Riverton, so he knew how important safe rides home were to people, especially near the bewitching hour on any given night.
“Before I moved to Wyoming and was doing Uber in San Francisco, I was always doing the graveyard shift because I loved being able to get people home if they partied a little too hard.”
Those experiences, plus the deaths of his family members due to drunk driving, made LeBlanc the perfect person to start a new taxi company; a different kind of taxi company. An elite taxi company.
The only problem was, shortly after he started the taxi service, the world shut down due to the pandemic.
“Somehow, we survived through COVID,” he said. “I was extremely nervous, but we made it through and I just fell in love with the business. And so, four years later, we’re still here.”
“Here” is now Casper, Wyoming. LeBlanc and his business partner, Dontevian Wilson, run a small, tight operation. They drive clean, luxury vehicles that come complete with bottled water for their customers. Currently they provide service 24 hours a day. And they’re not just available for rides home after hours: They can take you to work, to school, to do your grocery shopping and more. They’ll drop you off at the airport, they’ll take you to job interviews, they’ll do it all, with great rates. And, most importantly, they will do it safely. The biggest goal of Elite Taxi Services is to get you where you need to go quickly, efficiently and safely.
Being a “safe” space for people is important to LeBlanc and his partner. And when he says that, he doesn’t just mean getting somebody home after they’ve had too much to drink. LeBlanc said that when he talks about being safe, he also means that his taxi is available for anybody, regardless of their color, creed or sexual orientation.
“We’re definitely LGBTQ-friendly,” he emphasized. “I’m LGBTQ and I want people to know that if they are a part of that community, they can ride with us and feel safe and comfortable and loved. We are a black-owned, LGBTQ-friendly taxi service, and we are safe for everybody.”
A safe ride home isn’t something that we ever really think about until we need one. But Renard LeBlanc has spent years making sure that people get home — or to anywhere else they’re going — safely. He enjoys meeting people. He enjoys serving people. But what he really loves is, at the end of a shift, going home with the knowledge that he helped others get home safely as well.
“I think our dedication to making sure people get to where they need to go safely and on time is just one of the reasons why we’ve been so successful so far. We’re proud to be a safe place for anyone and everyone. That’s why we’re the best of the best. It’s why we’re Elite.”
For more information about Elite Taxi, visit its website or check out its Facebook page. To book a ride, call 307-253-9221.
