Base taxi service available

  • Published
  • 377th Logistics Readiness Squadron
Kirtland Air Force Base --  Traffic, parking, gas prices, carbon emissions and vehicle maintenance are all good reasons to use the free base taxi service on Kirtland AFB.

In the past year, the base taxi service has provided 1,060 rides for military members and Department of Defense base employees with common access cards. The distance from pick-up to drop-off location must exceed a minimum walking distance of one mile.

The base taxi uses economical hybrid vehicles and covers locations on both the east and west side. Approximately 15 passengers use the taxi service on a daily basis.

Call the on-duty dispatcher at 846-TAXI (8294) to make a request. Provide name, work location, pick-up time for, location and destination. Callers must also provide the reason for the request, to determine official use. Dispatchers will let them know what's authorized and what is not. Ask yourself, "Is this official business? Is this personal in nature or for my own personal gain?" Appointments requesting your presence by a government agency, such as medical/dental/commander support staff/military personnel flight and other appointments, are considered official. Civilian dependents are not authorized to use the service, nor is travel from a residence to a duty location authorized.

"The taxi service helps alleviate parking and traffic issues on base," said Michelle Mazulis, 377 LRS principal vehicle operations dispatcher. "The average response time is under 10 minutes."

The taxi is available on work days, Monday through Friday, from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A pick-up may be requested up to 24 hours in advance. Taxi service is a one-way request; return trips require a second request.

The 377 LRS distribution section chief explained the service's value.

"We hope to see an increase in passengers and would like to improve on our service. It saves base personnel out-of-pocket expenses when doing government business and is a commonly overlooked benefit for DOD employees. We have customer survey forms in every vehicle, and after three months, we'll conduct a review to see what should be changed," said Alan Hawn.