MILES CITY — A Miles City family is offering free rides during the World Famous Bucking Horse Sale this weekend, aiming to ensure attendees enjoy the festivities without worrying about how to get home safely.
Jennifer Eastin and Richard Cox launched the service — called Tipsy Taxi — in 2012 after spotting a gap in transportation options during one of the region's biggest annual events.
Watch Jennifer Eastin and Richard Cox talk about about Tipsy Taxi:
"We started doing this in 2012, approximately," Eastin said Thursday. "It just took off."
The Bucking Horse Sale draws thousands of visitors from across Montana and beyond every year, and with those crowds come thousands of cars. In a community like Miles City, rideshare options are nearly nonexistent, making the need for a service like Tipsy Taxi especially significant.
"I don't even think Miles City has very many Ubers that are actually up and running on a regular basis," Eastin said.
When Eastin and Cox recognized the void, they moved quickly to fill it — and the response was immediate.
"We don't have a local taxi," Eastin said.
For Eastin, the mission behind Tipsy Taxi is deeply personal. Her husband lost his brother, 27-year-old Mino Holguin, in a drunken-driving incident. That loss continues to shape why they do what they do.
"You start to lose so many people," she said.
Eastin is firm that the service should never feel like a burden to those who use it. Riders are not expected to tip or carry cash.
"You shouldn't have to pay somebody to take you somewhere because you're trying to be safe," Eastin said. "We don't want them to think that they are obligated to tip us or carry money or feel guilty for not having money or anything like that. It is 100% free."
Drunken driving carries serious financial consequences in addition to the risk to human life, with fines and court and lawyer fees that can reach into the thousands of dollars.
What started as a two-person operation has grown into a full family effort.
"My sister is a driver. Her husband, my three sons, they drive," Eastin said.
Fridays and Saturdays during the Bucking Horse Sale are the busiest stretches for the crew.
At last year's Bucking Horse Sale, Tipsy Taxi provided more than 2,000 rides. Eastin tracks every trip at the end of each night.
"At the end of the night, I will tally up how many rides. And then I'll tally up how many people. And at the end of it, I'll put how many rides and how many souls we saved," Eastin said.
