Adrien Rock of Canora has opened a new business which offers transportation service for Canora and area residents to as far away as Saskatoon and Regina.
Rock has named the business Majc (Magic) Rides Transportation after the Rock family members: son Matthew, Adrien, son Joshua, and Chelsea, wife and mother.
Rock was born and raised in Canora, and has extensive driving experience. His trucking experience includes working for Hostess and delivering cars when he was employed in sales at Yorkton Toyota. A few years ago he was having health problems and decided to stay home to fully recuperate. This allowed him to spend more time with the boys while Chelsea continued her career at Crossroads Credit Union in Canora.
Now that his health has improved and Matthew and Joshua are a little older, Rock decided it was a good time to start his own business.
He said the seed for this new business was planted a little over a year ago after the STC (Saskatchewan Transportation Company) was shut down, and many area residents were suddenly left without badly needed transportation services.
“At that time I was still getting healthy,” recalled Rock. “But by around last September and October I was feeling a lot better and started doing some serious research and putting together a good business plan.”
He said the business plan involved studying the population demographics of the region, included the overall population, the male/female split and age demographic. Rock also had to figure out the cost involved in transporting clients from one destination to the next, and how to charge a fair, but competitive rate.
“We will be charging a flat fee for rides within Canora,” he said, “but since we will be driving so many different distances outside of Canora, a per-kilometre fee will be charged for out-of-town trips.”
Presently Rock can accommodate up to five passengers at a time for clients who live within approximately a 50 kilometre range of Canora, but said there is some flexibility in that 50 kilometres.
His original plan for the business was to focus on getting clients to medical appointments.
“Many people are looking for transportation to appointments in Canora, Yorkton, Saskatoon and Regina,” explained Rock. “They’re mostly seniors who otherwise don’t have the means to make these trips, and it’s a big financial weight to get rides from family members if they live far away. I’ve been told by doctors that many people have been missing important medical appointments simply because they didn’t have a feasible way of getting to the larger centres.”
But as more people are becoming aware of the new business, Rock said not all bookings are related to medical needs. He recently made bookings to drive to the Regina airport.
Majc Rides Transportation is classified as a pre-booked transit and transportation service, which means rides have to be pre-arranged, preferably the night before.
“Since I’m running the business by myself right now, it allows me to keep everything more organized,” said Rock.
Before accepting his first rides, Rock had to get a class 4 drivers licence, proper registration for his van and upgrade his insurance.
He gave his first rides on New Year’s Eve in Canora, when a number of people called ahead for his service to make sure they didn’t end up driving while under the influence.
He said trips to Saskatoon and Regina hospitals are being planned to coincide as much as possible with the availability of specialists.
Rock’s hours are wide open, depending on the needs of the client. He recently made a booking with an individual living in Norquay who has to travel to Saskatoon three to four times per year for an 8 a.m. medical appointment.
Future plans include starting up a delivery service for Canora businesses after his oldest son Matthew gets his drivers licence, likely by the time summer arrives.
If business continues to be good, a second van and driver may be added to serve clients farther away in towns such as Wadena and Wynyard.
“Not only am I providing a much-needed transportation service, it also gives people the opportunity to travel with several other individuals and possibly even make new friends,” concluded Rock.
