As with most great ideas, Jordan Boesch’s started with a dilemma.

Several months ago, the 21-year-old Ottawa resident was looking to take a cab home from the pub when he found himself wondering how much it would cost.

“It’s an issue when you’ve only got a certain amount of cash left,” said the downtown web developer.

Although he got home with money to spare that night, Boesch sat down at his computer a few weeks later and created a solution. He built Taxi Me Fare Estimation (taxime.ca), a website that calculates the cab fare needed to get you from point A to B.

The calculation system — which integrates with Google Maps to draw a map of the route and has tested to be accurate within one dollar for longer distances — has a new market this week as the city’s transit strike moves into its seventh day.

“With the buses on strike, people are taking cabs more,” he said. “I think people would be interested to know how much they would pay for a cab ride.”

Since he’s developed the site, Boesch has spent some time making small improvements. Although the calculator can be set up for use in any city, the settings default to Ottawa cab prices.

With a transit strike plaguing the city, the Algonquin College grad has had plenty of opportunity to test out his online tool.

Although he lives and works downtown, he walks most places, but uses taxis as well.

“It’s inconvenienced a lot of people that I know,” said Boesch of the transit strike. “A large chunk of my office lives in Barrhaven or Orleans, and I can see the frustration, especially at this time of year.”
The site also includes a contact list of cabs in the city.