Under the category of ‘everything old is new again’ we found this mention in the 1913 Island County Times that could be construed as a Langley precursor to Uber or Lyft… or at least a local taxi service.
November 14, 1913…
“Call or phone Ed Howard, Langley, when you wish to go into the country. He will carry you cheaper than you can walk in his new auto, always on hand. Give him a call.
Those wanting to go into the country for a drive at any time, phone or see Ed Howard. He always has his auto ready and is the cheapest in Langley. Try him.” (By then, Ed Howard’s store had relocated to what is now The Dog House and was then known as The Langley Mercantile.)
Further down in the newspaper column regarding Langley happenings:
“We have had several new enterprises begin here during the last year, namely: a bank, a cannery, a box factory, a lumberyard, and last but not least, two auto lines.
Mr. Jensen took out a license to operate an auto for passenger hire, as did Ed Howard who is doing his share of the business. Traffic has increased since the autos were put in.”
Traveling on the island by motorcar was still such a novelty back then that family road trips frequently merited mention in the local newspaper neighborhood columns.
In the 1920s Whidbey had a stage coach (elongated automobile or early bus) service from the ferry stops to different towns on the island.
SIDE NOTE: One humorous story regards Ed Howard’s automobile, the first auto in Langley. The late Emmy Hunziker recalls that someone borrowed the car to drive it, but did not know how to stop it and had to drive it round and round in circles until it ran out of gas.
