about NetTaxi
NetTaxi is one of the most unique and convoluted stories of the late-1990s dot-com boom. What began as a snowmobile venture in Nevada pivoted into a highly speculative public tech stock, survived the crash, served as a corporate shell for an industrial manufacturer, and was eventually acquired by a global conglomerate. Today, we're reviving the original idea — a community portal for local classifieds, forums, and connection — for a new generation.
our mission
The original NetTaxi was built on a simple idea: give people a one-stop shop for everything their neighborhood needed — a place to buy, sell, find housing, look for work, and talk to each other. That idea never went away; the technology just moved on. We're bringing it back with a modern, fast, community-focused platform: local classifieds across 100+ cities, multi-topic discussion forums, and NetTaxi Radio streaming right in your browser. A little bit of everything for everyone — just like the original.
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the NetTaxi story
- 1995
A snowmobile start
The company that would eventually carry the NetTaxi name was incorporated in Nevada as Swan Valley Snowmobiles — a humble beginning far from Silicon Valley.
- 1998
The pivot to the web
Capitalizing on the exploding consumer internet, the company acquired the digital assets of NetTaxi Online Communities, raised $1 million, renamed itself NetTaxi, and set up headquarters in Campbell, California.
- 1999
Taking on GeoCities
NetTaxi offered free home pages and built local directory platforms, competing head-to-head with early community giants like GeoCities and TheGlobe.com — even suing GeoCities over naming rights.
- 2000
Peak of the boom
Trading over-the-counter under the ticker NTXY, the stock rocketed from under $4 to over $18 in five days. Revenue peaked near $9.4 million as the portal became a market darling.
- 2001
The bubble bursts
When the dot-com bubble burst, advertising dried up overnight. Revenue collapsed to roughly $2 million and the company posted a devastating $9 million net loss. Web operations were handed to a private partnership, NetTaxi LLP.
- 2002
The reverse merger
Industrial hardware firm RAE Systems executed a reverse merger into the publicly traded NetTaxi shell to go public without a traditional IPO. NetTaxi was reincorporated in Delaware as RAE Systems Inc.
- 2013
The Honeywell finale
RAE Systems — the final corporate descendant of the NetTaxi shell — was acquired by Honeywell International for $338 million. The original portal was shuttered, and the domain went quiet.
- Today
The revival
NetTaxi is back. We're rebuilding the spirit of the original community portal — local classifieds, discussion forums, and a city directory — with modern technology, a fresh taxi-yellow identity, and a streaming radio station. A little bit of everything for everyone, restored for a new generation.
a note on the name
NetTaxi.com and the NetTaxi brand have a long, separate corporate history. The original publicly traded NetTaxi corporation ultimately became RAE Systems Inc., which was acquired by Honeywell International in 2013. This revived NetTaxi is an independent community platform operating under the historic domain and name, and is not affiliated with RAE Systems, Honeywell, or any successor to the original corporate entity.
frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about NetTaxi.
come along for the ride
Browse the marketplace, start a forum thread, or tune in to NetTaxi Radio.
