City Yellow Cab

"The 70-year-old Akron man, while renting his 2007 Crown Victoria cabin - with 272,000 mph on the mileometer - drove to Summit County Courthouse to take in a passenger, said a taxi operator is something of a consultant. David is among 83 chauffeurs of Akron's oldest taxi firm, City Yellow Cab, which celebrates its 80-year anniversary.

McBride, who later founded the Cleveland Browns, founded City Yellow Cab in 1933. By 1946, 12 World War II returnees, among them Mac McClenathen and C.P. Chima, had founded GI Cab Co. In 1960, GI Cab City bought Yellow Cab and the two firms were operating under one roof until GI Cab was liquidated in 1997.

McClenathen and Chima family members still own the remaining business. Downtown Yellow Cab's landmark jubilee comes two years after the entry into force of Akron' s cab rules and while the conversation heats up to get nationwide cab rules. When introducing its license act, the city of Akron demands

Taxis and driver's licences must be renewed each year. Taxis must be handed in to City Call. Driver to transmit information - such as police record - to the city authorities. Adopted to reduce the number of so-called gipsy driver enterprises and ensure the safety of cars for passengers.

Supporters discuss the extension of such demands to the entire Summit County or at least to the city of Green, where the Akron-Canton International Airfield is situated and a lot of cabin operations are made. Crystie VanAuken, a senior VP and COO of Operations and Communication at Akron-Canton said officers would prefer some kind of cab arrangement.

Said the FRA was worried about "the inconsistency" of the nature of the vehicles and the client services of taxi drivers picking up clients at the FRA, and "that's the heart" of the regulatory drive. "We don't think it would be important if the rules and norms came from the city of Green or the county," she said.

And the other big worry, she said, was "the secret of the cost" of cabins that serve those arriving at the airports. Driver who pays $400 a year to the airports to collect clients there currently do not have to specify how much a trip will costs, VanAuken said. Mr VanAuken said that this year 10 taxi company 29 cars ran at the airport.

Stephen J. Pruneski, Green Law Director, said he is planning to create laws requiring taxi cabs that operate in the city to publish tariffs so people know what they will be paying for each trip. Said he was very likely that the law, which is primarily intended for taxi drivers who operate at Akron-Kanton airport, would not be presented to the city council until next year.

There are three cab operators from Cleveland Hopkins International Airports under the 2009 Cleveland City By-Law. Every passenger who takes a cab will get a print of travel expenses before they get into a cab, said Jacqueline Mayo, a spokesperson for the airline. Local regulations for the operation of cabs can be found in Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls and Stow.

Barberton-based Cab enterprises must have their headquarters there. On the occasion of its 80-year existence in Akron, City Yellow Cab has introduced a new clothing policy for drivers: corporate vests, trousers and footwear. The 83 City Yellow Cab riders are all independant contractor leasing cars from the city.

Debbie Stolfo, general director of the taxi firm, said that as businesses picked up in late November and early September, extra riders were hired this year. Said that more than half of City Yellow Cab's deal is with handicapped person service agents or healthcare organisations. As Stolfo said, even with the rules of Akron, she suspected that there could be tens of non-licensed taxis still driving in the city.

York Stephanie, a city spokesperson, said 10 cab operators and 138 riders are registered in Akron. Said that the new rules have probably reduced the number of Gipsy firms, but the city still gets occasional complains about unauthorized taxis. "We' ve received grievances about those who put magnetism tags on their automobiles and delivery trucks and offer taxis at Metro Intermodal stations and inner-city after midnight," York said.

At Akron, cab riders are charged an $25 per year licence charge. Businesses are paying $250 per year plus from $15 to $25 per cab, according to the sizes of the fleets. A Stolfo estimate that full-time riders can account for up to about $30,000 a year, tip included. The City Yellow Cab Corporation is housed in a 1950s structure on 650 Home Ave.

Driver must undergo random drugs testing. City Yellow Cab taximeters start at $2.75 for one trip and then cost $2 per miles. Mr Stolfo said that their driver could deliver clients to the Akron cantonal airports, but since they did not pay the $400 per charge at the airports, their driver could not collect them there.

Paying the $400 charge for her entire liquor would be $17,000 for the firm, she said. Steven Snow, 44, has worked for City Yellow Cab for 18 years. One of the company's drivers, Warren J. Miller, 37, was killed at work in November 2006. Mr Stolfo said that the firm carries out an average of six raids a year.

Henri Davis, who first worked for City Yellow Cab in 1971, also worked as a lorry operator for 30 years. He' been serving his cab for almost a dozen years.