1984: Luxury taxi cabs come to Indianapolis
Nov 07, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS Indianapolis Yellow Cab Company owner Dick Hunt bet big on bringing luxury taxi cabs to the streets of Indianapolis in 1984.This is one of the first in the country, Dick Hunt said. Were always trying to upgrade our image in the taxi business, and this is one way to do it. Hunt added 50 new cars from General Motors to his fleet of 212 taxi cabs 40 years ago. But the additions werent just any cars, they were luxury rides like the Cadillac Deville, Buick Park Avenue, and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight.The move was part of a GM program in which the Indianapolis Yellow Cab Co. would test the performance of the newly downsized models. Feedback from the companys drivers was positive.I think theyre a little happier with their ride when they get in a Cadillac, cabbie Jim Kennington said. A lot of people never ride in a Cadillac, let alone a new one. That puts them in a better mood.One of those riders echoed that same sentiment to WRTV reporter Derrik Thomas. Its a brand new one, real smooth driving, the rider said.Thomas report indicated that the luxury taxi cabs were distributed to cabbies based on seniority and driving records.