College Cabs Driver Greg Taylor hears a ring and reaches to the phone attached to the dashboard interior and answers, “College Cabs, this is Greg. How can I help you?”

Taylor said it was a pickup request from a student who needed a ride back to a WSU dorm.

He said College Cabs is one of only two transportation services in Pullman that operates on a 24-hour schedule.

The cab service has over 50 percent female drivers even though male drivers have dominated the taxi industry, Taylor said.

“We have a very ethnically diverse staff, we have a very sexually diverse staff [and] we take interpersonal communication very seriously,” he said.

College Cabs Driver AlyssaMarie Link said College Cabs has about 12 drivers, and each one has leased a cab or co-leased with another driver.

Link said Taylor developed the “Party Cab,” in which party lights help bring the fun while going to a certain destination.

There are about three to five drivers working throughout the day, she said, and about four more drivers in the evenings, especially during event weekends.

“We have kind of a rotating shift schedule, and everybody creates their own shift,” Link said.

She said College Cabs allows people to directly text the cab drivers, which helps cab drivers service people right away.

Taylor said Rob Borden, a WSU alumnus and former classmate, started College Cabs after Borden noticed there was a lack of good transportation services in the region.

Link said Borden owns Auto Repair at The Hive, the place where College Cabs gets its maintenance done.

She said there was a time when she received messages to pick up flowers and a basket filled with personal essentials at Safeway. She drove to Greek row to deliver the flowers and basket at a sorority house with specific instructions.

“It is always nice to deliver flowers,” Link said. “It just makes people happy.”

Suly Perez, a senior humanities major, said College Cabs always answers phone calls in a professional way and arrives on time.

Perez said the drivers have casual conversations with her, and the company provides consistent services.  

Taylor said he enjoys working for the company because it encourages workers to express their authentic selves and make good decisions for college students.

“I am a dad. College students need safe rides and [to] be taken care of,” he said. “I oftentimes treat them as if they are my children.”

Taylor said it is not an option for College Cabs to let college students be involved in any risky situations.

“Whether staying on the phone while they call us for a ride and they are too afraid to get off the phone, we encourage them to contact the authorities after something happened,” Taylor said.

Link said the local hospital, police and fire department have called College Cabs to drive people back home.

Perez said cabs are needed for people who do not have cars, especially those who have to go long distances or to the airport.

“The international students usually need cabs the most because they do not know anybody to get rides from,” she said.

Link said some people have requested to travel to far-away locations like Seattle, Clarkston and Lewiston.

“I like helping people,” she said. “I like knowing that you are offering them a service and you can help with what they need, even if it’s just getting to class in the morning.”