Taxis Through Time

Date: September 3, 2021 By Stacie Wiegman Categories: St. Louis Taxi News Tags: history No comments

Back when gas was only $0.19 a gallon, we began a legacy that would shape the St. Louis taxi industry for decades to come. Since 1935, we have grown our fleet, established ourselves as a leader in the taxi industry, and maintained our traditions and values. By keeping the business in the family, our integrity and has remained unmatched. Since the beginning, this business has provided a family-like atmosphere that extends to every single person involved. St. Louis is our home, and we always strive to do our best to represent the community and provide excellent, reliable service.

Taking Taxis To The Streets

In 1935, Thomas M. Gregerson founded County Cab with a fleet of only 3 taxis. Despite being a smaller cab company, we were quickly able to grow our fleet. Throughout our history, County Cab has evolved and led through technical innovation.  In 1946, we were the first taxi company in the Midwest to install two-way radios in all of our cabs.  These radios could both receive AND transmit radio waves, meaning the taxi drivers could respond to the dispatchers quicker, and vice versa. As a result, drivers were made aware of fares in record time, and they could confirm with dispatch that they were on the way.

At this point, it had become quite clear that we were thriving in the taxi industry. Mr. Gregerson was determined to establish County Cab as the most innovative cab company around. We were the first taxi company in St. Louis to use multiple voice channels to dispatch cabs, and later on, computer dispatching. With all of these advancements, how could anyone keep up with us? Our communication was improving, and so was our fleet. More and more of the taxis on the road were painted with our signature red and white!

The Family Legacy Continues

When it was time for Thomas M. Gregerson to step down, he transferred ownership of County Cab to his son, Tom J. Gregerson in 1998. Tom, who enjoyed judging horse shows, was a hard worker with a competitive edge. This, combined with his leadership skills and knowledge of the taxi industry is what brought Tom to carry on the family legacy. During the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the world experienced a technological boom. As a result, customers were expecting more of a digital experience. We weren’t about to stop innovating. So, in 1999, our dispatchers began utilizing GPS tracking to identify the taxi closest to the customer. Nearby taxi drivers would be dispatched almost instantly, and passengers wouldn’t have to wait as long for a ride.

Commitment to Customer Service

Thanks to our smooth transition into the digital age, we were able to merge with Yellow Cab, growing our fleet once again. Now that we had the capacity to handle more trips, we focused on improving the customer experience. Smart phones were becoming more prevalent amongst our passengers. In 2010, we became one of the first taxi companies in the US to launch a mobile app. Our customers were able to order a cab, track it, and pay for their ride all within the app! We knew we owed it to the St. Louis community to adapt with the times and make taxis more accessible to everyone. It’s how we have always done business. Since we had established ourselves as pioneers in the taxi market, the Better Business Bureau honored us with the Torch Award for exceptional ethics and service in 2014. It was a privilege to be recognized as a dependable form of transportation.

Taxi Traditions

Traditions are important to us! We always trick-or-treat ourselves around Halloween. Team members LOVE to dress up in hilarious costumes, trying their best to out-do each other with the wackiest ideas. Team members bake desserts for everyone and, you could expect some of Basil’s “famous” chili that definitely wasn’t a store-bought mix! (Wink!  Wink!)  If you can’t tell, we like to party, and we like to eat!

Mardi Gras

Being a St. Louis company, we LOVE Mardi Gras! Every year, Soulard puts one of the biggest Mardi Gras events in the US. Whether you are going to Taste of Soulard, the pet parade or the annual Grand Parade, we have partnered with Mardi Gras, Inc. for nearly 15 years to provide safe transportation to and from the grand parade and all other Mardi Gras events.  You could say that we definitely let the good times roll!

St. Louis County & Yellow Taxi Today

As of 2017, ownership of St. Louis County & Yellow Taxi was transferred to Thomas M. Gregerson’s granddaughters, Kim J. Dolniak and Debbie Rudawsky. Continuing the family legacy, Kim and Debbie maintained the same values held by their father and grandfather before them. From sorting cab vouchers at the kitchen table to working in dispatch after school, the two sisters were always embedded at County Cab. Despite growing up alongside a male-dominated industry, Kim and Debbie were well equipped to take over the reins when their father retired. Our dispatching technology may have changed, but our drive to succeed has stayed the same. It’s in our blood! St. Louis County and Yellow Taxi still goes the EXTRA MILE for our customers, team, and the St. Louis community.

Supporting the Community

We have partnered with the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Commission (VICC) and most of the local school districts to provide safe and reliable school transportation to kids for more than 40 years. We have teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater St. Louis to drive awareness for the disease through a 24-hour cab ride. “The Longest Ride” takes place on June 21st, the longest day of the year. We also offer transportation for large parties so people can enjoy their night without having to find a sober driver or wait alone for a rideshare driver to arrive.

In 2018, we were honored to be the only taxi company of choice for the 100th PGA Championship. That year, Brooks Koepka was the winner, finishing just two strokes ahead of Tiger Woods. Koepka set a PGA Championship record with his 72-hole total of 264, and St. Louis was there to witness it! Our taxis were lined up at the official lot for the championship, providing hundreds of spectators with rides.

Whether it is providing safe transportation to major events in St. Louis, parties for our corporate and individual customers or just being there when you need us, we have a long history of commitment to the transportation needs of St. Louis.

Still Going Strong

In spite of the pandemic that began in 2020, we have pressed on. Things may look a little different now, but we have not forgotten our roots. Safety has always been our top priority, which is why we installed safety partitions to slow the spread of germs. Also, our drivers wear masks in their vehicles, and our garage was equipped with a fogger to sanitize the interior of our cabs. Local businesses really took a hit during the pandemic, so we wanted to do our part to help build up the community. And, since we still love to find any excuse to party, we have visited local businesses to celebrate silly holidays. Namely, we visited Mattingly’s for National Pizza Party Day, and we stopped by Tony’s Donuts for National Donut Day! Even being socially distanced, we have still found ways to get closer to our community.

We’d like to thank St. Louis for all of the support we have received. It’s clear that we have all come a long way since 1935! We love St. Louis and we are honored to be part of the fabric of this community for more than 85 years! We look forward to the many great years to come!