business

Need a Cab in Middle? Don 't Hail It; Call It

By WILL DENNIS "Taxi!" That's something you don't hear a lot in Cape May County. Unlike other areas, cabs don't cruise for fares here. Their business comes by phone. "I'd say that it's a fact that 99 and 9/10ths of our business comes through the phones." said Emma "Lynn' Cornett, cooperator of L&L Taxi. 303 Pershing Ave., Court House. "Occasionally we do pick up fares off the street, but that would be more common in the Wildwood area." she said. "We can't just go around and pick up

fares off the street anywhere, though — the area has to be in our jurisdiction as according to our license. "We'd be running a very large risk if we tried. Let's put it this way: we don't want to step on anybody's toes," Cornett added. "We try to work with the other drivers as much as we can. to the point that if we're too backed up we will suggest another taxi service, even giving the caller their number. "There's a terrific need in Middle Township for taxis," she said, "especially since the population has expanded so much." THE CORNETTS GET a lot of help in running their

two-cab service from their four children: Linda, 19; Jerry, 17; Tina, 11. and Tomy. 11. "They have less free time than other children because they're always answering the phones." said their mother, "but they take pride in doing something for the taxi service. "When it first started out." she said, "they were more or less excited about the whole thing, but now it's changed into something else — it's more like a sense of self-worth. It's rounded them out and taught them responsibility. "My 17-year-old son thinks nothing of cooking for the rest of the group, and they all pitch in to wash and clean the cabs," a 1980 Buick Skylark and a 75 Ford Station Wagon. "It helps to keep the family close," she said, "even though we're not always there. 1 don't have to worry about them either; I know where they are and they know they can always get hold of me through my beeper. It's an interesting life." A1 Amrose, operator of Middle Taxi, 118 Front St., Court House, agreed that "hackin's interesting, but tough. It's rough all the way through; you don't have any time for yourself. Your time is completely devoted to the public." AMROSE RUNS HIS taxi service, a brown, 1982 Chevy, with only the help of his wife, who takes the calls. Although he says he makes a good living from it, he admits that he is on the road from "daybreak until far into the night" and that he "wouldn't encourage young people to start." Like L&L Taxi, Amrose doesn't rely on pick-up fares to keep his business going. "I get all my business through the phones," he said. "I don't pick up on the street. I could, but I won't. The onl> people I would pick up on the streets are my steady customers, the

people I know. Anyone else, if I don't know their street address, who knows where they're from? I go by a lot of people waving me down " CARL MATTHEWS, operator of Mr. M's Reliable Taxi Service, Burleigh, doesn't take pickups for the same reason. He's not in the phone book He's busy enough as it is with the regular customers he's built up and those generated by the few posters he has put up in hospitals and other public places. "I'd just have too much business if I did, and you have to almost kill yourself to make a living just as it is," said the owner of his one-man operation. "I'm on the road from 6 in the morning until midnight," he said, "and that's enough for me." Matthews has regular runs to the Woodbine State School at 6 a.m., 2 p.m., and 10 p.m., charging a reduced "workman's fare" for the nine people he takes to and from work. In between that time he takes calls, and tries to catch up on his sleep. "I lay on my couch and

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Weekend Tours Set At Plant BEES LEY'S POINT - Atlantic Electric is offering free public tours of the B.L. England Generating Station again this summer To run through Sunday, Aug. 24, tours of the plant here will be offered each Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tours are fun and informative for the whole family. Tour guides will show visitors how electricity is produced at the plant using coal and oil, how production is monitored in the control room, and the methods the utility uses to protect the environment. Visitors can even use their own energy pedaling the "Energy Cycle" to produce enough electricity to power a radio, fan, and small black and white television set. Children visiting the plant receive a free hard hat as a souvenir of the tour. The B.L. England Generating Station is located off U.S. Route 9. Call 645-4150 for more information.

sleep with the phone next to me," he said, "and I get most of my sleep in little naps." Matthews' service covers the entire Middle Township area, but he does rim into Woodbine on calls and even occasionally Atlantic City, usually charging a flat rate for the service. His regular rates are the same as mo6t of the others, $1 a mile. He tries to work together with them — "kind of like a guild," he said — though he mentionParkway Mobil To Open July 1 SEAVILLE - The Mobil Oil station at the Garden State Parkway service center, closed for the last three months because of repairs, will be back in business July 1. Raphael Ackley. owner of the station, said that the three-month delay was caused in part by labor disputes. "The station should have been open for business on Memorial Day." Ackley said, 'but contract disputes held up work for at least one month. The work itself, however, will be done on scheduled time." The work done to the station consists of the installation of new gasoline storage tanks, and includes a special containment tank, a safety feature not usually found in such installations. Raphael projects a slight drop in business because of the construction, citing people s expectations that the station will still be closed. — — j* S

ed that certain other companies' lower rates have slightly hurt his business. I'm going to continue, though," affirms Matthews, "because the service is definitely needed in this area." CORNETT ALSO AGREED that there is a great demand for taxis in the area. "There are a lot of people willing to pay to not have to drive in the summer, and people without cars who will pay to go to stores and get what they want when they want it," she said. Business also picks up on the weekends for Cornett when many people use the service to get to the bars instead of driving. "We've only had problems a few times with people being too drunk or belligerent," Cornett remarked. "In that case, we pull over and give them the option of getting out where they are. or telling them that they won't like the next place we take them." referring to the nearest police station. "We just give em the ultimatum," she says, "and it's worked every time." Red Cross Classes Set GREEN CREEK - The American Red Cross will hold two Basic Rescue and Water Safety Classes in July. The first one will begin July 7 and the second will start July 14. The classes will be held at the Acorn Campground here. For more information and registration call 886-5574.

Carl Matthews of Mr. M's Reliable Taxi Service w° "

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