By Larry Tucker
Mark Anderson knew he had a “calling,” and just a little more than a year ago, he began his spiritual quest to own a cab company: The Proper Cab in Mineola.
You haven’t been seeing things if you’ve noticed Anderson’s London taxicab, a real “proper” cab, tooling around Mineola and at the train depot in the past year.
The Inspiration
Anderson got inspiration while at the Mineola depot. “One day at the train station, I heard the Lord say he wanted me to start a cab company. I knew there was really no transportation available, because I came here on a train and had to rent a car,” Anderson noted. “The Lord told me to open a proper cab company—not like Uber. He said he knew there was no service in Mineola, and he wanted me to do it.”
The saga, which has landed Anderson in Mineola, can also be seen as a spiritual journey. “I had no idea how to run a cab company. But now, I own a real London taxi. It’s made for the states—it’s all left-side driving. They originally made 300 of them, and they cost $58,000 new in 2004,” Anderson explained.
“There are communities of folks who like London taxicabs. It took me about six months to get my wife to come around to the idea, but I told her I really felt this what the Lord wanted us to do. When the price came down to $27,500, my wife jumped on it.” They traveled to Louisiana to purchase the cab, which at the time was owned by a couple in Lafayette.
Cab Operations
Anderson operates the cab company which charges by the mile. “The way the cab works is I charge $3 a mile or $5 a trip inside the loop. I still have to get the meter adjusted to America, because right now, it still computes in pounds instead of dollars. The company that makes the meter has sent me what I need to set it up. But I need to find someone who can calibrate it,” Anderson expressed.
Anderson enjoys his role as cab driver. “It’s just been great to get to meet a lot of people. I have taken people to Tyler and to Lindale. I have gone to Quitman, too, and have even done a wedding. The couple wanted the cab to go to the reception, and then I drove them around town with the car all gussied up,” Anderson said.
Anderson is from Libertyville, Illinois. On the way to owning a Mineola cab company with a London cab, Anderson made a few stops. He was introduced to his future wife, Catherine, at his job where they both worked. “I met my wife at Mercy Ships in Lindale. We were married and adopted two kids, Jonathan and Joseph. We moved to North Carolina for seven years, but we came back to live in Van. However, we ended up building a house in Mineola. It has been a surreal experience, and it feels like God had his anointing on it.”
Unique Experiences
The cab experience has had its moments. “We were at church, and I went to start the car, and the key broke off in the ignition. It took three or four weeks to get a replacement key from the United Kingdom,” Anderson added.
He has had some interesting fares. “A couple were going to take the train, but it was delayed, and they had to get to a flight at D/FW Airport. I didn’t know much about the cab then. My wife didn’t think it was ready to be roadworthy. At that time, the taxi had not even been on an interstate highway,” Anderson reported. “I needed to get paid, so I decided to just do it. We used the GPS, and I ended up going to the airport on back roads. On the way there, the brakes failed, but there was plenty of shoulder on the road. The cab has two braking systems, so I was able to make it work.”
Getting Things in Order
The cab, dubbed “Winston,” has been in the shop recently, being updated and addressing a few problems. “The car is athletic and so much better now than when I bought it. We had trouble with a fuse going out about every two weeks. Come to find out that someone had put the wrong size fuse as a replacement,” Anderson revealed.
Finding insurance for the cab was difficult, but getting a permit for the cab was simple. “The insurance is like $6,000 or something just for liability. For the permit in Mineola, you fill out the form, tell them your rates, and for $150, they will give you a permit,” Anderson said.
Anderson now has one simple goal as he lives his mission. “I’m ready to put in 40 hours a week and make this company work,” Anderson stated.
To contact Anderson for a cab ride or for more information, you can call him at 903-776-7371 or email him at mark@gval.net.