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Roba Bati, owner of Mavs Taxi, is the latest entrant into
a suddenly very competitive cab market in Mankato. |
MANKATO — It was Roba Bati’s speediness, persistence and
competitiveness that brought the Ethiopian immigrant to Mankato in 1994, and
Bati is hopeful those same attributes will serve him well in the increasingly
crowded pack of local taxi cab companies.
Bati, who came to Mankato when he earned a track scholarship
to Minnesota State University, is the owner of Mavs Taxi — the second new cab
company established in the city this summer. Mavs Taxi and Blue Earth Taxi
joined Taxi Pros and the long-standing leader in the local market — Kato Cab.
A city taxi license is required for each vehicle, and
they’re limited by Mankato ordinance based on population. The 2010 census
showed enough growth in the city to generate four new licenses, with Blue Earth
Taxi and Mavs Taxi each getting two.
Three-year-old Taxi Pros has three. Kato Cab, the big dog
that’s been around for decades, has 17.
If more licenses become available because of additional
population growth or one of the other companies goes out of business, Bati said
he’d love to add licenses and vehicles.
“We’d jump in for sure,” he said.
As a runner, Bati wasn’t a sprinter. He ran longer distances
and regularly outlasted all his opponents.
“I was a very, very good athlete,” said Bati, who was
offered a scholarship by MSU after immigrating to the Twin Cities from Ethiopia
as a teenager. “I was a state champion. I was All-America several times.”
Bati doesn’t predict he will eventually run out of the pack
of local cab companies in the same way.
“Every year, things are changing,” he said. “You never know
where the future will take us.”
But he promises to offer low fares, tidy cabs, prompt
service and honest warnings about wait times if someone calls for a ride when
both his cabs are busy.
“We’re trying to give the lowest fare possible. That’s the
goal. ... And good service — be on time. Clean vans. Very good customer service
so that people will come back.”
Mavs Taxi offered an introductory rate of $6 for all rides
within Mankato-North Mankato when it began operations a month ago. Shorter
rides still go for that rate, but others involve a pick-up charge plus a
per-mile rate.
He’s preparing a special cut-rate price for workers who need
a cab daily to get to their job, a discount offered to reliable customers
looking for a ride at a predictable time.
“I’m very interested in giving service to the community,” he
said. “To me, money’s not very important.”
Bati has a few years of experience in the transportation
business and in making sure the bottom line is balanced. In 2007, he opened
Affordable Accessible Van, Inc., which specializes in providing rides for
wheelchair-bound people to medical appointments.
It was another case of entering a market with a dominant
leader already in place, in this case AMV. His business runs a handful of
vehicles, serving people throughout south-central Minnesota.
Bati is brainstorming a way to expand AAV’s services,
offering the wheelchair-accessible vans for a lower rate for elderly people who
want to go on a non-medical outing. Without an insurer to pay the cost, the
fares would have to be low, but Bati thinks the demand would be high if the
service was affordable.
“They can go out for activities or events, to see family, or
church,” he said. “... If it’s cheaper, they can do activities every day.”
Bati spent countless hours on the road when he was starting
AAV, which began with a single mobility van. Now he has several drivers and
more office work to do.
He still likes to get behind the wheel, though, especially
when carrying elderly riders.
“Actually, I love driving,” he said. “I love giving service
to old people. I love hearing their stories. It’s very fascinating.”
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