The couch, television and posters of Led Zeppelin and John Belushi that adorn Big Daddy Taxi’s headquarters render the place more dorm room than business.
And the drivers there seemed laid-back last Saturday as they answered phone calls, banking on the perpetual needs of students for rides to a party. Or back from a party. Or to a strip club. Or maybe even from the Main Library after a late night of studying.
The night was young and the atmosphere relaxed, but manager Cleat Jones, who affectionately dubs the room, at 507 1/2 E. Grand River Ave., “Big Daddy Land,” knows a Saturday night in East Lansing is bound to get crazy.
“At the beginning of the night we eat dinner, throw some darts and talk about what’s going on,” he said. “It’s not like ‘Taxi’ - once it starts getting busy, we’re all over the place.”
James Maddix, a driver for Big Daddy, said East Lansing provides plenty of business and an abundance of nightly adventures.
“This is a college town, so there’s always something crazy happening,” he said. “It’s kind of fun to hear the conversations when you’re sober.”
And as Maddix drove a group of seven students from Case Hall to a party Saturday night, they discussed the story of a friend running down the street naked and whether Denny’s or Taco Bell would be a better choice for a late-night snack.
Maddix said students often call upon their favorite drivers for a ride - and he prefers it that way.
Taxi land
Jones said he hopes to add more vans to Big Daddy, which will celebrate its second anniversary in March, to compete with two other taxi services, K.M.I. Country Club Taxi Service and Spartan-Yellow Cab.
He said the two companies have become more of a competition since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“They were used primarily for the airport, but after Sept. 11 they’re coming out to East Lansing more,” he said. “It’s frustrating for us because we’re not able to move the kids that have come to count on us.”
Bill Izzo, general manager and supervisor of K.M.I., located at Lansing’s Capital City Airport, said the company has experienced some of the effects of Sept. 11.
“Business is down a little bit as far as the airport is concerned,” he said. “We’re down about 30 percent.”
Jones said MSU students have come to rely on Big Daddy drivers and often call drivers personally on their cell phones for a ride rather than arrange a ride through official headquarters.
And the friendships some riders make with their fellow party-goers and drivers can create some interesting shenanigans.
“We come in here some nights and it’s nothing but roaring laughter,” Jones said. “We always have such diversity - you get such a mix of people.”
To ride or not to ride
But not everyone prefers to take part in Big Daddy’s shuttling service.
“They’re rude and obnoxious,” political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore Travis Bronik said. “I’d rather walk four miles drunk than take Big Daddy.
“Sometimes you call and have to wait forever - like four hours.”
Others are pleased with their Big Daddy experiences.
No-preference freshman David Lipson said he uses Big Daddy for a ride at least once or twice a week.
“It’s a great deal and it takes you wherever you need to go,” he said. “It’s nothing but convenience.”
State News staff writer Tara May contributed to this report.
