Cab Firm Without Insurance Suspended

The agency that oversees Orange County taxis suspended the operating license Tuesday of A Taxi Cab Co., one of Anaheim’s three permitted cab companies.

Because the company has not had insurance since April 26, it was ordered to stop operations immediately, according to a letter written by the Orange County Taxicab Authority Program’s administrator, Steve Elkins, and delivered Tuesday. The agency is a public group that regulates county taxis and is administered by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

A Taxi Cab, which county transportation officials say has 85 licensed cabs, must provide proof of insurance by noon Tuesday in order to resume operations. If it does not, its business permit will be revoked, Elkins wrote.

A Taxi Cab President Hossein Nabati was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but company lawyer Robert Palmer said the permit revocation was a mistake. The company has secured new insurance and was doing business as usual, he said.

“[The county] has harassed my client before and made mistakes, so this fits the pattern,” Palmer said.

While the taxicab authority does not enforce the suspension, officials were in the process of notifying cities Tuesday that A Taxi Cab’s license has been suspended. Many communities had not heard of the suspension late Tuesday, but most will be aware soon, said George Urch, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, which administers the taxicab authority program.

Anaheim officials said they were prepared to lose A Taxi Cab’s services even though only three taxi companies--about 200 cabs total--are permitted to pick up fares within the city.

“We don’t think it should be an issue,” said Roger Bennion, a code-enforcement supervisor for the city. “The only time it has been an issue has been during peak hours during conventions, but we don’t think it should be a problem now.”

A Taxi Cab was in line to be John Wayne Airport’s sole cab company last year but did not have adequate insurance and ultimately lost the contract to rival American Taxi.