Enumclaw resident Bob Taylor has invested in taxi cabs – which could turn into a very lucrative enterprise this time of year, when Christmas parties are in full swing and folks are looking for a little holiday cheer. “Make no mistake about it, we like it when people party, especially late at night, because that is how we pick up more than a few of our fares,” said Taylor, owner of 3 Aces Taxi in Buckley.

While being a cabbie doesn’t exactly have the reputation of being a safe occupation, Taylor said most of his clientele on the Plateau are hard-working, honest people who are either looking to avoid a drunk driving ticket; are having car problems and have to get from point A to point B somehow; or simply need a ride to the airport from Buckley or Enumclaw.

Taylor, said his new enterprise constitutes the only local cab company on the Plateau now that Ace Cabs has moved to Tacoma and Cuddy Cabs is based out of Auburn.

The 3 Aces’ Taxi fleet is made up of three Crown Victorias and one Ford Windstar van and the four cabbies are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The dispatch number is 253-200-5159 and the company can be e-mailed at bfo398@yahoo.com for a ride.

“Those Crown Vickies just keep going and they go a lot longer when you aren’t chasing criminals,” Taylor said. “They were formerly cop cars, but when you are using them for simply transporting folks around, you can really get a lot of years of service out of them, because they are very reliable. I talked to a cab driver buddy of mine the other day, who said he had 400,000 (miles) on one of his CV’s and it’s still going strong.”

Reach John Leggett at jleggett@courierherald.com or 360-802-8207.