Nothing short of a revolution is going on at Yellow Cab of Columbus. Owner Morgan Kauffman is revamping the 90-year-old taxi company from top to bottom, hoping to keep it relevant and forward-thinking in a world where ride-sharing services have been threatening its very existence.
“When we decided to change the direction of where Columbus Yellow Cab was going, we didn’t start by adding electric vehicles, and we didn’t start by adding technology,” says Kauffman, 48, who has been at the helm for nearly five years. “We foundationally rebuilt who we are and what we stand for. And that’s been one of the most powerful things we’ve done.”
As the grandson of founder Frank Kauffman, Morgan Kauffman feels a deep responsibility to the company his grandfather started in 1928 with one taxi purchased from proceeds of his North Market fruit-and-vegetable stand. Soon, Frank Kauffman was buying up other taxicab companies, which eventually were consolidated under the name Yellow Cab.