• 2010 Christmas Parade - December 2010 (Courtesy Sky4 TV)
• Catch a Pink Cab for Breast Cancer Cure, October 2010
• Cab Company co-sponsors a Homeless Event at the Hilton, June 2010
• Taxi Cabs go Pink for Breast Cancer, May 2010
• Going Green, February 2010
• Helping the Homeless, December, 2009

Color it pink for breast cancer. This October, the color that has become synonymous with support for breast cancer research and awareness will take over one vehicle in ... Black and White Cabs of Virginia Beach. Black and White Cabs of Virginia Beach is dispatched by Hampton Roads Transportation, Inc, a 25-year-old family business that provides administration, maintenance and dispatch for nearly 300 taxis operating in the region.

Every time a passenger rides in one of the pink cabs, in the month of October, the taxi companies will automatically donate $1 to the Tidewater Chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, according to Frank Azzalina, spokesperson for the taxi companies. There will be no additional charge to customers. The Susan G. Komen foundation is the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

The Taxicab, Limousine, and Paratransit Association (TLPA), an international association of for-hire vehicle owners representing 1,100 companies, spearheaded the idea of "going pink." More than 100 taxi companies across the United States are participating.

"We hope to raise money," says Azzalina, but the purpose is also to raise awareness and inspire others to do something on their own —— whether it's a fundraiser, helping a friend with breast cancer, or even just making sure that they get themselves checked for the disease. Though people may request a pink cab ride, there's no guarantee as the rule is always that the closest cab picks up.

The company chooses which cars get painted and assigns their drivers, likely those with the longest service, says Azzalina.

Copyright © 2010, Newport News, Va., Daily Press

Cab Company co-sponsors a Homeless Event at the Hilton.

See the full official poster here!

Taxi Cabs to go Pink for Breast Cancer

(Hampton Roads, VA) - Norfolk Checker Taxi, Black and White Cabs of Norfolk, Yellow Cab of Newport News, Yellow Cab of Hampton, and Black and White Cabs of Virginia Beach are all painting at least one of their taxis pink for the month of October to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer.

The taxi companies’ spokesperson, Frank Azzalina, says the companies have received permission from local authorities to paint the vehicles pink for the month of October. The companies will donate $1 for each fare generated by the vehicles to an organization fighting breast cancer. There is no additional cost to passengers. Drivers are not agents or employees of the companies and therefore cannot accept donations from the passengers for the companies.

Azzalina will announce the organization(s) that will receive the money raised at the end of the month.

“This is a way for us to use our presence on the road each day to raise some awareness, and help raise some money,” Azzalina says, “I’ll bet if you polled 10 people, you find every one of them knows someone who has fought breast cancer. So we all need to get into this fight.”

The idea of vehicles “going pink” is being spearheaded by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) an international association of for-hire vehicle fleet owners representing 1,100 companies.

None of the money raised goes to the TLPA, since the entire project is ultimately driven and managed at the grassroots level by each member company working within its hometown community.

February 15, 2010 -- Hampton Roads, VA

Several local cab companies: Black and White Cabs of Virginia Beach, Black and White Cabs of Norfolk, Norfolk Checker Taxi, Yellow Cab of Norfolk, Yellow Cab of Newport News and Yellow Cab of Hampton announce a partnership with NuRide, Inc., a national program that encourages drivers to carpool, bike, walk, take public transportation, or telecommute instead of commuting alone in their cars.

The cab companies are sponsoring the program by rewarding NuRiders with a $5 PrePaid Taxi Card for purchasing $50.00 worth of PrePaid Taxi Cards.

To participate in the program, commuters register online at www.nuride.com for free. They log points for every “green” trip taken. With a certain number of points, they can earn rewards—in the form of discounts from local restaurants, retailers and attractions.

The taxi cab companies sponsorship of NuRide is another step in a series of green initiatives taken by the companies in recent years.

To date NuRide, based in Connecticut, has about 3,000 Hampton Roads participants and 17 local sponsors like Farm Fresh and Taste Unlimited.

The cab companies that are participating are full service transportation companies with over 165 year's experience collectively. They offer safe, reliable service to consumers, corporations, government and military agencies as well as tourists.

Additionally they provide medical transportation, school routing, private event shuttle (i.e. company parties), and, of course, everyday taxi service. All of the companies offer state of the art technology to meet all customer needs. This includes computer dispatch and credit card capabilities. The companies use late model, world class taxicabs and minivans. All drivers are City - Licensed and all cabs are equipped with digital cameras and locking safes.

See the Virginia Pilot article, dated February 14, 2010 here.

December, 2009

By Lauren Roth
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 20, 2009

VIRGINIA BEACH

Three children with backpacks tumbled out of the Black & White taxicab and sprinted up to the third floor of the MacThrift Motor Inn on the Oceanfront. Every school day for the past two weeks, the school division has paid for taxis that take the students and their two older siblings to and from their schools in Green Run and Kempsville. The seven-member Parks family expects to be homeless through the holidays...

For the complete article, go to
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/taxis-give-homeless-students-lift-schools-across-hampton-roads

He's back from school, with help from Va Beach Black & White Cabs!

The Parks family is currently homeless and is staying in the MacThrift Motor Inn in Virginia Beach. The family is taking advantage of a Virginia Beach program that allows homeless students access to taxicabs for transportation to and from school, when their temporary housing falls outside of the regular bus routes. (Amanda Lucier | The Virginian-Pilot)