With four cabs on the road and 10 to 15 more coming in the near future, the new A.A. Transit is helping to meet the demand for taxis in State College.

A.A. Transit, also called Centre County Taxi for Less, started operating in January. It offers 24-hour service for State College and the Centre Region.

Though Handy Delivery, Inc. has operated in Centre County since 1984, A.A. Transit owner Benson Lichtig said he started the business because he felt there was room in the State College area for a second taxi company.

Some students agree.

Kelly Carlucci (senior-telecommunications) said that often, there are not enough cabs for those who want one. She said she sometimes calls for a taxi when she doesn't want to walk home alone and is frustrated when she has trouble getting one.

Carley Markel (junior-public relations) also said calling for a cab is not an easy process on the weekend.

"I never get through the first time," Markel said. "And then the wait is always long."

Both Carlucci and Markel said they have had to wait up to an hour on the phone to order a cab, and the wait is often longer than the time given by the dispatcher.

Although more cabs may be welcome in State College, many factors make it difficult for taxi companies to grow.

Lichtig said that while his new company is trying to expand as quickly as possible, hiring and training drivers has been tough.

Kendall Houk, a dispatcher for Handy Delivery, said it's not very cost effective to expand the company's 23-car fleet because of the high cost of insurance.

"If we're going to add cabs that we're only going to use on Friday and Saturday nights, it's hard to justify paying the high insurance premium for the year," Houk said.

A.A. Transit driver Jim Saxman said the "feast or famine" character of taxi demand also makes it hard for companies to add more cabs. Saxman said that on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, he is constantly busy, but at other times, especially during the day, business is dead.

Despite these difficulties, A.A. Transit and Handy Delivery are continuing to add more cabs and drivers because of high demand in the area.

However, Houk said there might never be enough cabs to meet college students' weekend needs.

"You could drive up to College or Beaver [avenues] with a bus and make a killing," Houk said.