Vandergrift / Pennsylvania / United States
In the late 1920s, David Thomas Byers Sr. owned and operated a busing company known as "Vandergrift Transporation Company." On September 16, 1929 during the "Great Depression, " Vandergrift Transportation Company changed hands when Davids son, James "Percy" Byers, along with wife Ethel founded "Byers Taxi Service." The company began with one Model-A Ford, with Percy as both driver and mechanic and Ethel working as the dispatcher. When the company began to grow, Percys brother, Thomas Byers, also worked as a driver. On November 17, 1929, Ethel and Percy had a son, James Percy Byers, Jr. Raised in the taxi business, Jim Byers became a mechanic at an early age and later on, helping his parents in all aspects of the business. When Jim married Clara, she joined the business as a dispatcher. In the 1960s the taxi business expaned to provide school student transporation. In 1964, Jim Byers, bought the business from his parents, and the company name was changed to "James P. Byers Jr. Taxi Service." In the early 70s their daughter, Julia was a driver and dispatcher. Their son Bobby, was a mechanic for the business until his death in 1976. Their daughter Susan and son Jimmy have also taken turns in the past helping where needed in the family business. In 1991, when her mother, Clara, became ill, daughter Julia became business manager to help her father run the business. In 1993 it was decided to divide the company into Byers Busing Company, which does the school student transporation, and to incorporate the taxi service, which is now known as "Byers Taxi Service, Inc In 1997, Julia bought the business from her parents, becoming the third generation to operate the taxi company. The Company has grown over the last 75 years, from one Model-A and two people to 25 vehicles and 20 employees. Over the years, Julia has watched her grandparents and parents through good years and band years, "demonstrated the ability" to survive and provide a very important service for the Vandergrift and surrounding area. Julia, along with her husband Terry, have two sons, Lee and Jeremy. With the fourth generation already growing up with the family taxi business, with the help of God and good employees, (some employees are 2nd and 3rd generation) it looks like the transporation tradition of Byers Taxi Service, Inc. will continue for many years.
