Taxi Companies Looking Out For Cabbies

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Despite the cold, Sam Mesfin hasn't missed a day of work behind the wheel of his taxi.  "That's my baby," he says, pointing to a picture of his daughter.  With a three year old to support, he can't afford to.  "I have no option.  That's why I'm working."

It hasn't been easy, driving on icy roads.  "It was very scary, very scary," he said, recalling a particularly slippery ride down the George Bush Turnpike.

But, Mesfin's cab company, Cowboy Taxi, is trying to look out for him.  With so many visitors for the Super Bowl, the business has been slammed with more calls than they can take.  "Everyone coming in, coming out, getting stuck," explains dispatcher Christine Hernandez.

So, dispatchers are prioritizing calls.  Rides to and from the airport or hospital top their list.  Super Bowl events also get special consideration.

Otherwise, calls for service, more than two miles from an available cab are being turned down to keep drivers from wandering too far down unsafe roads.

So far this week, the company says it has turned away about 400 calls.  Mesfin, meanwhile, appreciates the effort to get him back home safe at the end of the day.

He says he and other cab drivers appreciate sticking to the highways and major thoroughfares, where the roads are safer for them to travel.