For the owner of Aberdeen based taxi cab service, “Abby Cabby,” the road to expanding into Ocean Shores this spring is one she is glad to have taken. But Jo Koehn admits to being surprised to find a couple of bumps along the way.

In business almost two years in Aberdeen, Abby Cabby was already sending drivers to Ocean Shores occasionally, but coming 20+ miles from Aberdeen meant an expensive fare. So they got a lot of encouragement to expand to the North Coast area and operate some vehicles from Ocean Shores. They went through a lengthy process to get City Council approval and recruit, train and certify local drivers and started here in April.

“Everybody was very encouraging, saying, ‘You’re going to be so busy,’ but we’re still waiting for it to happen.” The city has been without cab service since former Red Cab driver Brian Sorensen died in 2015, and Koehn thinks “the public may have adjusted their lives to not having a cab service out here.”

She hopes the good weather, with returning summer residents and the multi-month influx of tourists means business will pick up. “What I’ve heard is that it just swells here in summer,” she added.

Five of the six drivers at the beach are Ocean Shores residents, part of what Koehn promised the mayor and City Council her company would do out here. “We’ve hired a lot of people who are trained and ready to go, just waiting for ridership,” she said. “We want to be a part of this community.”

Koehn said they also provide courier services throughout the area.

The local manager and day shift driver is long time Shores resident Dave Hinrichs. In part to accommodate families and tourist groups, Abby Cabby runs minivans and a crew cab pickup out of their new local office at 802 Ocean Shores Blvd. NW. They are available 24/7 and can be reached at 360-590-4645. Their website is www.abbycabby.com and they also have a Facebook page.

Scott D. Johnson | Grays Harbor News Group Abby Cabby General Manager Jim Monroe with part of the Abby Cabby fleet in front of the taxi service’s new North Coast office at 802 Ocean Shores Blvd. NW.

(Scott D. Johnson | Grays Harbor News Group) Abby Cabby General Manager Jim Monroe with part of the Abby Cabby fleet in front of the taxi service’s new North Coast office at 802 Ocean Shores Blvd. NW.