In business since May 15, Huachuca Shuttle & Taxi began serving Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca and the Tucson airport, and has since expanded to whatever areas it can accommodate, including Benson, Bisbee and Whetstone.

“The community really needs a good, reliable taxi and shuttle service,” Danielle said.

Danielle Smith places an emphasis on good customer service.

Their fleet consists of two new cars and one new van. Danielle said they perform regular maintenance on the vehicles and keep them clean. In fact, drivers are not allowed to smoke in the vehicles.

“Our No. 1 is safety, not money,” Danielle said.

A family-oriented business, Huachuca Shuttle & Taxi keeps car seats for children in all its vehicles.

The taxi service is open seven days a week. Drivers are able to drop off on post, and until Aug. 1, they can also pick up passengers there, too, since the current taxi contract was dissolved.

The business is family-run with the Danielle at the helm, and Danielle’s cousin Toni Pramoj, 16, and their oldest daughter Jasmine Pramoj-Acfalle, 14, help with dispatch. The company also employs three other on-call drivers.

“Every time we pick someone up, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, your vehicles are clean and new,’ and that’s supposed to be normal,” Danielle said.

Danielle said they try to be honest with their customers about how long a wait they will receive. She said that some people were surprised when they actually arrived within 15 minutes. If the company is unable to accommodate a customer right away, they will recommend other services that may be able to assist him or her.

“It helps with drunk drivers to have a source of transportation at night time from clubs and bars,” said one of the drivers. “We just make to make it a safe environment for everybody.”

The price for a taxi within Sierra Vista is around $5. Most rides average $7 to $10, depending on the time of day.

A shuttle to the airport averages $70 to $77 and $42 to $9 for a shuttle to Bisbee. They will also stop and wait for up to 15 minutes for $3.

Danielle said she took the price of gas into consideration to work out the rate system. They also are equipped to take Visa and Mastercard as payment.

“With gas prices the way they are now, we’ve prepared for that in advance, and we’re hoping that with good customer service, it won’t break us,” Danielle said.

The company also offers group and family discounts. Kids may ride for half price or free, depending on age. Danielle encourages people to call ahead because they honor reservations.

The Smiths have worked hard to get the business up and running, even going as far as to walk around Sierra Vista hand-delivering business cards to hotels and businesses that may require their services.

Danielle said that the Cochise College Small Business Development Center has been a great resource for them.

“We want to be good business owners, and we look forward to having this in the future and maybe have a bigger service,” Danielle said.

To get a ride

Huachuca Shuttle & Taxi can be reached at 439-0439. The company’s Web site, huachuca-shuttle.com, will be coming soon.

Herald/Review reporter Julie Ann Marra can be reached at 515-4680 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .