Iowa City taxi company to close

Marco's Taxi Cab Co. in Iowa City will be closing after more than a decade in business.

Mark Paterno, a co-owner of the taxi service, confirmed the company would shutter its doors next week, but he could not provide a specific date.

'We did try for months and months and months to figure out a way to avoid it. We never wanted to close it. It's with a heavy heart that we do it,” Paterno told The Gazette.

Paterno said the emergence of ride-hailing service Uber in Iowa City was part of the reason for the closure.

'Loud and clear, I think the public decided they like those ride-share apps,” Paterno said.

He also said he and his business partner were not with the company every day, which could have resulted in additional issues.

'I'm sure there were improvements that needed to be made over the years that we just weren't privy to because we weren't there as much as other owners might be,” Paterno said.

Paterno also co-owns food cart business Marco's Grilled Cheese and will take over as the owner of restaurant Devotay on Jan. 1.

The taxi company closure will not affect the food cart business and is unrelated to Paterno's purchase of Devotay, he said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8366; matthew.patane@thegazette.com