Gainesville Cab closing leaves only one non-Hispanic cab company

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville Cab Co., once the county&#39;s largest taxicab company, has closed, leaving only one cab company in Hall County that is not Hispanic-owned. <br> <br> Eight cab companies now operate in Hall County; only Blue Bell Cab is not Hispanic-owned. <br> <br> A Hispanic population boom in the &#39;90s fueled the growing market for Spanish-language cab companies in Hall County. The 2000 census counted 27,242 Hispanic residents, five times more than in 1990. <br> <br> Businessman Jose Alonso now owns the largest number of taxicabs in Hall County, with 27 vehicles working under the names Taxi Azteca and American Uni Taxi. There are a total of 109 licensed cabs in the county. <br> <br> Several of Gainesville Cab&#39;s drivers are taking jobs with the Spanish-language cab companies, including Rhonda Mershon, a 17-year veteran cab driver. <br> <br> ``If you see a cab with a Latino name, there&#39;s a good chance you&#39;re going to find that the driver speaks English quite well,&#39;&#39; Mershon said. ``In this business, it would be smart to have bilingual drivers, especially if you want to remain competitive.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The owner of Gainesville Cab, Bob Gann Sr., could not be reached Wednesday.