Have you seen a pink taxi in Houston? Meet the woman behind the wheel
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HOUSTON (KTRK) — Every once in a while, opportunities present themselves to help a neighbor in need. The next time that happens, will you rise to the occasion? Maybe Ms. Bobbie can be your inspiration.
Houston resident Bobbie Tallent drives the only pink taxi in the city. It was part of a breast cancer awareness campaign 13 years ago. The 76-year-old fought to keep her pink taxi because of how much it meant to her.
Bobbie’s mother is a breast cancer survivor. At that time, she was shuttling cancer patients. Now, she’s helping those dealing with homelessness get back on their feet.
Ms. Bobbie recently stepped up in a big way to help the Coalition for the Homeless as the group worked to clean out encampments near downtown and place people in permanent housing. Each person was given a voucher for a ride to their new homes. But, there was a problem.
“We had some yellow cab vouchers to transport them from the encampment to their permanent apartment,” said Ana Rausch with Coalition for the Homeless. “And, the yellow cab drivers were finding that their vouchers weren’t working.”
For 32 people who had nowhere to go, Ms. Bobbie’s pink taxi was a life saver.
“She transported our clients, and she wasn’t worried about payment,” Rausch said. “Her heart is so big.”
“Not all people are here because they have mental problems or they have abuse problems. I mean, they literally have lost their homes,” said Ms. Bobbie. “They were absolutely so excited. They were saying ‘I can’t believe I have a place like this to call home.'”
Ms. Bobbie even took it a step further and had the yellow cab headquarters fix the voucher problem immediately.
So, the next time you see the pink taxi, give Ms. Bobbie a big wave. She’s someone making a big difference in Houston.
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