J&L Dispatching, supporting the community for generations

At 4 a.m., while most of us are asleep, 86-year-old Bobbi Gramling is already manning the desk at J&L Dispatching in Port Jervis. She has no interest in retiring. “I love it. I was raised with it,” she commented. She still drives taxis and manages about 10 other drivers.

Started in 1940 as Bucky’s Taxi by her father Bucky Lord, Gramling began working in the family business in 1971. “We were working out of my house. We didn’t have a taxi stand. My dad lived there with us and then he said to me, ‘Why don’t you drive a cab’ so that’s when I started,” Gramling recalled. Up until that point she says she “never thought about driving but I’m glad I did.” To get her started in her new career, her husband, Robert Gramling, bought her a new station wagon. At one point she was the preferred driver of a local family who would only allow her to transport their children. She’s found over the years that “most people prefer women drivers.”

Born and raised in Port Jervis, Gramling remembers when there were less than 10,000 residents. Everyone knew Bucky Lord and that she was his daughter. He was well loved and did a lot for the community. She learned from her father to be nice to everyone; she occasionally provides free rides to her customers. Gramling enjoys helping the people and the people continue to enjoy the service her business provides.

Businesses have also been satisfied customers. Kolmar Laboratories, Inc., once an employer of Gramling’s, utilized the taxi service to deliver packages to the airport. When the cast and crew for the ABC soap opera “All My Children” were filming in Port Eddy, they depended on the taxi service for transportation, including trips to the laundromat. To show their appreciation, a video tape of the episode was sent to Gramling.

Not all of the memories are good ones. One of the worst was recovering from a fire in December 2004. At the time J&L Dispatching was housed on the first floor of the Colonial Inn in Port Jervis, which was gutted by the fire. Gramling then moved the business to the Pike Street location.

Renamed for Gramling’s grandsons, Jamie and Lyle, J&L Dispatching has seen five or six competitors come and go over the years. One of those businesses was started by a woman who was down on her luck when Gramling took her in and gave her a dispatching job. J&L Dispatching is undaunted by Uber and Lyft. Gramling stated she has seen no change in business with the rise of rideshares and that her taxis remain busy, stating, “We take good care of the people. Everyone knows us.”

Located at 99 Pike Street in Port Jervis, J&L Dispatching operates seven days a week from 4 a.m. to midnight for local and long-distance service, having traveled as far as Long Island and Connecticut.