Robert DeLucia Sr. ” Bob”, joined the Army and served in Vietnam. After serving his country as an Army MP he came back to Pennsylvania and needed to find a job to raise his family. He was waiting to take the civil service test to be a State Trooper when he started driving a taxicab. He soon was making more money to provide for his family as a cab driver and it was safer so that is the path he choose. Robert ‘Bob”, as he likes to be called has always been an innovated self-starter and taking his training in the services, he started his own businesses in transportation which today consist of Classy Cab, Cranberry Taxi, Star Limousine and VETaxi all based out of the Pittsburgh Area.
Bob set out to create a different taxi service that saluted his brothers in arms. He created VETaxi, where he only bought wheelchair accessible vehicles called an MV1. The MV1 made by AMGeneral in America and ran on CNG fuel could accommodate every rider. Bob knew the best fit was to provide service to all passengers but with those who had a military background or family member who was in the military. The VETaxi program has been hailed by the author of the ADA, Senator Tom Harkin. Bob also went one step further he stretched an MV1 to accommodate passengers who use wheelchair sin the first accessible limousine in the country. He is the kindest man and donated that limo a wounded veteran and his family in Pittsburgh so they could attend a benefit concert for him by Gary Sinse and the LT Dan Band at no cost to them.
Mr. DeLucia is not the type of man to ask for a thank you. He is the one thanking all veterans or making sure people who have disabilities are never left out. He has taken part with national disability organizations such as NCIL and AAPD in DC by brining his cars to their events to help people who were participants in their organizations to have an accessible vehicle in Washington DC.
He created Operation Proud to Serve you Again, where he trains veterans to have an opportunity in the VETaxi program and the VETCycle Program.
Program Creator, Robert DeLucia Sr., a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army as an MP. Robert has a long and successful track record in the transportation service industry. Starting his first business over 30 years ago in the Pittsburgh area and currently he owns five companies – including VETaxi.
VETaxi & VETCycle – which provide a range of services, from taxi and limousine, to up- scale White Glove limo services that feature Veteran drivers and owner operators.
Advocate Madonna Long
Robert dedicates much time and energy to veterans affairs and Operation Rising Star for the past 4 years. In 2010, he was nominated for “Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year” by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA). His accomplishments working with veterans have been highlighted in Vetrepreneur Magazine. “By having a business, I challenge myself on a daily basis and I like to help motivate other Veterans to do their best and have a successful career.”–