Allan Appel Photo
One of Ecuamex’s four vehicles, with the boss behind the wheel.
Over nine years as a Metro Taxi driver, Segundo Aguayza was held up three times — twice at gunpoint, once when a knife-wielding thief cut him at the neck
The Ecuador-born driver not only survived what would have driven many into a new line work. He soon after opened his own taxi company, which specializes in serving the Spanish-speaking community.
His goal: make sure that the riding experience is among the most secure and friendly for both his drivers and customers.
Aguayza and his wife Osbelia own Ecuamex Taxi. (She hails from Mexico; hence the name.) They spoke about their life and business journey on WNHH radio’s “Open For Business.”
Segundo and Osbelia
Aguayza came to New Haven from New York to make his fortune. After spending his initial years working in restaurants in Hamden, he grew bored with the routine preparation of the same foods. He was eager for a new, more varied work experience.
He joined up with Metro Tax, picking up the do’s and don’ts of the taxi business.
“I like driving. When I worked at the restaurant, I worked my days off with Metro Taxi,” he said.
He also saw that the New Haven’s Latino population was growing, and that Spanish-language riders were not being well served.
There were only a couple of Spanish speakers among Metro’s large cohort of drivers, Aguayza said. So, since he enjoyed driving, he decided to take a leap into filling that business niche.
That was 15 years ago.
At the start it wasn’t easy. Purchasing a license or medallion for a vehicle is pricey. Aguayza had to make his case before the state’s Department of Transportation that a Spanish-speaking taxi company was needed.
“It’s about the money; it’s about so many things to get a license. It took me more than a year. There are people who oppose you. You have to prove a need. At the time there was ten percent Spanish population. That was my concern. Nobody in the area Spanish speaking could call a taxi.”
He faced opposition, he said, specifically from Metro Taxi and other competitors. But New Haven’s then-mayor, John DeStefano, and his economic development staff went to bat for Aguayza at the state hearing.
Aguayza also brought regular customers who testified about the difficulties of communicating with non-Spanish speaking drivers.
“At that time the cell phone was coming out. I showed them [at the DOT hearing] the incoming calls to me [from Spanish-only speakers]. I showed them, if the service is good, how come I have so many incoming calls? They told me, ‘You are under oath, Mr. Aguayza. You telling the truth? You don’t have a lawyer.’ A long time ago it was a big fight. If I win, I win, if I lose, I lose. I was right.”
The rest is taxi history in New Haven. Ecuamex, which keeps its fleet at only four cars and two drivers, is known not only as the go-to taxi service among Latinos, but as one of the friendliest, one of the most honest and on-time services in the city.
Most of the customers — around 80 percent — are Latino, from neighborhoods like Fair Haven, Aguayza said. Many of those are repeat customers, with the base growing mainly from word of mouth.
That word of mouth usually includes adjectives like “friendly,” “helpful.” Aguayza said that comes through in the details of the instructions he gives to his drivers, who open doors for customers, wait for women dropped off late at night to get inside their homes safely, and generally be interesting and agreeable folks.
Aguayza said he had noticed that drivers at the other companies he was familiar with were sometimes surly and inattentive. He tutors his drivers in the attitudes and little extras that make a difference in the customer experience, so that Ecuamex’s friendliness and honesty are known now among the non-Latino taxi cognoscenti around town. With only four cars, Ecuamex tells you if they can’t get to you when promised
Despite his friendly sales personality, Aguayza said he has been unsuccessful in luring any of his relatives from Corona and Jackson Heights, in New York City, to join him in New Haven. He said they all think our burg a big too quiet.
So his drivers are non-relatives, and not all are even Latino. One driver, a Moroccan, learned serviceable Spanish quickly, Aguayza said.
Aguayza said he has no plans to expand his fleet. He’s the dad of two middle school children in East Haven, where he lives, and an active member of Fair Haven’s St. Rose of Lima church. He drives three days a week, as opposed to the seven he drove when he launched his business.
His advice to other fledgling immigrant entrepreneurs: Know the business in advance, keep trying, and, most important, be consistent.
To listen to WNHH’s “Open for Business” feature on Ecuamex, click on or download the audio above.
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