FORGET DESERT STORM. Blizzards are no big deal in Unalaska when you catch a ride with Sheila Taranto. A 55-year-old grandmother, she's the owner of what may be the nation's only hum-vee taxicab.

"I have an ultimate taxi service," the platinum blond said during a recent interview. "People just love this hummer. It's like being a star."

And no wonder. The battle-gray quasi tank-officially known as a High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle, or hum-vee for short-forges through Unalaska's extreme weather and the roughest terrain, Taranto said. A hummer can climb a 60-degree slope, cross water more than 2 feet deep and go at least 20 miles with flat tires.

"I can go places where no one else can go," said Taranto, who drives for Blue Checker.

The former Californian bought the 1995 hum-vee cheap, $37,000, because it was a repossession. It arrived in December, replacing Taranto's previous taxi, a long silver limo. She also drove another silver limo taxi in Barrow until she moved to Unalaska Island in 1995.

The ever-gregarious Taranto said the hum-vee is such a hit that she's looking for a second one to convert into a stretch hummer by this summer. Her sister, Susan Vallejo, plans to leave California to drive for her.

"We'll be two girls over 50 doing their thing in Alaska," Taranto said.

Copyright Morris Communications Jul 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved