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The city of Cleveland has revoked the operating license of the Wolley Taxi Co., and accused the company of employing unlicensed drivers.

(The Plain Dealer, file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The city of Cleveland has revoked the operating licenses of the Wolley Taxi Co. after discovering that it does not carry the proper liability insurance and employs unlicensed drivers.

Investigators in the city's Division of Assessments and Licenses identified the insurance violations during a random audit of company records, according to a news release Wednesday.

A separate investigation revealed that some of the taxi drivers were not properly licensed and that the company had failed to have its employees submit to physical examinations, drug testing and criminal background checks required under city law.

The company, which is headquartered at W. 140th Street in Cleveland, states on its website that it has a "professional fleet of 55 trained and certified drivers" that serve all Cleveland area airports 24 hours a day.

When contacted by phone, a woman who identified herself as the manager at Wolley Taxi stated that her lawyer had advised her not to comment to the media. But she added that the she had been "blindsided" by the news and that the city had not alerted the company before revoking its licenses.

Wolley Taxi has filed an appeal with the Board of Zoning Appeals, according to the city.

Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses Dedrick Stephens said in a statement that random audits are critical to holding taxi companies accountable.

"Whether you are living, visiting or working in Cleveland," Stephens said, "it is important that the services the public utilizes are safe and reliable."

The Wolley Taxi Co. made headlines in 2013 when longtime driver Richard Lengen used his cab to rush two men to MetroHealth Medical Center after they had been shot in a downtown alley.

The victims ran to East 12th Street and Huron Road, where Lengen offered them a ride to the hospital and called 911.

"They told me they didn't have any money. I said, 'You want to get to the hospital? Get in here,' " Lengen recalled at the time. "It's a good-karma thing. I'm a firm believer that good things happen to good people."