Mike Early
Newburyport’s London Taxicab Driver
by Kathleen Downey
Mike Early poses outside of his authentic London taxicab
State Street was a hub of activity this past Friday afternoon. The Port Labor Day Festival had not yet begun, but a steady stream of people ambled up the brick sidewalk on the warm, early fall-like day. A Budweiser truck idled double-parked as its driver made deliveries. A crew from National Grid worked intently in the street, their equipment somewhat deafening. Mike Early adeptly maneuvered his London Livery taxicab into the one remaining parking spot. Stepping from his British taxi, Early strolled several feet to Loretta’s sidewalk table and took a seat. “Did you call out to me as I was parking?” he wants to know. I had, in fact, called out “Hello” as he pulled to the curb. “Ahhh, I wasn’t sure who called my name” Early says. In the 45 minutes or so that we spend chatting, I lose track of the various people who pause in their State Street ascent to say “Hello” to Early. The affable and gregarious gentleman seems to know everyone in town. He enthusiastically returns each greeting. His neighborly connection with Newburyport citizens is something that Early hopes will be an asset in his bid for City Councilor at Large this fall. But before he further discusses this civic aspiration, Early shares what it’s like to be the Yank owner of a polished, black London taxi in the Clipper City.
“I’m loving it!” Early remarks about the past two years as proprietor of London Livery. After practicing criminal law for 25 years, the former attorney says that he is thrilled with his new vocation. The idea came to Early during one of his many visits to London. Having been a frequent passenger in London’s elite taxis, Early recalls, “I thought to myself, ‘Wow! How great would it be to establish a London taxi service in Newburyport?’” Reflecting on his decision to go forward with the venture, Early shares his entrepreneurial viewpoint. “If a person has 100 ideas in his or her lifetime, maybe 98 either aren’t so good, or someone else has already thought of them. It’s the two remaining ideas that are really good. But . . . a person can still screw them up.” He laughs deeply and with self-deprecation. Early adds, “I’m not clairvoyant. I think that part of my success has been dumb luck.”
Or, Early’s success could be attributed to his personable business ethic. The owner/driver of London Livery places a premium on the personalized service he provides each customer. Early will give his business card to out-of-town visitors, for example, letting them know that he’s happy to make himself available as their “chauffeur” for the duration of their Port visit. He also routinely transports locals to townie destinations such as Tendercrop Farms. Early know his regular customers by name and says that he makes every effort to treat them like extended members of his family. Customers enjoy a nontypical cab-ride experience as Early drives them from point A to point B for a modest in-town fare of $6.
Part of the personalized service that Early provides is being available to customers for 18 hour a day. “I operate on a European model,” Early says. He explains that although he might drive customers around town for only 8 or 10 hours a day, because he takes his cab home with him, he can quickly jump in and pick up a fare who telephones him at a late hour.
Early feels honored to have been featured (along with his locally famous cab) on a segment of Chronicle, the Boston-themed television newsmagazine. And he had the pleasure this past summer of driving two BBC journalists around Boston, saying of the Brits, “They thought being driven around in a London taxi on the streets of Boston would be a fun way to get Americans’ perspective on the Royal Wedding.”
Speaking, almost affectionately, about his London cab, Early points out that the cavernous passenger compartment easily accommodates a wheel chair, in its upright position, for those customers requiring this type of mobile assistance. And though the cab’s steering wheel has been relocated in accordance with U.S. automobiles, he asserts that his cab is the “real [British] deal.” Only Early’s unabashed affection for Newburyport might be more of a “real deal.” A PI (Plum Island) bumper sticker graces the rear window of his London taxicab.
Early has owned property on the island for the last 35 years. He and his wife (who is Newburyport’s clerk-magistrate) raised their children in Bradford, however. Eight years ago, the couple officially relocated to Newburyport. “I kind of kick myself that we didn’t move here sooner,” he says. “This is such a great place.” The couple still owns a home on Plum Island that they rent out.
With London Livery a Newburyport success—and one of his two great ideas (out of 100) that Early says is allotted to each individual, I wonder about his second great idea. Is it his run for City Councilor at Large? Early says simply, “I love it here so much. I want to give back.” He adds that he considers himself outspoken, candid, and someone who would be a tireless advocate for Newburyport’s citizens.
Politics is a passion for Early. He served as a Lawrence alderman in the 1970s and later served on the finance committee for the late Paul Tsongas. Early cites Tsongas as his role model for the integrity that Tsongas exemplified both as a politician and as a human being. “Tsongas was soft-spoken and brilliant. He was the antithesis of the power-hungry politician. He was a quiet, inspirational leader,” Early says.
As we conclude our interview (Early has effortlessly kept his voice above the street din), a pedicab driver pedals up State Street. I wonder if Early has ever hopped into the driver’s seat of a pedicab. He laughs, pats his stomach, and answers, “No, but I probably should.” Instead, he ensconces himself behind the wheel of his London taxicab and heads out to pick up his next fare.
Kathleen Downey is the Features Editor for Newburyport Today. If you are a townie or a citizen who would like to be profiled (or to suggest someone to profile), please email: Kathleen@Newburyport-Today.com.
