By TRACEY DRURY
Business First

When paralegal Barbara Cositore shifted into more real estate work at Kavinoky & Cook LLP, she knew she'd be making more frequent trips downtown to the Erie County Clerk's office, to attend closings and file tax information.

Though she wasn't worried about the length of the drive from the firm's offices in the LCo at Exchange Building, she was nervous about finding parking and making it to appointments on time.

"I'm not a city girl. I don't know any of these (downtown) streets," says Cositore, a Long Island native who now lives in Newstead.

Then she found out about the Larkin Taxi, a platinum 2005 London Executive Sedan provided as an amenity to all tenants of the LCo Building, which provides door-to-door service between the Exchange Street building and the downtown core. At $3 per trip, riders don't need to worry about looking for parking spots, stocking up on quarters for meters or bundling up to walk between the car and their destination.

"In the cold weather, it's nice to be door-to-door - and it's nice to have five minutes to relax," Cositore says.

The Larkin Taxi is among a list of amenities available to the 1,800 tenants in the LCo Building, including free parking, an onsite daycare center, fitness center, full-service bank, 380-seat restaurant and convenience store. Daniel Couch, facilities manager at the City View Properties site, says the taxi is popular, making 18 to 24 trips on busy days.

Attorneys and staff at the building's three law firms make up 80 percent of riders, going between the courts, county offices and client sites. But other tenants use it for everything from meeting friends and clients for lunch downtown to doing their banking or shopping at lunchtime. Employees of Kaleida, another tenant, also use the service to get to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

All new tenants receive a "weLCome basket" that includes a pack of 10 taxi passes. They can use them for employees or guests - which comes in handy, especially for out-of-town visitors staying at downtown hotels.

Roseanne Johnson, an assistant district attorney with the Erie County District Attorney's Office, took her first ride on the taxi in late January to get from an appointment at Harris Beach LLP's LCo offices to a presentation at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library downtown branch.

"I had a tight time frame this morning, and the law firm offered me the taxi," she says. "I didn't want to worry about the time or the weather."

Couch is quick to point out that the service is not a livery-cab service. Drivers cannot accept tips or payments of any kind - just pre-purchased tickets. But that doesn't stop them from offering top-notch customer service and tour-guide advice. The taxi, which seats five riders, also features privacy glass, and drivers have control of their own heat settings, radio and even a DVD player.

Eric Washington has been a driver for the taxi for more than a year. He says the car itself attracts lots of attention, and some riders have even inquired about renting it off-hours (which isn't allowed).

"It's a head-turner," he says. "They enjoy it quite a bit, especially that they don't have to come downtown to park on their own."

The taxi also offers a chance for a bit of socialization among employees from different companies who may not otherwise have a chance to interact. On a recent trip, Cositore shared a ride downtown with Sue Sandor, an administrative assistant at CityView, who used the taxi to do her banking and run errands.

Though he's never ridden in the taxi himself, David Di Matteo, a CPA and partner at Brock Schechter & Polakoff LLP, says the firm has used the taxi to ferry clients to the office from downtown. And the service is mentioned along with other building amenities when the firm is interviewing new staff.

"Anybody that has used it really enjoys the experience," he says. "It's kind of unique from what other areas and buildings have available. There's a novelty to it."