There’s a new taxi service in town.

Larry Ojeleye, owner of Affordable Limousine Inc. in North Lawrence, recently expanded his operation into traditional taxis by adding a Ford Windstar minivan and a Crown Victoria sedan.

The two taxis – operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week – are part of his latest plan to expand beyond luxury limousines and airport shuttles.

He aims to keep up with Lawrence’s continued demand for more urban services as the city extends its boundaries and adds to its population.

“Lawrence is growing every day,” Ojeleye said. “The city has grown big enough to support a good taxi service in town.”

Affordable, which started its traditional taxi service Dec. 31, now competes in that market directly with Ground Transportation Inc., which runs three taxis and a handful of airport shuttles in Lawrence, also 24 hours a day.

Ground Transportation is the latest incarnation of Midwest Transportation, another North Lawrence-based company that was founded just ahead of Ojeleye’s limousine service and, since 2004, had been operating under out-of-town ownership.

But two months ago Midwest founder Russ Wheeler repurchased the Lawrence portion of the business and instituted a handful of equipment upgrades, personnel changes – even a name change – to give Ground Transportation a fresh start in a familiar market.

Wheeler and Ojeleye find themselves competing on yet another set of wheels, this time taxi to taxi.

“It’ll make things tough, but there’s enough room for two companies,” said Wheeler, who charges $9 per taxi ride, while Ojeleye charges $8. “He’s doing what you do: You cut prices and try to get people to come over. He’s not doing anything that anyone else wouldn’t do, starting out.

“But it’s not a real profitable business. : If I was getting rich, I’d have retired by now. It’s just one of those things: It provides a living and provides some people some employment. It’s not something you can smile all the way to the bank on.”

Dannie Thompson is pleased to see some competition on the taxi front. As owner of Liquid Bar & Nightclub, he’s already seen the benefits of having more taxis on the street come closing time.

Bartenders now have more options for helping people get home if they’ve had too much to drink, Thompson said, and there’s less chance of customers having to wait a long time for a cab.

“This is great,” he said.

Larry Ojeleye fields a phone call requesting a ride from his taxi business this week at 952 N. Third St. in North Lawrence. Ojeleye, owner of Affordable Limousine, recently expanded into the taxi business with the Crown Victoria sedan and Ford Windstar minivan, right.

Ojeleye is hoping to provide plenty of taxi rides, given their relatively low profit margin. His limousine rentals and shuttles to and from Kansas City International Airport – accommodating customers ranging from regular folks to executives at Topeka-based Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Topeka to country music star Hank Williams Jr. and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez – command higher fees and, comparatively, more consistent business.

But taxis provide a service, he said, that also carries a potential for growth.

“Nothing good comes easy,” Ojeleye said. “When I started my limo service, there was competition. And there’s still competition, but I’ve grown. It’s just a matter of knowing what you’re doing and doing what’s right. That’s still the name of the game.”