For cab driver Tim Veale, driving a taxi is equal parts driving, bartending and psychiatry — whatever it takes to give his customers a lift.

Veale, owner of Cyclone Cab, 2006 E. Lincoln Way, often has stayed with passengers long after they have reached their destinations and talked about life’s joys and sorrows and everything in between. Many of his riders willingly spout off personal information, he said.

He has been ready with caring words for those whose loved ones were dying in a nursing home. He has comforted parents whose children were undergoing treatment in the hospital. Before giving advice in this situation he asked himself, “What would I do if this were my kid?”

Veale’s advice to a passenger who had suspicions that her spouse was cheating: “Make sure it’s true first. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Once you start getting into people’s problems, you better have an answer,” he said. “It’s like they get in the car, and you’re either their parent or one of the most trusted persons in their lives.”

Veale also has seen the unusual in his cab. One amorous couple used the backseat of his cab as a bedroom. On another occasion, an intoxicated female passenger wanted more than a ride home. She began stroking Veale’s neck and probing for his zipper before he made her stop.

“We’ve got some bizarre people in this town, but it’s not that bad,” he said. “It’s not as bad as ‘Taxi Cab Confessions,'” a cable show where hidden cameras document conversation — often risqu‚ — between cabbies and passengers.

“It’s almost like a slumber party on wheels sometimes,” Veale said of cab driving.

Despite passengers sometimes coming unglued, he loves his job and the people of Ames.

“I should have been doing this 10 or 15 years ago,” Veale said. “You meet all sorts of different people. People are so laid back here — it’s like they’re on a different mental plane.”

Veale, who owns a fleet of eight cars used for his business, purchased Cyclone Cab last June and ever since has been committed to increasing its steady customer base by providing more than just rides.

Veale’s drivers have done it all — from delivering piping hot food to an Ames resident to picking up groceries for people confined to their homes.

“We’ve picked up cartons of cigarettes for people who are shut in,” he said.

Two of Veale’s drivers have even shuttled an Ames man one way to Las Vegas — a trip that took 26 hours and racked up an $800 fare.

“We’re willing to go anywhere in the continental U.S.,” he said.

Riders are a cross section of the community, from elderly people without licenses or cars to students seeking rides.

Ames resident Angie Schultz said the cab company’s “door-to-door service is the biggest plus” besides operating 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

She calls a cab every weekday morning before going to work. The cab picks her up at 5 a.m. and takes her to the Ames Racquet and Fitness Center in the North Grand Mall, where she works as a fitness instructor.

“I don’t drive because my vision doesn’t allow me to get a license,” she said. “And it’s too dark to ride my bike in the morning.”

Schultz said she also takes the cab because CyRide doesn’t begin operating until 6:30 a.m.

Veale said CyRide and the cab business “go hand in hand.”

“I don’t think we could get along without CyRide,” he said. “I don’t think they really take any business from us.”

CyRide’s Moonlight Express route, the late-night route that runs on weekends, helps slacken the amount of calls from people needing rides home from bars.

“Without Moonlight Express, we’d be flooded,” he said. “It really takes some of the pressure off.”

Ames resident Ursula Von Godany uses the service nearly six times a week because she doesn’t have a license. Cab drivers have taken her to the grocery store and have even helped carry groceries to her doorstep. She also relies on cabs to get to and from the Des Moines Airport and to classes at Iowa State.

“They are usually dependable, although once in awhile their line is busy … but that happens rarely,” she said.

Veale estimated Cyclone Cab receives nearly 60 calls per day. On weekends, the service’s cellular phone rings incessantly.

On typical Fridays, at least two drivers give almost 150 rides. At least three drivers provide nearly 200 trips on most Saturdays. Much of the weekend business comes from people leaving the bars, Veale said.

“We get a lot of bar traffic on the weekends,” he said. “We’re getting to know people on a first-name basis.”

Veale attributes “tougher drunken driving laws” as the main reason people are opting for cab rides. “People are wising up and taking a cab,” he said.

A typical in-town fare costs between $5 and $6. Cyclone Cab charges a base rate of $4 per each call and $1 for each mile. Senior citizens pay $3 per call and $1 for each mile.

But Veale said he allows his drivers to charge what they see fit. If riders are unable to afford the fare, Veale said sometimes he charges a reduced rate or omits the fare altogether.

“If somebody’s standing in the rain and obviously can’t walk, I’m not going to turn them down,” he said. “We just kind of modify [the rate] as we see fit.”

Veale employs eight drivers, including his son Buddy. Drivers are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There are three eight-hour shifts per day. During each shift, one primary driver responds to calls and dispatches other drivers.

When business is slow, Veale tells drivers to take a break but keep the cell phone nearby.

“We’re married to the telephone,” he said.