The city of Columbus has revoked a local cab company’s permit after being unable to find or contact the owners.

This morning the Board of Public Works and Safety revoked the permit for Columbus Cab Co. which also suspends the cab licenses of any employees it might have.

Police Chief Jon Rohde requested the revocation, which he calls a unique situation. He explains that officers tried to conduct a periodic inspection of the taxi business but police could not find a business at the listed location, and the company’s phone numbers were disconnected.

The cab company had originally been owned by Jamie Johns, but Rohde said Johns turned over the company to a different owner, which would normally require the new owner to apply for an entirely new permit. That new owner could not be found, Rohde said.

And Rohde said that the owners had to provide proof that their cabs were insured. The last information the city had, that insurance was set to expire at the end of last year, and they have received no new information indicating it had been renewed.

However, while having no ready way for customers to contact the company, Rohde also said that he could not definitively say that the company is not still operating in the city. For example, the cabs have signs on the side and someone could have changed the phone number.