The Inner-city Transport Agency (ITA), also known by their nickname Troubleshooter Cabs, is a private transportation service operating in the United States of America.
Although most information comes from the non-canon Interface Magazine, the Troubleshooter Cabs are mentioned in the canon Edgerunners Inc.
History[]
This company was the dream project of a group of not-so wealthy individuals that had some insights into the problems of mass transportation. Its founder, Darrell Mayers, was a civil engineer who saw that it was getting progressively more and more difficult to drive to work, as cities in the late 1990s and early 2000s had become too overpopulated for all its residents to use cars. Despite many different solutions to this problem, they were never enough. As a way to counter these problems, Darrell and three friends of his — Karen Franklin, Aryn Carmichael, and Robert Smahl — worked together to start their own small mass transport-carpool service called Personal Mass Transit (PMT). It was an instant success, which allowed them to grow the business. Unfortunately, in 2008 there was a terrible food riot which cause the death of five company drivers. This made Darrell realize the business was a necessity for many people, but that he also had to add extra precautions. PMT then hired the services of two ex-mercenaries, Mike Conners and Tran Xiao. Conners begun to refit the company cabs with slightly nonstandard ordnance, while Xiao trained the staff to use the modified vehicles. Soon after, the company was rebranded to the Inner-city Transport Agency (ITA).
Over the following years, ITA specialised in the extraction of clients from very dangerous conditions by using the company's heavily-armed vehicles. What made them different to their competitors was their willingness to work for anyone, at any time, and go to anywhere, even inside Combat Zones. Due to this, ITA charged exorbitant fees, but for the clients it was worth every penny. The company only had a few offices around the US, but its popularity continued to grow due to the drivers highly professional ethics and their cavalier attitude towards the dangerous urban sprawls. The local police forces were aware of ITA's not-very legal vehicles, but knowing their presence meant less deaths, they didn't bother them as much. Some detectives even used the cabs to get into the most dangerous places. ITA took interest in the areas they frequented, and its drivers often knew those neighborhoods as if it was their own home. The drivers also made friends anywhere they went, and had helped people out of tight spots more than once.
By 2020, ITA operated in at least four major US cities, including San Francisco and Night City, and they were planning to expand their enterprise to the worst cities in Europe and the Soviet Union.[1] In Night City, despite the rivalry with local companies, ITA had a friendly relation with Red Cab.[2]
Equipment and Resources[]
ITA staff were professional troubleshooters; though, intelligent, capable people who had no problem to go into the worst parts of the city that even the police feared. They made arrangements with local gangs and many ex-criminals, hiring them to guard their clients until the cab arrived, minor intelligence gathering and non-fatal delay of ITA's rivals. Many of the company's drivers were ex-gang members recruited from those trusted bodyguards.
As an example of an ITA office, the ones in San Francisco were staffed light, with twenty to thirty drivers, three to five dispatchers, and five to eight administrative workers. Freelancers were also accepted if they passed an advanced security check and knew the city well enough.
ITA owned a variety of armored vehicles, from regular cabs to heavy-duty vehicles, or gyrocopters and AV-4, as well as heavily reinforced boats. Some of these had been obtained from government and city confiscated vehicle auctions. All transports were equipped with heavy armor and military weaponry.
Fees varied on distance and how dangerous the destination was, and it was usually calculated beforehand. Standard cabs fees started at 3.50eb per mile, while AV-4s were 10 to 15eb, and gryocpoters and boats at 7.50 to 10eb. Extraction from patrolled or controlled areas was a 20% more costly, while from firefights or gang places was 15% and 10% respectively plus delivery and ammo costs. Extraction from illegal areas was a 25% increase and any legal fees incurred.[1]
Known Staff[]
San Francisco Offices[]
- Darrell Mayers (CEO) - Corporate
- Tran Xiao - Fixer
- Mike Conners - Solo
- Paul Anderson - Techie
- Lisa Pemrose - Netrunner
- Michael Hedge - Corporate
- Gloria Strauss - Medtech
- Buzz Hendrix - Solo
Other[]
- Karen Franklin
- Aryn Carmichael
- Robert Smahl
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 HOWZE, T. et al, Interface Magazine Vol. 1, No. 3, Prometheus Press, Inc., Alameda, CA, 1991. (pp.19–22)
- ↑ BORELLI, A. Edgerunners Inc. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1995. (p.58)