Like Father like son | The Cummings at your service

The last thing Alden Cummings Sr expected was that his son, 'Junior', would follow his footsteps and enter the taxi service.

"I had different plans for him. I thought he would do anything but what I am doing," Cummings told Outlook. He was quick to add that he is still very proud of his son, whom he praised for showing resilience in such a challenging arena.

"When he completed high school, to be honest, he was trying to find a job and getting frustrated by the minute. So when he approached me about driving one of my taxis, I was a bit reluctant," he said.

Cummings said he eventually relented when he saw that his son really had his heart set on doing it, and, at the end of the day, he wanted to be a supportive father.

"I knew he was a good driver, so that thought helped me in coming to the decision," he said.

After driving for his father for a while, Junior said he felt the time had come for him to branch out.

"I discovered that I really liked the thought of being my own boss, and I had built up a really good rapport with passengers. It was a matter of disciplining myself to treat it as a business," he said.

Junior said he would be lying if he didn't acknowledge feeling a bit timid as he was about to take that step, because it would mean taking a loan to purchase his vehicle.

"My father encouraged me and told me that I could do it. He said all I had to do was pretend I was paying my boss - boss being servicing my loan," Junior recalled with a chuckle.

It has now been almost a year since Junior made this move and his father could hardly contain his pride as he spoke with Outlook. "I honestly liked the way he used his own initiative and became self-employed. I have been watching him and I can see he has a good head on his shoulders," he said.

The father-son team has even started to work together as there are times they fill in for each other to accommodate charters. "Honestly, I enjoy working with my father as it feels good to know that I have someone who has my back out there. I look up to him and I think it makes our bond even stronger," said Junior.

As for his father, he said he is not disappointed in his son's career path. "Maybe I was just too good of a role model," he said with a grin.