Founded in 1960, Kato Cab became one of the most recognizable transportation names in Mankato. This page preserves the history of the former Kato Cab operation while connecting visitors with Taxi Minnesota's current Mankato-area transportation information.
Kato Cab did not create Mankato's taxi industry. Motorized passenger transportation had already been developing in the community for nearly half a century before Kato Cab was founded.
Historical accounts trace Mankato's first motorized cab service to Gene Coy, who began operating with a Ford automobile in 1912.
Arthur Kauffman established Kauffman Cab using a Model T. The operation became part of Mankato's developing taxi industry and later operated higher-end Packard automobiles.
Historical accounts describe Yellow cabs providing inter-city transportation between Mankato and Minneapolis, demonstrating the early importance of regional passenger transportation.
Joseph Wortel founded Kato Cab in December 1960 with a single taxi. During the following years, the company expanded into a substantial local fleet.
Historical research records that Kato Cab grew from its original single vehicle to approximately 20 cabs by the late 1960s.
The company's expansion occurred while Mankato itself was growing and local transportation demand was changing.
During the founding Wortel era, Kato Cab did not operate the standardized bright-yellow fleet that later became closely associated with the company.
The fleet consisted of a mixture of vehicle colors and styles depending on the automobiles acquired or purchased for service at the time.
Kato Cab's original operating era did not have one uniform fleet color. Vehicles varied in color and style.
The standardized yellow appearance associated with Kato Cab was introduced after Jeri Schmitt acquired the company in 1985.
In 1973, Kato Cab purchased Bradford Cab. Bradford had previously acquired the historic Kauffman taxi operation, connecting Kato Cab with an earlier chapter of Mankato's transportation history.
The acquisition illustrates how Mankato's taxi market evolved through consolidation while the city and its transportation needs continued to grow.
The familiar bright-yellow Kato Cab identity did not begin with the company's founding. It emerged following an ownership change in 1985.
Historical accounts state that Dottie Wortel sold Kato Cab to Jeri Schmitt in 1985.
Before 1985, Kato Cab's vehicles were a mixture of colors and styles. Schmitt standardized the fleet in bright yellow, creating the visual identity many Mankato residents later associated with Kato Cab.
Kato Cab moved away from the older zone-based fare system and introduced metered fares, modernizing the way local taxi trips were calculated.
Kato Cab purchased Red & White Taxi in 1992. The acquisition strengthened Kato Cab's position as a dominant traditional taxi operator in the Mankato market.
Kato Cab's historical role extended beyond ordinary passenger trips and late-night transportation.
Government and institutional records document Kato Cab participating in transportation involving medical and human-service passengers, including trips extending beyond Mankato.
Kato Cab served passengers needing transportation for everyday activities, appointments and community services.
Historical accounts also describe practical community functions beyond passenger transportation, including deliveries involving groceries, prescriptions and documents.
Kato Cab appeared in Minnesota aviation and regional transportation resources as a ground transportation option associated with Mankato Regional Airport.
The airport connection illustrates the broader role local taxi companies played before digital transportation platforms became widespread.
Current Mankato-area transportation information is now available through Taxi Minnesota's dedicated Mankato landing page.
Gene Coy operates an early motorized cab service.
Arthur Kauffman establishes another early Mankato taxi operation.
Joseph Wortel establishes Kato Cab with a single taxi. The original fleet did not have a standardized yellow color scheme.
Kato Cab grows substantially during its first decade.
Kato Cab acquires Bradford Cab.
The previously mixed-color fleet becomes standardized in bright yellow and metered fares replace the older zone system.
Kato Cab purchases Red & White Taxi.
Kato Cab continues serving local, institutional, medical and regional transportation needs.
Smartphone-based transportation platforms introduce new methods of requesting and paying for local transportation.
The historical Kato Cab operation ceased operating in 2020.
Taxi Minnesota acquired the Kato Cab digital presence online. The acquisition was limited exclusively to the digital presence. Nothing else was acquired.
The transportation environment Kato Cab entered in 1960 was fundamentally different from the market that existed during its later years.
| Transportation Element | Traditional Taxi Model | Digital Transportation Model |
|---|---|---|
| Requesting a Ride | Telephone dispatch | Website or smartphone application |
| Finding Service | Local advertising, directories and reputation | Search engines, websites and applications |
| Trip Information | Dispatcher and driver communication | Digitally presented trip information |
| Payment | Historically cash with later electronic options | Electronic and platform-centered payment |
The emergence of Uber, Lyft and other digitally arranged transportation options changed the competitive environment for traditional taxi companies throughout the United States, including Southern Minnesota.
Smartphone transportation changed customer expectations. Passengers increasingly became accustomed to requesting transportation digitally, receiving trip information through an application and paying electronically.
Kato Cab's approximately sixty-year operating history reached its end in 2020 during an extraordinary period of disruption across transportation and the wider economy.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered travel, employment, education, medical appointments and ordinary daily movement. Telehealth also expanded rapidly as healthcare providers reduced many forms of in-person interaction.
Kato Cab ceased operating in 2020, bringing an end to an operating history that began with Joseph Wortel's single cab in December 1960.
On October 2, 2026, at 7:45 PM, Taxi Minnesota acquired the Kato Cab digital presence online.
The acquisition was limited exclusively to the digital presence.
Nothing else was acquired.
The historical Kato Cab business, its former operations and the activities of its former owners remain part of Mankato transportation history.
References to Kato Cab exist across historical websites, government records, transportation resources, airport information, institutional materials, directories and archived online information.
Taxi Minnesota's acquisition of the Kato Cab digital presence preserves that online history while maintaining clear separation between the former Kato Cab business and Taxi Minnesota.
Visitors looking for present-day transportation in Mankato should use the current Taxi Minnesota Mankato landing page.
Current Mankato Transportation →On October 2, 2026, at 7:45 PM, Taxi Minnesota acquired the Kato Cab digital presence online. The acquisition was limited exclusively to the digital presence. Nothing else was acquired.
Taxi Minnesota did not acquire the former Kato Cab company or business entity, vehicles, equipment, real estate, physical property, taxi operations, transportation operations, contracts, customer accounts, employees, employment obligations, debts, liabilities, licenses, permits, insurance obligations, tax obligations, judgments or other historical business assets or responsibilities.
Acquisition or control of the Kato Cab digital presence should not be interpreted as a merger, corporate continuation, acquisition of the former operating business, assumption of historical liabilities, or corporate succession.
Historical references to Kato Cab describe the former company's history and are provided for historical, geographic and digital context.
Taxi Minnesota is a separate company. The October 2, 2026 acquisition concerns the Kato Cab digital presence only.
This historical overview draws from publicly available historical, government, institutional, transportation and archival information.
Kato Cab's history remains part of Mankato's transportation story. Current transportation information is now provided separately by Taxi Minnesota.
Taxi Minnesota's role begins on October 2, 2026, at 7:45 PM, when it acquired the Kato Cab digital presence online. Nothing else was acquired.
For current Mankato transportation, regional trips and travel between Mankato and MSP Airport, visit the current Taxi Minnesota Mankato landing page.
Mankato Transportation & MSP Airport →Visit Taxi Minnesota's current Mankato-area landing page for prearranged transportation, regional trips and Mankato-to-MSP Airport travel.
Visit the Mankato Landing Page →