Rogue Aspen taxi driver Phil Sullivan is scheduled to be released from the Pitkin County Jail at 8 a.m. Wednesday, following nine days behind bars for ignoring a court order.
On March 1, Pitkin County District Judge Gail Nichols sentenced the Woody Creek resident to 15 days in jail for blowing off an injunction that prohibited him from collecting tips from passengers. But because Sullivan has behaved well behind bars, he will be given credit for six days of time served.
The injunction was issued last July after the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) contended Sullivan did not have the proper license to ferry passengers around town. The PUC made its case by having undercover officers give tips to Sullivan, most recently in late August, more than a month after the injunction was issued.
Sullivan also admitted to accepting gratuities, contending that he lived and drove by his rules — not the PUC’s. He did not, however, charge a fare to his riders and his cab didn’t have a meter.
Sullivan, who co-founded the now-defunct Mellow Yellow cab company in the mid-1970s, has been defiant ever since the PUC put him on its radar nearly six years ago, and yesterday he said it will be business as usual after he’s released from jail.
On Tuesday, the eve of his exit, The Aspen Times sat down with Sullivan, 75, to discuss his time in jail and what led to his stint there. To read the interview, go to .
