Milwaukee cab drivers receive free car washes

MILWAUKEE -- On Wednesday, July 18th, Milwaukee cab drivers got the royal treatment through a free car wash.

The annual "Cabbie Car Wash" is sponsored by the Hilton Milwaukee. It's a tradition in Milwaukee over the last 15 years.

Outside the Hilton on 5th and Wisconsin, the drivers line up to get their ride lathered up.

“I couldn't have bought a better car wash,” cab driver Steven Young said.

Nearly 40 employees from Marcus Hotels & Resorts and VISIT Milwaukee teamed up to provide the free service as a show of appreciation.

“Kind of just a ‘thank you’ to cab guys for what they do for the city.  We always kind of forget about them.  We flag them down, forget about them and then away they go,” Mark McDonald with Marcus Hotels & Resorts said.

“It's great.  They've been doing that every year and it's really nice of them to be doing that,” cab driver Abdil Elewa, who was the first in line for the car wash said Wednesday.

Elewa and others admit the timing was just right.

“I don't want to comment on that,” Young said, when asked how his vehicle looked prior to the car wash.

With complimentary breakfast and a lunchbox to go, the savings were even better.

“I'd save about a good $20 to $25 a week on a car wash,” Young said.

By the end of the day Wednesday, 150 taxis came through the car wash.

The timing of the "Cabbie Car Wash" is strategic.  The cabs are cleaned just before one of the city's biggest conventions -- the Northwestern Mutual Annual Meeting, which draws in nearly 11,000 visitors downtown.