After 35 years working as a taxi driver, Mario Sena started his own driving company. But he never dreamed of how far it would go.

Taking his understanding of the vehicle-for-hire business to work for him, Sena and his wife, Olga, operated a Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) service from a makeshift office in their apartment in Pelham Bay. In 2012, he only had three customers and one driver, Sena himself. Now, Agape Luxury, Corp. books an average of 5,000 trips per day.

Last year, Agape drove over one million patients to and from medical appointments, and in the last three years they have grown 688 percent. In 2014, Agape Luxury’s gross revenue was $3.5 million, and in 2017 it was $28 million. According to Ink magazine, they are the 726th fastest growing company out of 5,000 in the United States. New York City also ranked Agape #1 in logistics and transportation, and in the state they ranked #23.

“That’s one of the greatest things this company has accomplished. The growth that we have experienced is a true rags-to-riches story on their [Sena and his wife’s] behalf,” said Agape’s chief administrative officer, Eric Arroyo.

Because the company has quickly expanded in the last several years, it continues to outgrow its office space. After moving out of Sena’s apartment, Agape transferred to a rented basement at 560 Southern Blvd. to accommodate its six employees. Eventually, the company was able to rent the first floor of the building, and now they are once again settling into a larger space. They are in the process of settling into 361 E. Gun Hill Rd., beside the McDonald’s on Webster Avenue.

Agape’s band of dispatchers delivers their customers to doctors’ appointments, physical therapy, chemotherapy sessions, and other medical appointments. Lacking the ability to drive or access other forms of transportation can put a stop to necessary, preventative treatments, but Agape is assuring that those needs are met.

Once the customers provide Agape with approval from their doctors, they are able to call on the day of the appointment for a ride, or schedule their trips a week in advance. Agape’s call center answers the phone and matches customers with available drivers. The company also has wheelchair-accessible vehicles upon request, otherwise drivers use their own cars.

Agape contracts with 900 drivers, who are required to pass a NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission background check.  Approximately 20 to 30 drivers are dispatched at a time, and about 600 are available daily. Sena claims that Agape values all drivers equally. “There’s no privilege for any driver here. I have two brothers that drive over here for us, and they’re treated equally, like all the 900.”

The cost of each trip is determined by distance. For those with Medicaid or Medicare, medical transportation services are federally mandated and paid through insurance, which prevents struggling individuals from being forced to pay out of pocket.

“In this community we have, you know, your low to moderate income families,” Arroyo said. “The population that we’re serving is a very needy community with a lot of medical issues.”

Agape aims to have its customers trust them, and their drivers love them. “There are two things we are looking to accomplish here. Customer service, number one, and that the drivers get paid well and they have enough jobs,” Sena said.

Agape is still trying to win over critics who’ve berated the business, causing the company to earn an overall review average of 2.9 out of five stars with claims that some drivers were unprofessional to its clientele.

Sena explained that about a month ago they were having problems with dispatch, and that they simply grew too fast and needed some time to catch up. “We were not ready. We were not trained completely for that, and the company was not ready for our volume,” Sena said. Now, they are more prepared to handle the pressure.

In the future, Agape is looking to expand into other boroughs and across the East Coast. They also plan to offer rides for more than appointments, like to church or the grocery store.