Jimmy Owens, an independent taxi driver, ekes out a precarious living with his own taxi, trying to buck the big cab companies. Jimmy is in love with Bonnie, but their romance is opposed by Bonnie's brother-in-law Sid, a pragmatic button salesman, who would prefer his sister-in- law to date Bill Gratton, Sid's best customer. One day, Jimmy tells one of his passengers about the tough time the independent hackers have, especially with Captain Melton, the head of the city taxi bureau, who favors the chain taxi companies over the owner-drivers. Unknown to Jimmy, his passenger is a newspaper reporter who prints Jimmy's story, thus earning Melton's enmity. On the return trip, Jimmy stops at a gas station to fill up and, discovering that the proprietor wants to sell the station for $300, decides to buy the property with Sandy Connors, his garage mechanic sidekick. The two men enter into a partnership, putting twenty-five dollars down and promising to deliver the balance of the money in six weeks. Although Jimmy drives night and day, he has earned only $100 as the deadline nears. Jimmy's troubles are compounded when Bonnie loses her job at a bowling alley and Gratton gets her a job modeling at a dress store. After Jimmy fails to raise the money by refinancing his cab, he is approached by Christy Reardon, a crooked ex-cabbie, who offers him a job driving the get-away car for a planned store robbery. Desperate, Jimmy is about to accept Reardon's offer when Sandy knocks him unconscious, thus preventing him from keeping his date with Reardon. After Reardon robs the store, the police commandeer Jimmy's taxi to pursue the robbers, and Jimmy is awarded $100 when the car is apprehended. Jimmy's good fortune quickly changes, however, when he sees Bonnie with Gratton and the two lovers argue. Distracted, Jimmy drives the wrong way on a one-way street and receives a twenty-five dollar fine and fifteen-day suspension from the vindictive Melton. Meanwhile, Bonnie quits her job and is about to return home to Cleveland when Gratton begins to make unwelcome advances toward her. Learning of Bonnie's decision, Jimmy pursues her bus and, after an exciting race, convinces her to marry him. All ends happily when the aged proprietor of the service station then decides that Jimmy has the "right stuff" and agrees to sell him the business for the money that he has.