The Delmar Loop is cab driver Christian Johnson's weekend hotspot. He generally hangs out there, cruising for fares in his red and white County Cab van.

The popular stretch is already packed with traffic, and the dozens of cabs that stop to pick up passengers in the street don't make navigating the two lane-road any easier.

"Drivers don't like stopping in the middle of the street," Johnson said. "But with passengers flagging us down, you don't have much of a choice."

A solution to the cab congestion has arrived.

St. Louis County Cab & Yellow Cab last week began operating a two-car cab stand across from Blueberry Hill between Fitz's and Brandt's restaurants.

It has been more than 25 years since a cab stand operated in the area. Johnson said he and other drivers think it's about time.

"We've always thought there should have been some kind of cab stand in the Delmar area," he said.

Joe Bryan, County Cab & Yellow Cab's national sales manager, said the company wanted a presence in the Loop, but because it generates its revenue by leasing taxis to drivers, the stand won't necessarily boost the bottom line. The area is already heavily covered by the company's cabbies, so the stand should primarily benefit drivers, businesses and their customers.

"We've kind of billed it as their cab stand," Bryan said, referring to the Loop Special Business District. "We're just operating it for them."

When taxis started getting two-way radios, cab stands — usually near pay phones — became less necessary. But with the growing popularity of the Loop, it makes sense to have a go-to spot for customers, Bryan said. Plus, he hopes it will cut down on cabs cruising the area and stopping in the street to pick up fares.

"As much traffic as you already have down there, that just adds another element," Bryan said.

Capt. Mike Ransom of the University City Police Department said anything that eases traffic congestion will help.

"If you've ever been to the Loop on the weekend, there's no shortage of traffic," Ransom said.

Joe Edwards, the chairman of the Loop's Special Business District, said there has never been a "concrete plan" for a cab stand until County Cab pitched its idea. There are plenty of cabs in the area, he said, but the time it takes to get one varies wildly. Sometimes it takes 40 minutes, sometimes only five.

"It's not like New York where there are thousands of cabs and you can just hail a cab in the street," he said.

The stand will be directly across from Edwards' restaurant, Blueberry Hill, on a small parking lot he owns. The fee: free.

The new stand should play off a planned trolley line for the area, and shoppers who use Metrolink will have a more convenient way to get home with their bags, he said.

"Everybody's pretty excited about it," Edwards said. "It's yet another amenity for the Loop."

Since the Moonrise Hotel opened on Delmar in April 2009, Edwards has had more time to devote to his side projects. Bryan said he started testing the idea of a cab stand about two years ago, but Edwards' Moonrise project put the stand on the back-burner. Then, the out-of-towners staying in the Moonrise and going to and from the airport started pushing for more consistent cab service, Edwards said.

The Moonrise Hotel's hospitality manager, Liz Hoffner, quickly saw that guests weren't getting the transportation they wanted.

"When we were ordering taxis for our guests, it was taking a lot longer than expected," Hoffner said.

She talked to other businesses about putting in a taxi stand nearby and quickly rounded up support.

Phil Ingram, general manager and co-owner of the Delmar Restaurant and Lounge, said he has been waiting for someone to put in a cab stand for years.

"I'm from Chicago, so it's been a bit of a culture shock to not be able to go outside and hail a cab," Ingram said.

His bar is open until 3 a.m., so customers who stay until last call aren't always in the best condition to drive. Ingram is hoping the cab stand keeps people from driving when they shouldn't by making it quick and easy to catch a ride home.

"When you're talking about people who've been drinking, they can be a little impatient," he said.