Call Sign's SF Reporter Charles
Rathbone test out the TX1's swinging jump seat.
LTI's Jamie Borwick had to cut short his recent visit to California,
leaving his TX1 stranded about 80 miles north of San Francisco. To my huge
delight, he recruited me to retrieve the vehicle and deliver it to an
associate in SF. So here is a description of what it is like for an
American cab driver who has never even seen a TX1, to experience this
marvellous taxicab on a ride through some of the loveliest country you
could ever imagine.
As it turned out, the trip was delayed for a day by which
time LTI engineer John Simpson had arrived in San Francisco. He could have
driven the cab himself, but sensing my excitement he graciously asked if
he might come along as a rider.
To get the cab, we headed north across the Golden Gate Bridge
into the fog-shrouded hills of Marin and on to the Bohemian Grove, a
secluded getaway spot for many of the Bay Area's most influential
residents, where we found the TX1 nestled among a stand of enormous
redwood trees. Some of these redwoods were probably ancient when King John
signed the Magna Carta at England's Runnymede in 1215.
It took more than an hour to get away because so many people
wanted to talk and examine the cab. "Too bad it doesn't come with a
London cabby" was one popular comment! Also along for the ride was SF
Taxi Commissioner Mary McGuire who got up early after driving her own taxi
in the City the previous night. David Barlow, who drives my own cab two
nights a week, agreed to be the first driver, taking us down from the
hills and into the Sonoma Valley where I took the wheel.
Somehow I had gotten the impression that London cabs were
small. Not so! The TX1 is a substantial vehicle, rivaling a large SUV in
size. The road handling is excellent, delivering a smooth, solid ride even
on roads made rough by heavy logging trucks. This particular vehicle is
unique among TX1s, having a gasoline engine linked to an automatic
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THE TX1 IN SAN FRANCISCO
The TX1 nestles against a row of San
Franciscan redwoods.
SF Taxi Commissioner Mary Mcguire flashes
her badge out of a TX1 for the first time.
It is a good-looking car that catches peoples' eyes. It was fun to see heads turning from people in a Rolls Royce that we encountered on the freeway. It is also a very comfortable taxicab to work in having a high driver's seat. A nice feature is a bulb-like device that you pump with your hand to inflate the lower back support built into the seat. There is plenty of space for the driver's belongings and for stowing away passenger's luggage. The space for the meter is up high, above the rear-view mirror and clearly visible to passengers in the back seats while the hood (bonnet) of the car is downward sloping, making it barely visible from the driver's seat.
THE TX1 IN WINE COUNTRY
While rolling through miles of Sonoma vineyards sporting their lush summer
foliage, I experimented with the cab's built-in intercom. Wow! Talk about
making life easier. But the really unique feature of the TX1 to a San
Franciscan - if not to a DaC man - is the passenger compartment, which you step
into and walk backwards to the seats - instead of sliding in fanny-first as in
most sedans. The doors open to 90 degrees, with the top of the door almost six
feet above the ground. The floor is completely flat.
The cab is wheelchair accessible via a ramp. One of the folding
jump seats swings out allowing
mobility-impaired customers to be seated even before entering the cab.
Passengers in the main seats can stretch their legs full-length and still have
plenty of room in front of them. There are power switches on both sides for
customers to control lighting, heat and fan, windows, door locks and the
intercom. A light indicates when the intercom is turned on. We stopped at
an old-fashioned roadside place called Mom's and
A feature I especially liked was that the interior surfaces are all easy to get at, making it easy to clean. There is high-visibility colouring on handles and seat edges with lights located at the exterior door handles that glow when the cab is available for service. In addition to the 'for hire' light, there is a lighted device inside the cab which is visible to prospective customers from the side, indicating whether or not the cab is indeed for hire.
THE TX1 IN THE WORLD'S CROOKEDEST STREET!
One fellow looking for a cab along San Francisco's Lombard Street - known
as the world's crookedest street - tried to flag down my TX1. No doubt he
was a visiting Englishman cheered by the familiar sight. I hurried to get
the window down and call out in my best English accent: "I'm already
engaged, mate!" but I fumbled too long and missed the chance of some
fun.
I'd like to balance this account with some negatives, but
there really aren't any. It is an amazingly comfortable and practical
taxicab, full of useful and elegant features, but nothing of
whistles-and-bells (stuff that looks good but means nothing). It is a joy
to drive and a very nice way for passengers to ride. I'm afraid it has
spoiled me forever.
As we came back alongside San Francisco Bay with its wild
flowers beside the road and long-legged cranes in the shallow water, I
wondered how long will it be until these purpose-built taxicabs grace the
streets of my own fair city. The time is not yet, due to differing vehicle
standards between the UK and the US, but let's hope that the day will come
soon when we can be as lucky as you guys at Dial-a-Cab and drive a real
taxi...
Charles Rathbone
