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Mid-September saw Brunswick House go double-Dutch with the
arrival of two guests representing Holland’s ‘Dutch London Taxi Club’. Nine ‘London Taxi’ owners set the DLTC up several years ago in Arnhem, with the mutual interests of obtaining spare-parts and learning about the London Taxi. The club now boasts an impressive 70+ old London taxis between the membership. Representing the DLTC on their Dial-a-Cab visit was Secretary Hans Dooren (with wife Hetty) and Webmaster Remi Kemperman (with wife Gonda). Chairman Brian Rice showed the visitors around the building and Hans told Call Sign afterwards: "We were amazed at the sheer size of the operation and of the advanced technology used. We have close ties with both the London and American Vintage Taxi Associations and the London Chairman Keith White (A16) is on DaC so we had a clue, but this is very impressive." Remi Kemperman is a real Dutch cabby in Amsterdam. He told us: "My taxi is the only licensed TX1 in Holland. When I first came to London, I fell in love with this type of vehicle and it is without a doubt the best taxi ever made anywhere. |
"DOUBLE DUTCH" VISIT TO DIAL-A-CAB! 
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Remi added: "I belong to Taxi
Central Amsterdam (TCA) and although your technology is much more advanced,
there are basic similarities in how taxi companies operate. But few, if any,
are as impressive as your operation, though." The DLTC has become well known around the globe and during the past 12 months, their website www.dutchlondontaxiclub.nl has been visited by calls from 23 countries. Contacts with UK suppliers for spares are being developed and members have been successful in getting their cabs running well. Another reason for Hans and Remi’s London trip was to pick up a carload of spare parts to take back with them. Before leaving, Hans asked Call Sign "…to thank Brian Rice for his hospitality, |
for having us as DaC’s guests and for
showing us everything – even the computer room that is usually locked! We
take very good memories of DaC back home with us." As they left the building, Hans made a plea to DaC drivers: "Do you have any old London taxi manuals or papers associated with your previous cab that you no longer want, perhaps tucked away in your loft? The DLTC are saving them and have an archive collection painstakingly put together by Remi Kemperman. We are not commercial and all items received go straight into our archives. Please contact me at hansdoo@planet.nl if you can help us. No one would take better care of them than us!" |
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