TXII and Checker…
Recently, some of your London cabs have
been introduced into taxi service in a
few cities here in the USA, but whether
they become the ‘replacement’ for the
old Check Marathon remains to be seen.
Since Checker went out of business in
the early 1980s,
none of the American manufacturers has
come up with
anything quite so functional as the old
Checker for use as a taxicab over here.
| LTI EMPLOYEES RAISE £1000 FOR NSPCC |
LTI employees recently
participated in a golf tournament
and raised £1000 for the National
Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children (NSPCC),
having supported this charity on a
regular basis throughout the 3-year
life of the tournament. Response
from staff and suppliers was
extremely positive.
A total of 12 teams of four played in this year’s competition with
each paying an entry fee. The
event was also supported by
suppliers with sponsorship and
prizes. It was open to all staff and
took place at Staverton Park,
Daventry, which has a challenging
18-hole golf course and driving
range.
Margaret Hitchins of LTI Vehicles commented:
"We are delighted to once again raise another four figure sum for
the NSPCC to support their
invaluable work with children at
risk."
The photo shows Lydia Warrilow (centre) of the NSPCC receiving the
cheque from Margaret Hitchins and
Rita Patel of LTI Vehicles. |
|
Wendell White drives a
taxi in Denver, Colorado. He is also a
regular on-line reader and writes the
occasional column for Call Sign…
OUT AND ABOUT IN DENVER… |
|
Checker had some limitations though. I
felt the air conditioner left much to be
desired. We used to joke and call the
air conditioning "4 and 40" - meaning
all four windows open and drive at forty
miles an hour!
Joy
riding – the canine version!
In the early 80s, we had three Standard
Poodles and had entries in a local dog
show. I was driving them to our groomer
/ handler so they could be bathed,
clipped and prepared for showing that
weekend. As the dogs were accustomed to,
the bitch was in the front seat with me
and the two males were in the back seat
- all three next to the open windows.
We sat for a red light when a car stopped alongside us and I
overheard the woman remark to the
driver: "Look at those dogs in that
taxicab!"
I turned and said to her: "The dogs really enjoy riding and the
lady who owns them has me take them for
a two or three hour drive in my cab
several times a week."
|
Fortunately
the light turned green and I was able to
drive away before I broke out laughing
at the astonished and disgusted look on
the lady’s face at such an extravagance!
"Not in my cab, you
won’t!"
Previously, I mentioned the air
conditioning for the old Checker cabs as
not being too effective. Open
windows were always a better solution.
One warm afternoon, this young lady was going across town to one of
Denver’s suburbs - a rather long ride.
We were waiting at a stop light when I
turned and asked if she’d mind if I had
a cigarette.
"Go for it," she consented.
I thanked her and lit up. Long after I’d
discarded the butt of the cigarette, we
were waiting at another stop light.
"Driver," she asked, "is it ok if I smoke in your cab?"
Turning to look in her face, I replied:
"Not in my cab, you don’t!"
Her eye were wide open, her mouth dropped and I could just imagine
her cussing me out mentally and wanting
to mention that she had consented to my
smoking. Then when I broke out laughing,
she realised that I was joking. The
incident made her a regular customer who
called me frequently for taxi trips…
Wendell White
Denver, Colorado |
