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There have long been discussions among cab
drivers over how we should describe ourselves. Are we London
licensed taxi drivers? Are we cabbies? Are we black cab
drivers (see Mailshot pages)? The probable answer is
that we are whatever we want to be! However, there is one Dial-a-Cab member who is entitled to the name of World licensed taxi driver! Tony Arnold (F03) is quite probably the only taxi driver in the world who has travelled so far across the continents purely as a working cabby. We know of the WCHCD who take their cabs across the Channel to Disney each year loaded up with happy kids, there was Gerry Dunn (S84) and Bill Tyzack (C6) who shared the driving on a Paris job in 1999 and there was DaC’s Mark Thurbin (M96) on his trip to Morocco last year. All amazing Call Sign stories, yet almost paling into insignificance when compared to Tony Arnold’s taxi driving exploits. We first wrote of Tony in 2002 when he was paid on behalf of a Chinese TV company to fly a TXII to Beijing in China and then drive it all the way back to London with two young Chinese passengers who had won the trip in a competition! The trip was to help publicise the Beijing Olympics – which were then still 6 years away. The 3-month TXII trip took him through China, Outer Mongolia and Russia – where at the border crossing of Manzhouli a local restaurant offered to catch a dog and cook it for him and co-driver (LTI’s) John Rula! Tony declined the kind offer and stuck to something resembling a pizza! They then drove to the Arctic Circle, through Finland, Sweden, Germany, Holland, France until Tony and the TXII arrived safely back in London after a trouble free trip! To most Licensed London taxi drivers, that would be enough driving abroad to last a lifetime – but not for Tony Arnold! Several years down the line, Call Sign again followed Tony’s exploits – this time taking a TXII to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria to help train the local cabbies in how to not only drive the LTI vehicle, but also in how to behave towards passengers. West African cabbies were famous for their take-it or |
Tony Arnold: DaC’s WORLD Licensed Taxi Driver! |
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 Tony in Tiananmen Square, China |
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 ...and in the 125 degrees heat of Abuja, Nigeria! |
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leave-it attitude. During his stay in Nigeria – and later on in Ghana – Tony instigated examinations for the local drivers, in addition to lessons in how to drive the TXII – something Tony refers to as one of his life’s most satisfying times. "I started with a group of Nigerians who drove smashed-up cars that they referred to as taxis and whose driving habits were appalling! When I left, they acted like professionals!" On the trip, he also met up with members of the Nigerian Government who had heard of his Chinese exploits and afforded him almost film star status… "except," said Tony, "when there was a dispute over whose job it was to fix the TXII’s aircon unit. I wouldn’t have minded had it not been 125°F outside! But it helped me shift a few pounds…!" So China and Africa were conquered, surely enough for most? Not for Tony! His taxi projects where he has been hired to display his training skills include some "local" work in Rome, Seville and Valencia – where he addressed a taxi driver conference - return trips to Helsinki and Stockholm and then Copenhagen. In November, he is scheduled to make a trip to |
Tokyo, followed in February 2008 by a 3-week stint in Melbourne, Australia. As we caught up with Tony, he was preparing for a second trip to Dubai where the government want him to teach 400 cabbies how to correctly drive their Mercedes C class, how to maintain their cabs in a safer way than they were currently doing (even though there is talk of changing to a different cab) and in customer communications. Tony was hired purely as a taxi teacher without the LTI cab. "I do have the latest TX4 at home," he told us, "and it is a brilliant taxi, but LTI are not involved in the project this time. However, make no mistake, when asked for my opinion on the best vehicle to use as a taxi I will always truthfully reply that although I am currently sponsored by Toyota, it has to be the latest LTI model. They could certainly afford them in the Emirates should they wish to – even in temperatures equalling those in Nigeria! I also tell them that when in London, always to use Dial-a-Cab when phoning for taxi. And yes, I still do my 40 jobs a month when not abroad!" Undoubtedly Tony classifies as a World Licensed Taxi Driver… |
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