Call Sign August 2008 - Page 8 - THE END OF THE TAXI TRADE???

If you’ve been around more than a few years, you will have heard many times along the way that the game’s finished! By the ‘game’, we usually mean the taxi business and so far, no matter what’s been thrown at us, we have not only survived but have continued to run the finest taxi service in the world. But for several years, in addition to our ongoing battles with the little people and three-wheeled cyclists, there has been one other major topic of conversation – the need for an alternative taxi to the one currently available from LTI. The Coventry manufacturer have always said that they had no problem with any other manufacturer as competition, provided they had to produce a vehicle that met the same stringent conditions that they faced - ie the Conditions of Fitness and especially its 25foot turning circle restriction. No one can deny that Mercedes, in the form of a converted Vito Traveliner, has done exactly that. Their new vehicle, which they claim is specially adapted for the taxi trade, has without doubt the most comfortable driving compartment that we have ever seen in this business. It is an undeniable fact that anyone over 6feet tall has a problem with comfort in a TX taxi and over the years, LTI seem to have done little to change that fact. Dial-a-Cab’s Michael Beevor (N76) is reviewing the new cab in this issue from the point of view of a driver, rather than quoting from the press release. As for me? Well the Mercedes Vito looks like a nice vehicle, however I doubt that even with the added class of its Mercedes name	A personal view from the editor… Is the new Vito Mercedes the catalyst that spells THE END OF THE TAXI TRADE???
	it will hold value as well as the TX variety has in the past. In fact, according to an ad in the latest Private Hire and Taxi Monthly, an 04 Vito 9-seater minibus can be yours for Ł9995 or a newer version (07) 9-seater would set you back just Ł13,995. That would suggest either a very poor return for a 6-seater costing Ł35K- or is it that we are paying far more than we should? Especially as it’s advertised weight prohibits it from going over Albert Bridge, although I have been told it can just squeeze through the 6ft 6inch width restriction. But why the Call Sign scare tactic of the headline? The end of the taxi trade? As I said in the last issue, my problem is that it may have a For Hire sign, but it looks like a minicab. That’s because it IS a minicab, converted from a minivan. As we also wrote last month, in 1998 a Bill was passed which prohibited any vehicle working as a minicab from looking like a London taxi. This now is the exact reverse situation. The Mercedes Vito was – and still is – used by many minicab companies and therefore looks not like a taxi, but a minicab. Would a For Hire sign on an old Austin 1100 where the turning circle had been converted in the same way as the Vito, then become a taxi? I don’t think so. Yet courtesy of the PCO, the Vito is now a taxi. My problem is that if we all - taxis and private hire - end up	driving the same vehicle, there will be no need for a differential and we’ll all be just cabs. Touting will become impossible to control because from the front and back we’d all look alike to passengers – especially tourists. In the end it would be the easier option to let everyone with a licence ply for hire. Some drivers say that the Metrocab never looked like a taxi when first arriving. True! But neither did it look like any car you had ever seen – other than at a funeral perhaps! If the Vito looked unlike any other car, then it would be a totally different matter…but it does and most of those vehicles it resembles are in the PH business. Following rumours that we’d heard from drivers, Call Sign phoned KPM (admittedly without saying who we were) to enquire about taking our TX2 in part exchange for a Vito. They offered to "look at it" and would let us know if they found someone interested. But the bottom line was that they wouldn’t take it – and that from an LTI main dealer. Is that not ominous enough? We also called M&O about a new TX4. They said they were accepting TX2s in part exchange. But if the Vito takes off, would there still be an LTI anyway? If the new cab is successful, I believe we will all soon become minicabs. So when I say the end of the trade is near, I’m not just looking for a cheap headline… Alan Fisher

ELECTRIC TAXI AT MOTOR SHOW

The UK’s first electric taxi is currently on show at the British motor show, which ends on 3 August. The electric cab has been launched by Glasgow based Allied Vehicles, whose E7 has not been passed for London use. However, to those parts of the UK where it is currently in service, their new zero emission electric taxi will be available from October 2008, following three years research and development by Allied. They are currently looking for local authority partners to install recharging networks for those drivers buying the cab.
   The E7 is powered by Lithium-ion batteries, which have been developed and supplied by Scottish company Axeon Holdings plc. These give the new vehicle a range of up to 100 miles from a single charge and a top speed of 60mph.
   Lithium-ion batteries are notoriously expensive, but so confident in their longevity are Allied that they are offering a six-year warranty on them with a two year unlimited mileage Peugeot warranty on the vehicle itself.
   Allied Chairman, Gerry Facenna spoke about the high cost of diesel, suggesting that problem would probably get worse and that an electric vehicle is the solution.
   The E7 will cost Ł39,450 to put onto the road. LTI’s TX4E electric taxi is expected to go into production next year. They will be working with Tanfield…

Call Sign Home Page

Page 9