Call Sign October 2008 - Page 16 - RICHARDS TX4 FIRE MAKES NUMBER 8…

Following LTI informing the PCO of a number of engine fires in TX4s with a ‘56’ reg, a recall was made and all London TX4s within that registration range had to visit M&O in order to undergo a safety check. In addition to their mechanics, also waiting at M&O to check the cabs were LTI’s top people from Coventry in addition to safety officers.
   There had previously been 7 TX4 cabs with a 56 registration catching fire, but that was a small proportion of the numbers sold, so it was hoped that now the problem was being looked at, the threat of more fires could be eliminated.
   Richard Hennessey (K04) has been on Dial-a-Cab for over 30 years and had a two-year old TX4 that fell into the category of possible fires. He was driving westwards and empty through the Euston underpass in a cab that he said had never run anything but beautifully. He couldn’t imagine having a fire problem with his cab but all the same, was pleased that his M&O check was booked for the next morning.
   As he came out of the underpass, he thought he could smell something but wasn’t sure as London does have its occasional whiffs! Then his headlights picked out a swirl of smoke and it didn’t take long for Richard to suspect what might be happening. It would have made sense to some to just leave the cab where it was, jump out and make sure he was safe. But Richard couldn’t do that. He decided to go to Park Crescent, a few hundred metres further on, where he thought there’d be more space and less risk to passing vehicles.
   There was then the matter of the two sets of lights – Great Portland Street and Park Crescent – which were both on red.
   "I went straight through them," Richard told Call Sign! "Are you kidding! The smell was pretty strong by then and I didn’t even consider stopping!"
   Fortunately, there was a fairly large space on the nearside as he turned in to the Crescent. He pulled in and jumped out. Then he could see flames coming from the nearside, so powerful by then that the pavement still showed burn marks the next morning!

RICHARDS TX4 FIRE MAKES NUMBER 8…

The remains of Richard’s Cab. Pic courtesy www.thelondon-taxi.co.uk

   The fire brigade were on the scene very quickly and as Call Sign spoke to Richard to see if he was ok, we could hear the brigade officer telling him that if there were any more reported cab fires, then he would seek an order taking all 56 reg TX4s off the street. Within minutes, another cab was reported as having caught fire in Battersea, but this claim turned out to be groundless. According to the Evening Standard, that showed how jumpy the cab trade was. To Call Sign, though, it gave the impression of someone attempting to make a bad situation even worse. Why? We can but guess.
   Call Sign was at M&O the next day and watched the queue of cabs build up. There was no quick way of safety checking them. Some went through in 30 minutes, others over twice that. But coming out of the other end, believing that their livelihood had been reinstated with a safe cab, made the wait worthwhile. The drivers were fairly good-natured, much of that probably being down to Trevor Hattersley, LTI’s Customer and Technical Support Manager from their Coventry HQ. He attempted to answer driver’s questions as honestly as he could.
   On the following day (Friday) Call Sign heard from both the PCO and LTI, who confirmed that those cabs seen at M&O were now cleared to return to work. Late that same afternoon, we spoke to TfL to enquire how long the PCO had known about the fires? They said that Penton Street had been informed on July 31, at which time the number of cabs catching fire was just two. They also confirmed that drivers that had been through the check and with a stamped book could return to normal working.
   At 8pm on that Friday evening, the PCO informed the trade press that because LTI had been unable to identify the cause of the fires, they were suspending all 56 registered TX4 cabs.
   It is of little consolation to those drivers that queued patiently and then still found themselves without a cab or especially to Richard Hennessey. Passed or suspended, he began the week with a TX4 that he described as beautiful and ended it with nothing…

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