Page 23
Call Sign September 2011
For several years this trade has battled against
Tour Buggies: Fun or a menace???
the menace of pedicabs and told anyone pre-
pared to listen that they are a danger not just
Are they
to themselves, but also to members of the
safe? Pic
public. The LTDA has spent many £thousands
courtesy
in court, but the three-wheeled menaces are
tourbug-
still here.
gies.com
Dial-a-Cab driver Barry Spear (Y16)
recently sent us some hastily taken photos of
a strange looking motorised vehicle that
er drivers on the
looked like something between a pedicab and
road? And that is
a Smart car. We now know that was a Tour
what they will
Buggy. You can see this strange vehicle at
have to do.
www.tourbuggies.com.
What then if the
Unlike pedicabs, these motorised vehicles
traffic is so bad
seem to be reasonably safe. However, Call
that it even
Sign's problem is that they are advertised as
holds
these
self-drive and will take you on a tour of
mini-minis up?
London's hotspots via a fitted satnav. A two-
Will they then
gears or pedals to worry about, but they do
hour "tour" costs £59, but you still have to
be forced to mount pavements like pedicabs in
have a top speed of 30mph faster than most
drive them yourself even if you have never
order to get back within their two hour limit?
traffic can go through town. Going round a
driven in London and only have an
If you see them, let Call Sign know your
track they sound like fun, but mixing with
International licence! It's true that they have no
view...
buses, lorries, taxis and London's many learn-
Book Review
Book Review
Book Review
Book Review
Book Review
London Taxis A Full History
by Bill Munro
There seems to have been a spate of taxi-oriented books lately, but none have been about the history of taxis. We've had books con-
cerning the war, photographs of passengers and even quotes by passengers. But this new book is one that is
really all about taxis.
Bill Munroe is no stranger to writing books on the cab trade and Call Sign would dare to say that along
with Malcolm Linskey, Nick Georgano and the late Phil Warren few authors writing about the London
taxi trade can be as authoritive about our trade's long history.
Bill Munroe's latest book does exactly what it says on the tin; London Taxis A Full History (Earlswood
Press £15.99) gives the history of the London taxi business! Not only that, unlike some published books on
taxis, this one looks as though it was professionally put together!
Some of the information is fascinating. For example, we know we have LTI's taxis and also the Vito and
Metrocab, but did you know that over the years there have been over 100 different types of cabs? But Bill
starts in 1897 with the Bersey amazingly an electric cab and 115 years before LTI's Rob Laidler said in
this very magazine that if he were to say how much electric taxis would be at their current developmental
stage, "...it would make your eyes water!" Yet there it was in 1897 attempting to take over from horse
cabs.
Using 150 excellent photos, the book goes right through the years making welcome stops along the
way at cabs such as the first petrol taxi (The Prunel) through to Fiat and Humber and Mann & Overton's reintro-
duction of the Unic, whilst along the way Bill visits historical facts such as the London General Cab Co's introduction in Brixton Road.
Of course, most drivers reading this will know little about our business other than how the meter works in which case Bill takes
you back to the Argo meter that most used in the 1950s - but most will know of words that keep re-appearing in our trade's long his-
tory. Words such as Beardmore, Asquith, York Way Motors, LMCPA and many others. They are all here.
There's also a piece that is connected to Dial-a-Cab in its own way. When this Society's founder Chairman Bonnie Martyn first
turned up, it was in an Oxford cab and Phil's book contains a piece on that cab as well. In fact it includes pretty much every cab ever
spoken of in London, right down to the Mercedes Vito. The books 240 pages also include details of the prototypes that never actually
made it onto the capital's roads.
But this book isn't just about the taxis, it contains practically everything you could ever want to know about the people that have been
involved over the 350 years we've been plying for hire in London. Messrs Mann, Overton, those involved in founding LTI, the first person
at the PCO to try and take fear out of the equation, Bryan Phillips, taxi garage W.H.Cook and even mentions of the radio circuits.
In fact London Taxis A Full History gives you a full history of London taxis! And Call Sign thoroughly recommends it.
Available at Amazon or £12 + p&p from Bill Munroe's website at www.billmunro.co.uk.
Knowledge appointments speeding up
Call Sign has heard from London Taxis & Private Hire (LTPH) that following recruitment of
new examiners and improvements made to their admin support following the recent reor-
ganisation, they are making good progress on the time taken while students wait for their
knowledge appointments. 21s are back at 21 days, 28s back at 28 days with just the 56s
still lagging behind by around 10 days at 66. LTPH say they are hoping to get those also
back on target very soon...
