Taxi Driver Online

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

What is with these orange stripes?

The TW range has them as well.

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IDFIMH

Here's a write up on the new PCO Approved ( PCO Notice 13 / 08 ) Mercedes - Benz Vito Taxi.

With this spec try a price of approachung £40k is my guess, but I could be wrong.

Don't like the rear wheel steering. It will feel like a dumper truck & if you're too near the kerb & want to do a U-ey the back end will mount the pavement.

Here's the write up ...

Mercedes-Benz has launched a new ‘London Taxi’ in partnership with taxi retailer KPMUK, to offer the capital’s cabbies an alternative choice of vehicle.

For decades the traditional ‘black cab’ has been the only option, as nothing else met the city’s strict regulations. These stipulate, among other things, a turning circle of no more than 25ft.

But the new Vito Taxi has ticked that box thanks to the addition of a steering rear axle, making the already-nimble vehicle even more manoeuvrable.

The new model, which was unveiled at the London offices of the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders on June 26th, is based on the Vito Traveliner minibus and built at the high-tech Mercedes-Benz van plant in Vitoria, northern Spain. Standard vehicles are adapted for use as cabs in the Coventry factory of engineering specialist One80, then retailed by London’s foremost taxi dealer, KPM-UK, which has offices in Bethnal Green, east London.

Steve Bridge, Mercedes-Benz UK’s Van Sales & Marketing Director, says: “The Vito Taxi is a truly ground-breaking vehicle, offering London’s cab drivers a genuine alternative for the first time in many years to the ubiquitous LTI.

“It’s a fantastically versatile taxi, superbly comfortable and fuel-efficient, and boasting a comprehensive array of active and passive safety features. With the adaptation package designed in conjunction with KPM-UK and One80, the Vito Taxi is ideally suited to the role.”

Mercedes Vitos are already in service as taxis in cities across Europe but the adaptations carried out to the new model tailor it specifically for work on London’s streets, where the vehicle specification criteria is laid down by the Public Carriage Office.

The spacious cab has a fully-adjustable, leather-clad Comfort seat. Offering unprecedented width and leg room, this combines with a steering wheel that is adjustable for both height and reach to provide the perfect driving position for cabbies of all shapes and sizes. The cockpit and cab, which are separated by an attack-resistant panel, have separate heating and air-conditioning controls.

The Vito really scores on space, offering an expansive passenger compartment with seating for six people – three facing forwards and three on fold-down, rear-facing seats. Access could not be simpler, with wide sliding doors on both sides which can be opened electronically at the touch of a button. Both doors are also fitted with driver-operated electric steps, and a lightweight wheelchair ramp is carried in the boot.

And to meet the famous 25ft turning circle rule – insisted upon so that taxis can execute a U-turn in London’s congested streets – the rear-steer axle is mated to a Low Speed Manoeuvrability system. Together, these provide the Vito with all of the agility it needs to weave a path through the city traffic.

The Mercedes-Benz name is synonymous with safety and all seats have full three-point safety belts; the cockpit is also equipped with a driver’s airbag. Other standard safety features include the innovative Adaptive ESP® stability system, which not only helps to prevent skids and keep the vehicle stable, but also varies its settings depending on the load being carried.

Power comes from the well-proven Mercedes-Benz 2.2-litre common-rail diesel engine, renowned for its refinement, reliability and fuel efficiency, which meets all of the latest emissions standards. Vito vans powered by versions of the same engine recently came first and second in their category in the AA/ALD Mileage Marathon, the winner recording a stunning 55.04mpg over the 330-mile trip. Mated to a fully automatic five-speed gearbox with Tiptronic mode, it’s a stress-busting package for both cab drivers and their fares.

Adds Steve Bridge: “A huge amount of planning has gone into creating a taxi that meets all the needs of London’s cabbies and cab passengers – and we believe the Vito Taxi is the perfect vehicle for this job.”

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

And what does an LTI vehicle have to offer?

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Well JD... it is a proven fact that when a skip load of scrap iron falls on top of one the driver get's out alive.... remember the lady in Scotland.... but apart from that..??

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

GBC Just think what your missing now, being able to fill the tank on a Monday work a full week without refueling and with the money saved being able to take MRS GBC to the chippy for dinner

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

I think you will find thats the MPG over a distance with the vehicle speed being maintained at about 55. That MPG will be around 30 if you are lucky within London.

If it does come with a £40K price tag, then they will sell them, but LTI will remain the dominant choice.

No doubt the vans in the test were driven with economy in mind, so 55 mpg seems nothing special.

How will we tell the difference between the new Merc and a mini cab?
Well the answer is out. KPM is to paint big orange stripes all over the sides with the word TAXI in the Middle
just so passengers wont be confused.
All PHV vehicles should have the words PRIVATE HIRE, PRE BOOKINGS ONLY printed in six inch high letters all down both sides, not on silly little stickers in the back window. Has someone at TFL got shares in a firm that prints stikers?
They say they need these stickers in the back window so CCTV operators don't give tickets to these vehicles in bus lanes. I always said it was wrong to let these vehicles have blacked out windows as you could not read the PHV roundel. We cant have tinted windows for safety reasons, is it ok for mini cabs not to be safe then?
Why should we have to point out that we are taxis, after all, WE WERE HERE FIRST.

I couldn't agree more, but the vast majority of cab drivers and a large section of the PH trade think differently.

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IDFIMH

One of our drivers had a vito auto, he reckons the fuel econmy is rubbish.
I am truly shocked that the PCO has allowed this vehcile.
Are they listening to drivers at last?.

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stressed controller!!!

One of the company's up here has a second hand manual one, they have had it for 2 months and its getting 38 in the town and 52 on long runs and its done over 150,000

150 tho miles, just starting to get run in then, should now be running as sweet as a nut, providing no "black death" around injector seals, economy will be around 30 ish mpg, but thats good, but you cant have it both ways with Mercs, ie less repairs or breakdowns

Of course, the down side to this vehicle will be that anyone trying to challenge the turning circle requirement will now lose the argument because it has now been shown that other vehicles can conform.

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Grandad,