Taxi Driver Online

NEW TAXIS MAY JOIN BLACK CABS ON STREETS

A new type of taxi could be approved for use at a meeting this evening. Only London-style black cabs can currently be given Hackney carriage licences in the city. Taxi drivers have been urging city councillors to review the situation.

The policy specifying that only one make of taxi could be used was agreed because of fears that people could catch unlicensed cars posing as official cabs. However, taxi drivers said they were concerned about the safety of the black cabs, which do not carry airbags and have limited room for the driver. They are also difficult to get wheelchairs into, drivers said.

Tonight, city councillors will decide whether to allow Peugeot E7s to be licensed as official cabs in Leicester. Taxi drivers will be showing them an example of the vehicle outside the authority's New Walk Centre before the meeting. Kuljit Singh, of the RMT union, said: "The situation needs to be reviewed.

"When you spend hours working in your cab at a time, you need to be in something where you are confident about the safety, and which is comfortable. "Anything has got to be better than what we've got at the moment."

City council transport spokesman John Mugglestone said: "It's time the situation was reviewed - and that we do the best thing for the people who work in these taxis all day and their customers. "The Peugeot E7's are state-of-the-art, and we need to have the safest and most practical vehicles available."

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IDFIMH

If leicester can decide on vehicle policy in such a relatively short time why can't London?

Regards

JD

So far the best alternative I've seen to LTI is not the E7 but the new Mercedes T1 Taxi. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Regards

JD

It certainly looks the part.

The dimensions are the only thing that concern me, being wider, higher and longer than the likes of the E7 or TX.

But that apart well done Leicester, Ken Livingstone take note.

I'm a big fan of the Jubilee VW taxi.

http://www.jubileeauto.co.uk/taxi.asp

Third one down, huge amount of space for punters and luggage.

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IDFIMH

Not the trendy 'Doblo' then? Yeuk.

we have every alternative going down here.
but the best in my view are the VWs and Mercs.
i still cant work out why the E7 is so popular. but it is.

Personally, I would go for a TXII every time, but in this day and age, you have to allow drivers more choice.

With regards to alternatives, I would say that the new T1 is best. It is a beautiful looking vehicle, far better than the smaller Euro - type cabs.

It really is unbelievable though, the time it is taking London to decide whether or not to allow alternatives.

It really is time the PCO came up to date and looked at other LA's who can make effective decisions much quicker.

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Visit TAXIPIX at www.taxipix.fotopic.net

I take it you don't drive one up and down the A1(M) 4 days a week?

Superb? Erm,.... in a word, No.

I like the silent running of the TX2 lol you can hear its engine a mile away. I agree with everything you say eccept for the Tx2 being the best choice. I, like sirius, would miss the turning circle but the Mercedes looks in a different league than the TX2. That is just my humble opinion.

Regards

JD

It is the turning circle that keeps a lot of people buying the TX / Metrocab. It is probably the thing you'd miss most if you were to change to another type of cab.

There has been an interesting point made a number of times though, and that is that it may be safer on the roads without cabbies performing U- turns all over the place.

It is something to think about, and I think it's one of the major things the likes of Cab Direct have in their favour when trying to challenge the CoF.

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Visit TAXIPIX at www.taxipix.fotopic.net

Its up at the Carriage Office as I type, so depending which mood the co thats testing it is in, hopefully it'll be passed later on today.

The first one i've owned with air-con, and its wet and cold over the next few days.

What with your signature GBC, couldn't you wait?
I wonder what/how you would feel if they said yes to the alternative within the next few days?

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Make trafic wardens redundant. PARK LEGALLY.
Congestion charge! Before it was free.

It failed on 3 points. Damn.

Up tomorrow for stops to be rectified.

I AM intrested in the E7, but like everybody else I would prefer to wait and see how they perform over the next year once licensed.
Will the back up be there in the form of a CabDirect workshop and premises etc?

A bit like when the Metro's came about, people shyed away until they proved themeselves.

Then for some strange reason they introduced to series two???

So the TX1 should see a couple of plate's before needing this ridiculous Euro Ken upgrade, then I will re-assess whats on the market.