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London taxicabs roll onto U.S. roads
Mon Sep 15, 7:01 AM ET
By Ellen Hale, USA TODAY
All hail the London taxi. Starting this month, the bulbous black cab beloved around the world will be infiltrating U.S. taxi ranks, or "queues" as they say here.
A handful already are on the road in America. Within weeks, taxi companies in Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Massachusetts and the New York and Washington areas will be driving them as well.
Even California governor-wannabe Arnold Schwarzenegger bought one to keep his bevy of Hummers company.
There are no plans yet to sell them in New York City the ultimate testing ground of taxis, taxi drivers and passengers.
"Brilliant," London cabby Lee Maynard says. "Every American who gets in my taxi talks about how great they are here and what rubbish they are at home. Last time I rode in one in America, the springs were poking out of the seat." Maynard was too polite to name the company but did say it was in California.
About 120 London taxis have been ordered from London Taxis of North America by cab and livery companies, real estate businesses and even a few individuals, said Larry Smith, president of the company. He envisions thousands eventually finding their way into use in the States.
Smith and his British parent company London Taxis International, the original maker of the black cab spent more than two years adapting the vehicles to U.S. safety and environmental standards.
One major difference: the driver's seat is on the left not the right as in Britain. One minor change: more padding on the seats for "our bigger U.S. butts," Smith says.
But they haven't changed the capacious passenger compartment, which seats five with its traditional back-facing fold-up jump seats, and the signature golden "crown" on the roof that lights up when the taxi is for hire. Lacking much of a boot (trunk), luggage goes next to the driver.
In some U.S. cities, the taxis will be painted classic yellow, in others they'll remain the original black. They may be "wrapped" in full car body advertising, as many cabs in London are. Two dozen are destined for Chicago, where they will look like rolling American Express cards. Last week, the San Francisco taxi commission voted to change a regulation requiring taxis there to be replaced every three years. Under the new rules, the more expensive, but much longer-lasting black cabs can stay on the streets for seven years, according to Smith, who lobbied for the change. London cabs are on order there.
Not since the boxy old Checker cab disappeared in the 1980s has a purpose-built taxi been used in the USA. In its stead, taxi companies have relied on retired police cruisers and fleets of regular passenger cars.
Replacing them with the black cabs, or adding a few to the fleet, requires a serious financial commitment. Two models are available the "Civilized Taxi," which sells for about $45,000, and the very upscale "London Executive Sedan," which costs $49,000 and features leather seats and wood-grain paneling.
Andrew Stoppelmann, head of Bronxville Taxi in Westchester, N.Y., will take delivery of two black cabs this week.
Stoppelmann says he spends $23,000 each for the Ford Crown Victorias he now uses, and they must be replaced every five years because of wear and tear. London taxis, praised for their hardiness and longevity, last 10 years or longer. And because the taxis use diesel, he expects to save on fuel costs.
The taxis also offer some attractive features for the driver, not the least of which is a 25-foot turning radius, designed so the cabby can perform a U-turn in London's narrow streets. That compares with an average 45-foot turning radius in most larger U.S. cars.
"The whole car is an interesting concept," says Stoppelmann, who will roll out his black cabs painted navy blue to match the rest of his fleet on Sept. 21. He already is fielding calls to use them in weddings. "It (the London taxi) has had such success for so long over there that it sure warrants a test here."
One accessory the London taxis don't come equipped with, however, is the London cabby as esteemed as the vehicles and known for unfailing etiquette and an unerring sense of direction.
New York City taxi drivers must be at least 19 years old, take a defensive driving course, pass an English proficiency exam and attend an 80-hour taxi "school" that covers rules, regulations, geography and passenger relations.
London cabbies take up to four years studying for a license, a year of which is spent memorizing the thousands of streets some shorter than the distance from home plate to first base within the 6-mile radius of Charing Cross in downtown London. They also have to know where hotels, theaters, restaurants and other businesses are located by name.
In their most important exam the dreaded "appearance" an official tests their knowledge of London by asking them how to get from one place to another. "We're not driving, we're sitting in a room remembering the name of every street on the way," Maynard says.
Handing a passenger a receipt, he then calls out the window, "Have a grand day. Take care of yourself."
The London taxi may not change the way U.S. taxi drivers behave. But it could, Smith says: "If you give a driver a professional piece of equipment like this, there is the possibility it could make New York cabbies polite."
