London-style taxi cabs in Australia

[johnydep]

London-style taxis look set to become a part of Melbourne’s streetscape, after a test vehicle began touring the city on Wednesday.
The London Taxi Company has already put a fleet of its purpose-built cabs on trial in Perth and hopes to start a 100-car trial in Victoria by the end of the year. In the meantime, the company is test-driving one of its new models on the streets of Melbourne.
The grey cab, with the distinctive London-style shape, seats six people and has a wall to separate the driver from four passengers in the back seat.
Evan Simeon, CEO of the company in Australia, said the new taxi had been adapted for Australian conditions, with a stronger airconditioner and better radiator to deal with the heat.
“Australia has a lot harsher roads and harsher conditions [than London],” he said.
The London Taxi Company is owned by the Geely Group from China, where some of its cars are manufactured, with others made in England using Chinese parts.

Mr Simeon said if interest was strong enough the company wanted to start making some of the cars in Victoria or South Australia, and he confirmed he had been in talks with local vehicle manufacturers.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/lo...#ixzz3AHNXm5LC

[Franco Cozzo]

I don't want those things devaluating property prices around Melbourne with their ugly looks.

Yellow Falcon all the way lol.

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I don't want those things devaluating property prices around Melbourne with their ugly looks.

Yellow Falcon all the way lol.

Unfortunately we're going to lose the Falcons. So, between this and a Prius what would you choose?!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by new2ford

Unfortunately we're going to lose the Falcons. So, between this and a Prius what would you choose?!

Seen a new 300C taxi getting about on the Tullamarine freeway.

Originally Posted by Wretched

As opposed to the sagging, creaking and tired looking taxis we have now?

Who cares what it looks like? Design is function first, they are there to transport people literally from A to B.
It would be nice to have uniform taxi fleet instead of the mess we have in Vic right now, third world comes to mind.

Toyota Hilux with 50 cal on the back, I'd pay to get driven around in one lol.

[Davehoos]

they should be able to be made to do the job.
Like other counties that cant service a falcon cheeply I cant see these drop ins being sucsessfull to begin with.

metrocab was used locally around the 1990's. the last cab I had seen was in a wrecker with fire damage. VN V6 with automatic and full commodore driveline, a tank stand chasis with fiberglass body sitting on top.

I was told it was too small for regional work.

yanks have gone with a people mover idea-I think they are going the better way.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I don't want those things devaluating property prices around Melbourne with their ugly looks.

Yellow Falcon all the way lol.

As opposed to the sagging, creaking and tired looking taxis we have now?

Who cares what it looks like? Design is function first, they are there to transport people literally from A to B.
It would be nice to have uniform taxi fleet instead of the mess we have in Vic right now, third world comes to mind.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Who cares what it looks like? Design is function first, they are there to transport people literally from A to B.

Exactly, Plus in London we used taxis to move house they are that big inside. easily swallow the bike too if I was too drunk to ride home and talking to the pom drivers/owners they last a long time on the job. Good driver security too

JP

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Who cares what it looks like?

That's generally how it works after 1am

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by johnydep

image

London-style taxis look set to become a part of Melbourne’s streetscape, after a test vehicle began touring the city on Wednesday.
The London Taxi Company has already put a fleet of its purpose-built cabs on trial in Perth and hopes to start a 100-car trial in Victoria by the end of the year. In the meantime, the company is test-driving one of its new models on the streets of Melbourne.
The grey cab, with the distinctive London-style shape, seats six people and has a wall to separate the driver from four passengers in the back seat.
Evan Simeon, CEO of the company in Australia, said the new taxi had been adapted for Australian conditions, with a stronger airconditioner and better radiator to deal with the heat.
“Australia has a lot harsher roads and harsher conditions [than London],” he said.
The London Taxi Company is owned by the Geely Group from China, where some of its cars are manufactured, with others made in England using Chinese parts.

Mr Simeon said if interest was strong enough the company wanted to start making some of the cars in Victoria or South Australia, and he confirmed he had been in talks with local vehicle manufacturers.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/lo...#ixzz3AHNXm5LC

image

Which local vehicle manufacturers? Bloke must be dreaming, manufacturing just taxis is insufficient to keep even one manufacturer going. But if Geely Motor Corp buy out Geelong and Broadmeadows and manufacture BF3 wagons or Territory EcoLPI Taxis and spare us that monstrosity called London Cab, I'm all for it

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Which local vehicle manufacturers? Bloke must be dreaming, manufacturing just taxis is insufficient to keep even one manufacturer going. But if Geely Motor Corp buy out Geelong and Broadmeadows and manufacture BF3 wagons or Territory EcoLPI Taxis and spare us that monstrosity called London Cab, I'm all for it

Ford and Holden don't make taxis, they make passenger cars sold at a huge discount into the fleet market. The taxi operators buy them at auction.
Whats the taxi market in AU worth if every operator had to buy 1 model? 2k? 3k a year tops? NO ONE will build a taxi here for local consumption.

[Davehoos]

Not all cabs are purchased used-auction based vehicles. Just that manufactures havnt bothered to push this market.

most other countries in the world do have taxi manufactures.
For NSW will require 6000 Taxi Cabs. 1000 new cabs per year would not be difficult for a low volume assembler. new York city has 13000 yellow cabs.

cars often are produced for a decade from parts or tooling purchased at the end of a model run or assembled in a smaller factory from stored parts.

for example-the falcon wagon could have stayed in low volume production produced by the local football team with engines supplied Victa.

[Davehoos]

When I worked for landrover we assembled between 2 and 7 vehicles a day.

220 working days a year-a small builder would struggle to built a 1000 welded together body vehicles.

[Crazy Dazz]

The very definition of cheap Chinese Crap, but I guess that is the future.

[Ruination]

They are absolutely butt ugly, but they are pretty spacious.

Not to mention, if you're tailing one, you can cop their free WIFI

[smoo]

Another nail in the coffin this one.
Surely Ford Au would have turned a profit on the wagon the past four years if they kept making it on gas with the FG updates (nose, interior + ZF) as a fleet/taxi special?

[Franco Cozzo]

Don't they just buy all their cars from the auctions?

[Itsme]

Hopefully they will be better than the yellow pigsty's we have in Victoria!!!

[au2000]

No real difference anymore tbh, it's really a question now of durability , in regards to the local manufacturing part, maybe they are looking at a knock down kit or similar?

[Polyal]

See THIS is where the gov and some $$ business people could have seen a business opportunity?

We use taxi's mainly in urban area's..so WhyTF cant we start up an EV Taxi fleet and then use the same platform for Hybrid to do the outer suburbs/rural area.

We could R&D and build the lot here, keep some automotive skills going, and really start to push the infrastructure for EV's around the cities into the future.

But no...we import something we could do...imagine doing it for the whole country...sure the numbers would be there.

[dragons90]

Originally Posted by Polyal

See THIS is where the gov and some $$ business people could have seen a business opportunity?

We use taxi's mainly in urban area's..so WhyTF cant we start up an EV Taxi fleet and then use the same platform for Hybrid to do the outer suburbs/rural area.

We could R&D and build the lot here, keep some automotive skills going, and really start to push the infrastructure for EV's around the cities into the future.

But no...we import something we could do...imagine doing it for the whole country...sure the numbers would be there.

They'd have to have 4 times the cabs so 3 could be on charge while one was in use then change cabs multiple time per shift.

[Nova 8]

Found them uncomfortable when I was in Perth, didn't like them at all. I've been seeing more mondeos around Adelaide, even saw some skoda wagon, I think...

[timeout]

More ugly cap to look at on the roads.

[Polyal]

I really dont see the problem from this, since we are loosing locally built cars the industry isnt artificially propping them up anymore. It doesnt dilute a brands image with the stigma and you get a purpose built vehicle.

[mik]

From a cab drivers perspective I reckon they will buy them for the extra security, to many blokes getting knocked on the head these days, I was chatting with a taxi guy a while ago, he said he would no longer work at night around melbourne, and that is a valid concern these days.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by mik

From a cab drivers perspective I reckon they will buy them for the extra security, to many blokes getting knocked on the head these days, I was chatting with a taxi guy a while ago, he said he would no longer work at night around melbourne, and that is a valid concern these days.

If I was a Taxi driver I'd want the safety features.

I've been a passenger of these Taxis, in London, and I reckon they are great. Turning circle is amazing, interiors huge and they allow 6 passengers; 3 couples. Great for outings with friends.

Who cares that they don't look like a family car.

Taxis should be easily recognisable, these are. Most industries have purpose built tools, this is exactly that - a purpose built tool of the trade - people transport.

[STINKY NINJA]

Nothing wrong with super nanny taxis,weve had them in perth for a little while.

[Crazy Dazz]

I don't know about the other states, but in Perth the taxi industry is completely screwed up.
It really is just insane. The right to operate a taxi, is vested in ownership of taxi plates. Supply is restricted such that the plates change hands for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For that you get the right to slap the plates on some POS, and hire some refugee to drive your taxi. Taxi rides are absurdly expensive because investors demand a return on their stupendous investment. There are never enough taxis, and competing industries get knobbled so that they can't compete.
They can't reform the industry because all the most recent investors who paid squillions for their plates would lose their dough.

Consequently the government refuses to enforce decent standards for the cars or drivers as that would increase costs even more.

Realistically just about anything can be used as a Taxi. In Viet Nam they use these little Daewoos, where the passengers are basically sitting in the boot, and you might have room for one slim suitcase behind the chairs.
I think the best options here would be something like Taragos.

[deesun]

What fuel do they use? Electric? LPG?

[Falcman0o7]

I thought london taxis were 100 year old black POS...

Oh they are

[Jastel]

A lot of %$#% in this post, some corrections

Cab drivers DONT buy cars, operators/owners do.
They will buy whatever car suits their needs. Ford, Holden, Toyota or Geeley.
Fuel efficiency is only one part of the equation. Not all cars work in all markets.
Drivers have the choice of which owner to work for, if they want a particular type of car.

There is nothing stopping any "hard working" Aussie driving taxis, but they don't exactly line up for the job, so we have to hire whoever will. I have no control of who the government lets into the country or grants a taxi drivers license to. I have lost count of how many times an Aussie says "I'm not working for $4 an hour" which is what we make sometimes...sometimes we make more obviously. I am not stupid but I do know you have to take the bad with the good.

Yes licenses are expensive, if licenses had NO value, there is NO incentive to operate and make profit to repay the bank, cars will be crap buckets, if it breaks down who cares, taxis would only work a few hours each day when they felt like it and never go to the outer suburbs or pick up drunks. Government regulations for your safety and Insurance eats up a lot of money too. I don't like all these extra costs but they are there for the Passengers benefit and protection.

There would be no safety problems if people could control their temper and alcohol intake and act like humans instead of animals.

I have no problems with Uber etc coming into the industry, so long as they PAY all the same fees and operate under the same rules I do. Wait until you end a quadriplegic in a Uber car accident and see how much insurance money you get...

Not all cars can be taxis, they must meet Transport Department Standards.

We have taxis that take 6 (or more) people, they are called vans.

If you think vehicles/service are bad now, deregulate (remove the license value and rules)the industry and see what happens. There are complaint numbers in most taxis I have been in, dial them, write letters to Transport or the company...don't just say "They should..." and do nothing. I don't want bad drivers/operators in the industry any more than you do.

And for those that say all taxis should be (insert brand here), what if I told you what type of office you had to have, what computer to use or what brand of tools to buy...this was a democracy last time I checked. If you don't want to ride in a (insert brand here) you don't have to, you wait until one you like comes along.

Back on topic...the Geeleys are not my cup of tea but others may like them.