Taxi!

[Guest]

Found this superb picture on the Wakefield Museum Collection site today:

 

And we all know what I think about taxis (given my taste in cars). I might Email them and ask them if they have a huge version of the picture so I can have it made into a poster.

[pogweasel]

!!!!!! !!!!!!Yum yum yum. Strangely there was little J-tin in the minicab market when I were a lad. Volvos, Granada's & Pug 504/5's ruled round here. Remember a fella had a series of Laurel's as cabs though, always GOLD.

[Mat.T]

great stuff, whats the first car a carina?

 

i found these to the other day which i'm sure you will like

beige gallant in the back ground too

[Guest]

Lovely stuff! Where is it? I'll book my ticket now.The first car is a KE70 Corolla Wagon, the third car seems like a Lada Riva, but what is the mysterious second one?

[pogweasel]

I believe the second is a Carina TA60 (?)

 

 

.. the only japanese car I have ever owned

[Mat.T]

Singapore 1988, so you need a flux capacitor on the charmant too

[mk2_craig]

I think Pog might be right, which is a shame as I was hoping it might be one of these:

 

Difficult to say one way or t'other tho!

[mouseflakes]

Oooh - I'm not so sure. It does look like your Toyota Pog, but see how the rear bumper wraps around all the way to the rear arch - which appears not to have a flared lip? Hmmmm.

 

My first thought was Stellar too - but as you say Craig - looks like it's not that.

 

Tough one!

 

EDIT: Ah! Here's a Carina TA60 in a wraparound rear bumper stylee (albeit a foreign one?). Looking like Pog aced it. Apparent lack of flare on the rear arch probably down to my eyesight failing.

 

[reallyloud]

Might be a mk1 Stellar, they had smaller bumpers. Either way a splendid image. The local taxi guys had a wonderful eclectic variety of taxi-tat in Wallingford - I recall them still using Peugeot 404 Diesels into the 80's. In nearby Didcot they used Datsuns and Nissans. Which was nice.

[Spottedlaurel]

Poor old Corolla’s had a biff on the corner? Driver doesn’t exactly look like he’s encouraging business with newspaper (a broadsheet!) up – is it that or some kind of anti-Japanese thing making the people get into the Lada rather than them?...Laurels were certainly popular in Cambridge, loads of them in the early 90’s when I went to college there. Both C31 and C32 as I recall. There was also a guy with a Farina, memory tells me wore a cowbay hat. I have had it confirmed the car existed even if the hat was made up.In Ipswich Volvos were always favoured. Whether this was something to do with the importers having a big compound there I don’t know.

[Timewaster]

Around 1981, our local taxi firm had 3 brand new Lancia Betas. All dark blue and looking lovely and shiney.I dont think the cars or the taxi firm lasted very long after that.Nowadays, amongst the 406s and octavias on the rank we often see a few Volvos (850s and a s80), Citroen C5s, a Multipla and even a Smart!

[Baz]

In Sudbury, in about the late '80s, there was a minicab firm that ran a fleet of white Lada Rivas....For a few months, until they all fell to bits....I remember being quite surprised, as I always thought Ladas quite tough cars....Not tough enough to stand up to the twat minicab driver for long though! I also recall a black Daihatsu Charade too!

[michiel]

Would that be a microcab then?

[mk2_craig]

There was a red mk4 Fiesta used as a licensed private hire car in West Lothian when I lived up that way three years or so ago, which I thought was a f*cking stupid thing to do. "Council of the year" indeed.In Jersey the smallest I've seen is a previous-model Civic, but apparently these are quite roomy inside

[Ratdat]

I had first hand minicab shite experience as my mum used to drive them. She had a first gen metallic blue Toyota Camry and a Mettalic red Hyundai Stella. The Camry did some astonishing milage without ever breaking down or having problems. The Stella wasn't quite as good from what I rememberbut was quite a nice car. The Camry had an ace digital dash too which at the time seemed really futuristic.

[pogweasel]

LOL. When my dad owned a minicab firm, there'd be none of that "japanese rubbish" for him. Mostly due to ability to rust. He had a Pug 505 (pov spec), Granada 2.3GL, a Mongtego wagon and a Fiat Croma.

[Vin]

There used to be loads of Lada Minicabs in Hull, until the council decided they weren't 'safe' enough to be cabs in the late 90's

[Spottedlaurel]

I see a lot of Marea taxis around South Norfolk, both saloon and Weekend, as a company in Diss has always gone for old Fiats. Don’t think they’ve got Tempras now, not sure if the local council has an age limit. I went in one of their Regatas once…

[pompei]

I remember that!There was a diplomatic incident when a South Yorkshire comedian took the sips out of them during a panto in Hull - the Lord Mayor told him to kucf off back to Barnsley, or something like that.Might have been Tony Capstick?

[pompei]

What is the law regarding the maximum age of taxis/minicabs? Is it up to the individual licensing authority?There's a white Vauxhall (Carlton, Omega?) in Cleethorpes on a K plate, and a few N platers in Grimsby. Also, is it true thay have to have two MoTs a year?

[AnthonyG]

What is the law regarding the maximum age of taxis/minicabs? Is it up to the individual licensing authority?There's a white Vauxhall (Carlton, Omega?) in Cleethorpes on a K plate, and a few N platers in Grimsby. Also, is it true thay have to have two MoTs a year?

London cabs (hackney carriages) used to have to replaced after 10 years old. This hasn't applied for years now, in 2000 I saw D/E reg ones and now I regularly see K/L reg ones. Nissan diesel engines and seperate chassis mean they can effectively last forever. Interestingly this is one area where Chairman Ken doesn't seem to bothered about the age of London's vehicles.P.S A South Wales local council tried to stop Ladas being used as minicabs in the early as well - possibly Cardiff or Newport.

[Timewaster]

What is the law regarding the maximum age of taxis/minicabs? Is it up to the individual licensing authority?

Cambs county council introduced a maximum age a few years ago. One local firm had to replace all of his cars (mainly white bluebird diesels with a Lotus Cortinaesque green stripe) overnight.I thought that made him pretty angry, until they dropped the max age a couple of years later, then he really WAS angry!!

[r.welfare]

I think most county councils go with a max. 10 year thing.Straddling the Hampshire/Berkshire border there are definite differences in the nearest two towns' minicab fleets.Newbury tends to go with the usual ex-fleet fodder (Mondeo, Passat, 406 etc) but whisper "Nissan Bluebird" to any driver and he'll go all misty-eyed.Basingstoke on the other hand is something of a Skoda heartland, which has been going on since the release of the Octavia. Most popular is still the Octy - in white, base-spec non-turbo diesel form - closely followed by the Superb TDI, again in white. Most of these things have done megamega mileage, apparently there is an 02-plate one still rattling round with 460k on the clock

[Richard]

I think it's 8 years in Fife. When started driving taxis in 1992 the firm had all Peugeot 505 hacks with a Granada PH and two stretch Granada limos. In the time I was there the four seat taxi fleet changed to Granadas via 405s and Montegos. All but the 405s were petrol. The six-pack fleet continued to be 505s. In the beginning nearly all the cars were bought with accident damage. The owner had a garage that did accident repairs so he was able to save money this way. Once the firm took off he started buying whole cars and I think he mostly buys new nowadays.The highest mileage I saw was 360k on a 505 GR Family. I believe it cracked 300k (it cracked the head too, but it kept running) on the original engine and box.

[Guest]

Leicester-years ago!!

 

 

From flick with owners permision--"Copyright of Ian Grundy"

 

Bigger picture here

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/336624144/

[reallyloud]

Random African Toyota taxis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mash]

There used to be loads of Lada Minicabs in Hull, until the council decided they weren't 'safe' enough to be cabs in the late 90's

That's right, you couldn't move for them outside the station, I've never known a place with such a fondness for them as taxis, though of course the importers were only a few miles up the road at Carnaby.Most of them ended up back on the boats to their homeland with the trawlermen!

[outlaw118]

All the cabs on Corrie St are old and shite.... I seem to remember a mark two carlton not so long ago.

[Guest]

(hyperventilates into a paper bag)

 

 

LPG Saturn 1600 must be incredibly dire..... I am drawn to the idea of converting mine now.

 

But the all important question is this: is it feasible to get my fabric seats retrimmed in vinyl?

 

(starts looking at taxi signs on eBay)

[KruJoe]

Do it! Do it, Hirst! You know you need to!

Flippin' shipping costs... I'm sure it wouldn't be hard in this town to find a Galant interior and have it re-trimmed cheaply in poo-brown plastic.

It's just getting it back to Yorkshire. GRRRRR.

P'raps that back screen louvre, too.

 

When I traveled around Nepal about 10 years ago, most of the taxis were Maruti Suzuki 800s, with a few 3 door Mk1 Corollas for good measures.

The economy/tourist trade has hardly boomed since then, so expect the same wrecks are still chugging about... anyone been recently?

 

Here is my favourite taxi spot from Chiang Mai.

This private hire beauty is usually parked on the famous Night Bazaar road, with owner/driver nearby touting for trade: