Taxinomics Danish Style

[JohnDeere]

Got chatting to my taxi driver in Copenhagen - initially asking him how he finds the stop-start gizmo in his Merc.  I said "doesn't it knacker the battery?" ... He said "funny you should say that, the car is one year old and just went in for a new battery under warranty this morning!"

 

Buying a car in Denmark is horribly expensive - 180% tax.  But taxi owners don't pay that if they clock up 250,000 kms - which they do in two years (the one-year-old E-class I was in was just on 120 "Danish kilometres" as the driver put it.  After two years they can sell the car for more or less what they paid for it, without paying more taxes... and the next owner picks up a lightly-used* two-year-old Merc for half the retail price.

 

The problem they're finding now is that used buyers don't want the big thirsty cars due to OMGreenery issues, so lots of the owners are now losing money on the resale.  I mentioned that lots of German drivers are using B-Class (which I think are horrible things) - my driver said "they have a Renault engine and are made in Hungary - no thanks".

 

Final thing I asked is whether Benzes are regaining their reliability rep.  No, apparently - his partner's car is a similar age and has been in the shop for multiple issues.  But MB keeps the taxi business by bending over backwards on service - the repairs are done in double-quick time to keep the drivers on the road.

 

Best of all, they take credit cards and don't expect a tip!

[Lukas]

In Austria, most City-Taxis are becoming Toyota Prius now. Austria was full of Mercedes-Diesel-Taxis, but since the time changed (CDI, DPF etc.), more and more companys start using the Prius. They say it´s cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, less problems and less repair-costs compared to the MBs. And they seem to run forever! Prius-Taxis with 500.000km and more are very common, no problems with the Hybrid-system.

[Junkman]

O tempori, o mores!

 

If I call a taxi, I expect a worn out dizzla Benz belching black clouds to turn up, and nowt else. Unless I'm in England, of course, where it must be a battered, smelly, black FX4, jockeyed by someone with a migratory background, who is making it hop along @ 5mph in 4th gear.

 

Anything else and I feel I'm diddled.

[himoverthere]

O tempori, o mores!

 

If I call a taxi, I expect a worn out dizzla Benz belching black clouds to turn up, and nowt else. Unless I'm in England, of course, where it must be a battered, smelly, black FX4, jockeyed by someone with a migratory background, who is making it hop along @ 5mph in 4th gear.

 

Anything else and I feel I'm diddled.

 

If you're not happy with a 6 year old Skoda Octavia with a very sweet smelling interior you'd not like it here.

[Lukas]

Where is "here"? Only to know what City/Country I´ll have to avoid.

[cms206]

Glasgow and it's surroundings were still taking Octavia "Classic" 1.9SDis until 09-plate; they are still bloody everywhere. Most taxis in these parts are Octavias, most of the others are standard Mondeo/Vectra/Insignia/Superb dross, though a band of shite heros in my town run various things not limited to the Chevrolet Epica/Cruze/Tacuma, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Suzuki SX4 saloon and a recently licensed Peugeot 208 estate.

Down the road in Greenock there are loads of Rover 45s plying their trade, and the last time I was in Port Glasgow there was still a petrol Cavalier Expression working the rank at the station.

[quicksilver]

Plenty of minicabs here thanks to the university but nothing shite and only one Skoda that I know of. It's mostly Pisshats and Avensisisises plus some higher class stuff like C-class Mercs, Audis and Saabs. The most interesting thing is a Vauxhall Meriva which looks rather incongruous among the big saloons.

[Tayne]

 

 

Taxi by Tayne, on Flickr

by Tayne, on Flickr

 

[twosmoke300]

Down in portreath, Cornwall there is a smart taxi!

Seriously.

[cms206]

Some entries from the Shite Taxi Files I kept when on stage carriage...


GC51 JAN by cms206, on Flickr


SB06 WEA by cms206, on Flickr


SE07 MGO by cms206, on Flickr


SH08 AOO by cms206, on Flickr

[Sigmund Fraud]

O tempori, o mores!

 

If I call a taxi, I expect a worn out dizzla Benz belching black clouds to turn up, and nowt else. Unless I'm in England, of course, where it must be a battered, smelly, black FX4, jockeyed by someone with a migratory background, who is making it hop along @ 5mph in 4th gear.

 

Anything else and I feel I'm diddled.

 

In that case you would love Malta ! Last time I was down there, I came out of the arrivals terminal to find a W114 at the front of the taxi rank !

 

For those not willing to travel that far, there still is a Volvo 240 taxi working around Salisbury, Wilts !

[Craig the Princess]

Peterborough until about a year ago was Skoda-cab city, now Toyota Avensises seem to be the weapon of choice.

[holbeck]

No bullshit, but I saw a Dacia Sandero Taxi in Exmouth a couple of days ago. Sadly no pics as I was still fumbling for phone as it disappeared around the corner.

[Albert Ross]

In Zakynthos about 5 or 6 years ago, I had a "taxi" ride in a MB E class, then about 6 years old, with rust holes in the floor, with visible tarmac..... Mmmmm. Kwaliteee. I was extremely pissed at the time though.

[phil_lihp]

There's a taxi driver in Bideford using a J-reg Peugeot 405 diesel saloon, it looks to be in pretty immaculate condition considering.  Even braver perhaps are the ones using an 02 Laguna DCi and a V-reg Saab 9-3.

 

I suspect RedSparrow can expand on this but Prague's got a pretty dodgy taxi trade going on once you step away from the yellow AA cabs (mostly Skoda Superbs last time I went).  The private ones have a reputation for being a law unto themselves and making up prices on the spot.  I was skeptical of all the talk about just how dodgy they were until I got there, some of the private taxis looked seriously past their best including a battered and filthy white Mk3 Fiesta.

[eddyramrod]

Come on lads, if you really want a taxi...

Or at the very least...

Complete with Sid James-esque driver if possible!

[sierraman]

In Rotherham theres loads still cabbing Toyota Carina E's. I mean they must be worn smooth! I think they can only get away with it due to the local licencing means you can taxi anything so long as it has 4/5 doors and it passes the cab test.

[phil_lihp]

I was disappointed to find New York devoid of chequer cabs by 2007, at that time it was predominantly Crown Victorias being driven by 4ft tall men who spoke virtually no English driving very casually at a minimum 60mph in heavy traffic.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

In Bournemouth up until at least 2 years ago there was a 505 Family working as Hackney. It had a full length roof rack and a very short (2 letter 1 number) registration. It may still be working ,I just haven't been there for a while.

 

In 20 years playing at private hire I've had Montegos,Granada's,Carlton's,Omegas,Ullysees,Galaxy,5 Series,E class',aCLS and a 300C. The best? Mk3 Granada's for space,BMWs for reliability,comfort the CLS,running costs Montego diesel. Passengers love the 300, every time something else stops working I think I'll get rid,then I look at what's around for similar money, bite the bullet and repair the fecker,it's 4 years old and done 240,000, if I can get another 100k out of it over the next year/ year and a half I might be able to afford a CLS Shooting-brake.

 

Fuck these foreigners and their governments helping them make a living,it's much healthier to see the authorities as the enemy. A couple of years ago when attending the Revenue and Customs offices for a routine* investigation,one of the Gestapo walked me out to my car and in a Columboesque 'Just before you go" moment asked what the mileage was. Next visit a month later, he pulls the same stroke, they didn't say anything but I bet it confused the shit out of them. Best £60 I've ever spent that 'mileage adjustment' place!

[eddyramrod]

I haven't been able to get a snap of it yet as I only seem to see it when I'm driving my work van, but... here in Barrow there's a bright red Merc 190 working as a taxi.  It wears an E prefix and is absolutely sparkling.  I never use taxis, and a 190 would be one of several models I'd walk past to get in something else, but that one just looks like someone cares.

[UmBongo]

Glasgow and it's surroundings were still taking Octavia "Classic" 1.9SDis until 09-plate; they are still bloody everywhere. Most taxis in these parts are Octavias, most of the others are standard Mondeo/Vectra/Insignia/Superb dross, though a band of shite heros in my town run various things not limited to the Chevrolet Epica/Cruze/Tacuma, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Suzuki SX4 saloon and a recently licensed Peugeot 208 estate.

 

Down the road in Greenock there are loads of Rover 45s plying their trade, and the last time I was in Port Glasgow there was still a petrol Cavalier Expression working the rank at the station.

 

 

I saw a Chevrolet Trax being used a taxi in Edinburgh last week which was surprising.

At least I think it was a Trax, or maybe it was this...

 

 

I worked with a Billy Bullshitter some years ago who said that when he worked in a motor factor he told a taxi driver that the Octavia would make a great taxi.

Weeks later, all the Weegie drivers had Skodas.

Like I said, he was full of shit.

[Vin]

Whilst waiting for my cousin to collect me from Bournemouth station circa 1995, I remember seeing a locally registered MkIII Cortina sat in the line up on the Taxi rank. Looked odd mixed in with the Sierras and Mk III Cavaliers...

 

 

I can remember all the Lada Riva Minicabs that used to ply the trade round Hull too.

[Ghosty]

I was disappointed to find New York devoid of chequer cabs by 2007, at that time it was predominantly Crown Victorias being driven by 4ft tall men who spoke virtually no English driving very casually at a minimum 60mph in heavy traffic.

The Crown Vic's on its way out now too - I believe they're intending to change all the taxis to Nissan NV200s. Ugh.

 

Where I live we have mostly aging Astras/Vectras/Octavias, a couple of VW Caravelles, about 2 TX2s, and a lot of those Peugeot and Merc pre-made black van taxis. But there's a Nissan Qashqai being used about too, why I don't have a clue. Hardly accessible etc...

[Junkman]

The Crown Vic's on its way out now too - I believe they're intending to change all the taxis to Nissan NV200s. Ugh.

 

It's for certain. The NV200 was awarded the contract. Two other final contenders were rejected, the Karsan V-1 and - believe it or not - the Ford Transit Connect.

[JohnDeere]

It's for certain. The NV200 was awarded the contract. Two other final contenders were rejected, the Karsan V-1 and - believe it or not - the Ford Transit Connect.

There's a suprising number of Transit Connects taxi-ing in New York at the moment - they look stupid. Crown Vics have been on the decline there for a while. Other popular taxis are Camrys and Ford Escapes (mini SUVs). I haven't seen any of the new Nissans yet. The last cab I got from JFK to Manhatten was a wreck of a Previa with a shite wheelchair conversion. Every warning light blinking on the dash, no way it would have passed an MoT never mind an average UK taxi inspection.

 

The story of the Transit Connect in the U.S. is interesting: made in Turkey, imported as cars (with back seat and windows - as used in the taxi versions), then get prepped on arrival to rip out the back seat and put blanking panels in place of the glass. Gets around the US restrictions on importing vans. Having said that, the Sprinter is becoming as ubiquitous there as it is here.

[Junkman]

The Nissan will be phased in in 2014, since Ford and Karsan lost the contract.

 

Here is a list of what came into use when:

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/industry/taxicab_vehicles_in_use.shtml

 

As usual in the colonies, terms and conditions apply, though.

Your mileage may vary...

[Hendry]

Glasgow and it's surroundings were still taking Octavia "Classic" 1.9SDis until 09-plate; they are still bloody everywhere. Most taxis in these parts are Octavias, most of the others are standard Mondeo/Vectra/Insignia/Superb dross, though a band of shite heros in my town run various things not limited to the Chevrolet Epica/Cruze/Tacuma, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Suzuki SX4 saloon and a recently licensed Peugeot 208 estate.

Down the road in Greenock there are loads of Rover 45s plying their trade, and the last time I was in Port Glasgow there was still a petrol Cavalier Expression working the rank at the station.

The later A4 Octavia Classics were TDIs were they not Andy? And slightly better spec than the older ones with electric front windows and mirrors, air con, central locking etc and there's more here than elsewhere because of "The Taxi Centre"

 

Used to see a lot of Vectra Cs as taxis but now knocking on a bit there's less and less of them. My old man and my cousin used to run Vectras and my uncle runs a owned since new 06 plate 1.9 TDi Octavia, my old mans PHC is now a mk5 Golf shape Jetta whilst a lot of the other guys are running new shape Avensis, CMaxs, etc certainly a lot less Skodas than there used to be as taxis.

 

As for the Rover 45 I regularly see a wedge wood blue saloon in Greenock/the Port if I'm down there.

 

Here in Motherwell where I'm staying now its mostly Avensis and Superbs, but an increasing number of Skoda Rapid/Seat Toledos, these don't make good cabs, I got a Toledo a month or so back, pretty cramped in the back, probably less space in it than a Focus/Astra

[Pete-M]

The new shape Å koda Superb is quite possibly the greatest private hire car ever made. Great on fuel, quiet, comfortable, reliable and with more space in the rear than pretty much anything else on the road. They will take over the taxi world soon.

[fotorabia]

[Pete-M]

That has to be Alum Rock Road