Chancer Cabs.....goodbye LTI, hello new modern

23,157 · January 19

4 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

Hey you said it not me!

soon after you did that trip mind, I found myself in the back of a cab with my family and so I was telling them of your story and explaining your TX1.5 that was made up of collection of spare taxi parts driving in lose formation (explaining how it started out as TX2 ford engined example, but in time gained a FX4/TX1 Nissan engine and then a TX4 front end etc)

and the driver turned on the intercom and went "you sure do you know your cabs!"

You'd be surprised to learn how often I pretend my intercom is broken.

2,206 · January 19

1 minute ago, warren t claim said:

A man's relationship with a TX is rather like going to bed with a midget. If you're renting then that's like fucking a midget which is OK but owning a TX is like making love to a midget, and frankly sick.

I quite like midgets. Before the TX i really wanted a Transit ProCab. I couldnt afford a ProCab, and only had half the budget. Therefore i ended up with half what i wanted. A midget. I love my midget. And know what? It makes exactly the same amount of money, and the customers actually prefer them. My only downside to it is the length of time it takes to heat the bastard up in the morning. I could put cardboard on the grille, but that would spoil the nice faux chrome 😂

2,206 · January 19

3 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

You'd be surprised to learn how often I pretend my intercom is broken.

Usually when they are complaining about the out of town fixed fares. And the reason i get that fare up front. Much easier than a fight to get paid at the other end.

23,157 · January 19

Just now, chancer said:

I quite like midgets. Before the TX i really wanted a Transit ProCab. I couldnt afford a ProCab, and only had half the budget. Therefore i ended up with half what i wanted. A midget. I love my midget. And know what? It makes exactly the same amount of money, and the customers actually prefer them. My only downside to it is the length of time it takes to heat the bastard up in the morning. I could put cardboard on the grille, but that would spoil the nice faux chrome 😂

I'll admit that Yank tourists totally love flagging down a TX.

2,206 · January 19

Just now, warren t claim said:

I'll admit that Yank tourists totally love flagging down a TX.

Ive had more flag downs in the last week than i can remember having in the transit. I can only think that people just assume the transits are just vans, but the proper cab is instantly recognisable. I had some major doubts and regrets after handing over the payment last week, but i shouldnt have worried

23,157 · January 19

1 minute ago, chancer said:

Usually when they are complaining about the out of town fixed fares. And the reason i get that fare up front. Much easier than a fight to get paid at the other end.

Just before Xmas I had a lad do a runner, well to be more accurate, walker from the blue TX. This surprised me as the motion locks worked to the extent that the cab would lock people out as well! I walked after him and grabbed the baseball cap he was wearing. He said that was assault. I begged to differ and was happy to demonstrate what I thought assault was.

23,157 · January 19

1 minute ago, chancer said:

Ive had more flag downs in the last week than i can remember having in the transit. I can only think that people just assume the transits are just vans, but the proper cab is instantly recognisable. I had some major doubts and regrets after handing over the payment last week, but i shouldnt have worried

One utterly insane thing that I noticed over Xmas was the number of punters who were fumbling to find the door handle on the leading edge of the rear doors. It's been 28 years since the FX was made with suicide doors!

18,384 · January 19

11 minutes ago, chancer said:

It makes exactly the same amount of money, and the customers actually prefer them.

9 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

I'll admit that Yank tourists totally love flagging down a TX.

3 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

One utterly insane thing that I noticed over Xmas was the number of punters who were fumbling to find the door handle on the leading edge of the rear doors. It's been 28 years since the FX was made with suicide doors!

I know I mentioned this before but given the current subject matter bears repeating

but when I was young, and on the rare occasions we where hailing a black cab, I would always try and get mum to hail an FX4, well I didn't know them as FX4's back then, but simply, as suicide taxis! because of the suicide doors, I remember me and mum getting some decidedly odd looks from the public as I excitedly pointed out to mum "Suicide Taxi!"

its for this reason that I have never been in a Metrocab! I remember them well, but never been in one, because I avoided them like the plague, these funny square looking things where not proper black cabs in my book, something I do regret now, since I am curious these days to know just how they compared to the FX4

BTW does anyone remember which generation of TX taxi came with adverts on the tip up seats, showing a TX chassis without its bodywork? thats one advert that always stayed in my mind

I just wonder which generation of TX that was

23,157 · January 19

1 minute ago, LightBulbFun said:

its for this reason that I have never been in a Metrocab!

Honestly, you're not missing much.

I remember them well, but never been in one, because I avoided them like the plague,

Funnily enough. I've been avoiding them like the plague ever since I owned one.

BTW does anyone remember which generation of TX taxi came with adverts on the tip up seats, showing a TX chassis without its bodywork? thats one advert that always stayed in my mind

I just wonder which generation of TX that was

TX1.

23,157 · January 19

Well that quote went well!

23,157 · January 19

5 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

I know I mentioned this before but given the current subject matter bears repeating

but when I was young, and on the rare occasions we where hailing a black cab, I would always try and get mum to hail an FX4, well I didn't know them as FX4's back then, but simply, as suicide taxis!

Speaking as a former Fairway owner I see what you mean by suicide taxis, if it was a choice between having to work one again or nipping off to Dignitas to end it all I'll admit that it'd be a difficult decision.

18,384 · January 19

11 hours ago, warren t claim said:

Speaking as a former Fairway owner I see what you mean by suicide taxis, if it was a choice between having to work one again or nipping off to Dignitas to end it all I'll admit that it'd be a difficult decision.

how long have you been working as a cab driver? where/how did it all start? do ya have a thread on here from back in the day detailing it?

(is this where theres an Amiga Video toaster wibbly wobbly special effect and it all goes black and white? :mrgreen: )

did you start out doing PH work and then upgrade to a hail off the street hackney carriage chap, or did both happen at the same time?

I know here in London you gotta do the knowledge if you wanna become a hackney carriage man so theres a pretty high barrier to entry, but I know outside of London they are not so stringent

3,977 · January 19

21 hours ago, chancer said:

I think you would probably find it easier to insure a decommissioned black cab anywhere else in the world than London.

That doesn't explain why i can't get a quote in Dundee... When even as recently as July 2023, i was able to get a fairly cheap one with little to no bother.

Just seems like it's more another case of 'This isn't something mega mainstream like a Qashqai, so nope, not interested'.

18,384 · January 19

22 hours ago, chancer said:

@LightBulbFuni actually had a chance to see one in the metal today. Enquired about the shells, and it turns out these are unused vehicles built in 2017! So these so called brand new cabs are now nearly 7 years old! They do sport some nice bonnet vents though. It has made me question purchasing one. They started showing signs of surface rust at around 5 years...these 'new' cabs are already beyond that.

I totally agree with your choice though

interesting! I appreciate you asking about that, as I have been wondering

although in typical autoshite fashion it just raises more questions! as I had just assumed they where brand new shells, maybe bought in from China/Geely or something along those line, never crossed my mind they where NOS shells from the end of production in 2017, didn't realise they had any leftover like that, I wonder how many they have left still until all are used up and the TX4 is no more for good

I also still wonder how much of the shell is from 2017 or uplifted in the now, for example, are they on 7 year old tyres? LOL

ie are they bare shells, or are they complete just without a drive train, are they actually complete 2017 TX4's that get VM motor removed and a Ford petrol unit put in its place? (and if so do they make money back flogging the new VM engines into the trade?)

its all very autoshite in that regard, 2024 cabs that are actually 2017 cabs that have been kicking around a while!

I would totally still have one if I could mind but I can understand your reluctance, is the one your garage took delivery of still knocking around, if so are you able to give it a good look around, see what it looks like underneath etc?

I wonder if I *was* to buy buy one new, would I still get denied insurance? LOL

5,365 · January 19

I mean this in the nicest possible way....how many more threads are you going to take over with the same round-in-circles discussion?

12,979 · January 19

26 minutes ago, Pieman said:

I mean this in the nicest possible way....how many more threads are you going to take over with the same round-in-circles discussion?

I like your posts, but that's a bit harsh.

2,206 · January 19

36 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

interesting! I appreciate you asking about that, as I have been wondering

although in typical autoshite fashion it just raises more questions! as I had just assumed they where brand new shells, maybe bought in from China/Geely or something along those line, never crossed my mind they where NOS shells from the end of production in 2017, didn't realise they had any leftover like that, I wonder how many they have left still until all are used up and the TX4 is no more for good

I also still wonder how much of the shell is from 2017 or uplifted in the now, for example, are they on 7 year old tyres? LOL

ie are they bare shells, or are they complete just without a drive train, are they actually complete 2017 TX4's that get VM motor removed and a Ford petrol unit put in its place? (and if so do they make money back flogging the new VM engines into the trade?)

its all very autoshite in that regard, 2024 cabs that are actually 2017 cabs that have been kicking around a while!

I would totally still have one if I could mind but I can understand your reluctance, is the one your garage took delivery of still knocking around, if so are you able to give it a good look around, see what it looks like underneath etc?

I wonder if I *was* to buy buy one new, would I still get denied insurance? LOL

From what I have been told, they were fully built ready to go cabs, assembled in 2017. At that point in time, there were no lpg/petrol conversions to conform to Euro6 standards. But there was a Euro6 version of the TX4 available here on 16 plates.....therefore i really cant understand why these were converted at all, because at that age they would already have been compliant as a diesel vehicle. Its a strange situation, which certainly raises more questions than it answers.

Cab in question was put into service this morning, so is no longer at the garage. It replaced a 57 plate TX4 which will be cannibalised for parts in the coming weeks to keep other cabs across the country going

18,384 · January 20

14 hours ago, chancer said:

From what I have been told, they were fully built ready to go cabs, assembled in 2017. At that point in time, there were no lpg/petrol conversions to conform to Euro6 standards. But there was a Euro6 version of the TX4 available here on 16 plates.....therefore i really cant understand why these were converted at all, because at that age they would already have been compliant as a diesel vehicle. Its a strange situation, which certainly raises more questions than it answers.

Cab in question was put into service this morning, so is no longer at the garage. It replaced a 57 plate TX4 which will be cannibalised for parts in the coming weeks to keep other cabs across the country going

thats really interesting, as you say! I wonder why they where not just sold as complete taxi's if they where/are complete? as you say the last couple years of TX4's where Euro 6 compliant (with a 2.8L VM engine instead of the previous 2.5VM)

from the 1st of September 2015 onwards according to this anyhow, they are all already Euro 6

https://news.cision.com/torque/r/the-london-taxi-company-confirms-pricing-for-its-cleanest-tx4-ever,c9804240

thats actually part of my plan so to speak, if I do go down this taxi route.

when my ULEZ exemption runs out, I will have to get rid of whatever I have at that point, however by that point I think the first of the Euro 6 TX4's will be aging out, so assuming the ULEZ goal posts have not been moved by then (I know big assumption there LOL)

then the plan is to pick up one of those Euro 6 TX4's for cheap(er) as they age out in 2027 or there about, which I should be able to run without any expiration date, (well until they fuck with the ULEZ again!)

who knows maybe ill have ended up with something completely different by then, but thats my current thinking anyhow

I know there are also kits you can get to convert Euro 5 TX4's to Euro 6, but I dont think London recognises those yet?

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/green-retrofit-tfl-remains-committed-to-working-with-euro-6-tx4-taxi-conversion-firm

3,053 · January 20

There's a garage near me that does the LPG TX4s. Somehow they even manage to sound a bit like the old diesel knackers. This garage also does conversions on used cabs. Quite a few on the ranks locally with tell tale second fuel fillers and LPG badges on the back.

39,769 · January 20

I got mine just as the first covid lockdown ended- complete with 12m mot and a suitably appropriate livery (zoom video meetings)

23,157 · January 20

On 19/01/2024 at 11:41, LightBulbFun said:

how long have you been working as a cab driver? where/how did it all start? do ya have a thread on here from back in the day detailing it?

(is this where theres an Amiga Video toaster wibbly wobbly special effect and it all goes black and white? )

did you start out doing PH work and then upgrade to a hail off the street hackney carriage chap, or did both happen at the same time?

I know here in London you gotta do the knowledge if you wanna become a hackney carriage man so theres a pretty high barrier to entry, but I know outside of London they are not so stringent

23,157 · January 20

Should we merge all taxi threads to make a generic thread on the main forum?

2,206 · January 20

2 hours ago, warren t claim said:

Should we merge all taxi threads to make a generic thread on the main forum?

Probably not. Good to keep different cabs within their own thread. Might be good to start a 'Tales of a taxi driver' thread though....for funny stories and observations that dont relate to the vehicles

23,157 · January 20

2 minutes ago, chancer said:

Probably not. Good to keep different cabs within their own thread. Might be good to start a 'Tales of a taxi driver' thread though....for funny stories and observations that dont relate to the vehicles

What was your night like?

2,206 · January 20

Small update. I've spent a week in the cab now, and aside having to get a jump start the other morning when it was -8° it has not put a foot wrong. Investigations revealed a loose terminal on the battery and its been fine since. Its covered around 650 miles plodding the streets of Glasgow, and i kinda love it a bit more every day. It is slow, noisy, agricultural and feels like its from a bygone age, but its brilliant. Just a shame that the LEZ will see it out of service in a few short months. Im starting to warm to the prospect of upgrading to an LPG TX cab next.....will be speaking to cabbies who have already had theirs converted over the coming weeks to get a decent idea of what the pitfalls could be.

2,206 · January 20

7 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

What was your night like?

My nights have been great. Now that im working during the day. A few years ago the nightshift was the busy shift, but its turned on its head now. We are far busier now on a dayshift than ever before. Im usually finished by 6pm at the latest

23,157 · January 20

Just now, chancer said:

My nights have been great. Now that im working during the day. A few years ago the nightshift was the busy shift, but its turned on its head now. We are far busier now on a dayshift than ever before. Im usually finished by 6pm at the latest

Are you rank and street hail only?

12,979 · January 20

4 hours ago, warren t claim said:

Thanks, but I wanted an early night

23,157 · January 20

1 minute ago, High Jetter said:

Thanks, but I wanted an early night

Believe it or not, most of my days are quite dull.

2,206 · January 20

6 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Are you rank and street hail only?

No im on the radio system so get 3 bites at the cherry so to speak. School contracts make up a fair bit of the work, and can easily throw 3 figures per day without even trying. Then there is ranks outside shopping centres when its quiet, theres always a steady stream of punters making their way out, and street hires because we are public hire. Very little work at night now, glasgow city centre is on its knees at the moment. Sad times, because it used to be rammed thurs-sun and the rest of the week was steady

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