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NEW STYLE TAXI FOR LONDON The iconic British and London style taxi is likely to see a new kid on the block competing for sales in London and possibly other towns and cities throughout the UK. Revealed in London last week was an alternative London taxi based on a Mercedes-Benz Vito Traveliner minibus. The new taxi conversion complies with the London Conditions of Fitness regulations applied to taxis by the Transport for London’s Public Carriage Office. Two of the main requirements of these regulations are wheelchair accessibility and a 25 feet turning circle to enable U-turns to be made. But recognisability has been a key reason to keep the London style taxi distinctive hence to date all London taxis have been purpose-built and cannot be mistaken for any other type of vehicle. Passengers have been able to safely differentiate between a purpose-built taxi, which can be hailed from the street or at a taxi rank, rather than the taxi conversations that share the same styling as Private Hire Vehicles that have to be pre-booked. “Know what you are getting into” has been a key safety message from Transport for London in the past as they encourage the safe personal use of the Capital’s taxis. The launch of this new taxi conversion for use in London blurs the safety regulations re instant recognisability. The London taxi industry feels this now means that potentially some of London’s 25,000 licensed taxi drivers buying the new £35,300 Vito taxi could also become Private Hire Vehicle operators and Private Hire Operators with the new Vito taxi could also portray themselves as London taxis as well. So the fare paying public will have no idea what classification of vehicle they are getting into. Currently the Capital and other major town and cities are served by the British purpose built London style TX range of taxis from LTI Vehicles Coventry and some aging Metrocabs which are no longer in production. A new TX4 taxi from LTI Vehicles costs from £33,445. Mercedes-Benz launched has their new ‘London Taxi’ in partnership with taxi retailer KPM-UK. They said last week this is to offer the Capital’s cabbies an alternative choice of vehicle. The new vehicle has a steering rear axle to meet the requirements of the 25 feet turning circle. The new model is based on the Vito Traveliner minibus and built at the Mercedes-Benz van plant in Vitoria, northern Spain. Standard vehicles are adapted for use as cabs in the Coventry factory of engineering specialist One80, then retailed by London taxi dealer, KPM-UK, which has offices in Bethnal Green, east London. Steve Bridge, Mercedes-Benz UK’s Van Sales and Marketing Director, said: “The Vito Taxi is a truly ground-breaking vehicle, offering London’s cab drivers a genuine alternative for the first time in many years to the ubiquitous LTI.” “It’s a fantastically versatile taxi, superbly comfortable and fuel-efficient, and boasting a comprehensive array of active and passive safety features. With the adaptation package designed in conjunction with KPM-UK and One80, the Vito Taxi is ideally suited to the role.” Mercedes Vitos are already in service as taxis in cities across Europe but the adaptations carried out to the new model tailor it specifically for work on London’s streets, where the vehicle specification criteria is laid down by the Public Carriage Office. Mercedes say the driver’s cab has a fully-adjustable, leather-clad ‘Comfort’ seat offering unprecedented width and leg room. This combines with a steering wheel that is adjustable for both height and reach to provide the perfect driving position for cabbies of all shapes and sizes. The cockpit and cab, which are separated by an attack-resistant panel, have separate heating and air-conditioning controls. The Vito has an expansive passenger compartment with seating for six people – three facing forwards and three on fold-down, rear-facing seats. Access is via sliding doors on both sides which can be opened electronically at the touch of a button. Both doors are also fitted with driver-operated electric steps, and a lightweight wheelchair ramp is carried in the boot. All seats have full three-point safety belts; the cockpit is also equipped with a driver’s airbag. Other standard safety features include Adaptive ESP® stability control system which not only helps to prevent skids and keep the vehicle stable, but also varies its settings depending on the load being carried. And to meet the famous 25ft turning circle rule the rear-steer axle is mated to a Low Speed Manoeuvrability system. Power comes from the well-proven Mercedes-Benz 2.2-litre common-rail diesel engine which meets all of the latest emissions standards and is mated to a fully automatic five-speed gearbox with Tiptronic mode. Adds Steve Bridge: “A huge amount of planning has gone into creating a taxi that meets all the needs of London’s cabbies and cab passengers – and we believe the Vito Taxi is the perfect vehicle for this job.” Commenting on the launch of the alternative Vito taxi, LTI Vehicles of Coventry who manufacture the purpose-built TX4 cab said, “The London Taxi system is recognised as the best in the world and the investment being made to convert a Mercedes van for use as a taxi in London is affirmation of LTI’s belief in the long term future of the London Taxi trade.” “LTI will continue to invest in the iconic TX4, the world’s only purpose-built taxi and recognised as the vehicle of choice for the professional driver. The significant investment to develop the TX4, launched in October 2006, has been welcomed by both drivers and passengers thanks to its combination of performance, comfort and environmentally friendly features.” “LTI is investing in further improvements with a major focus on improving the environmental performance of the vehicle.” “Two initiatives have been announced recently that will ensure that the TX4 is capable of responding to the challenge of reducing CO2 emissions.” “A project to develop an all electric taxi, the TX4E in collaboration with Tanfield, will result in prototypes for evaluation being available by the end of this year and production vehicles available for sale by the end of 2009.” “A second initiative, LTI in a consortium with Intelligent Energy and Lotus Engineering, will develop a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell powered taxis in time for the London Olympics in 2012.” Miles Better News Agency
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