Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

Some years ago there were a small number of repro Asquith cabs in London
but I haven't seen one for a long time.

Are there any still in use?

On 2012\08\29 13:47, Jim wrote:


Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

Some years ago there were a small number of repro Asquith cabs in London
but I haven't seen one for a long time.

Are there any still in use?

I saw one working about a month ago. They were said to be fairly
unreliable, and I'm not if their numbers may have been depleted.

On 29/08/2012 13:47, Jim wrote:


Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

Some years ago there were a small number of repro Asquith cabs in London
but I haven't seen one for a long time.

Are there any still in use?

Baku has also adopted London cabs as standard around the city.

In article ,
says...

On 29/08/2012 13:47, Jim wrote:


Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

Some years ago there were a small number of repro Asquith cabs in London
but I haven't seen one for a long time.

Are there any still in use?

Baku has also adopted London cabs as standard around the city.

Fascinating, I see they already have a thousand 'damson' cabs and are
expecting a further 3000 shortly.

I recently saw an F-reg Metrocab working in London, this surely is one
of the oldest taxis still licensed, soon to be a victim of the emissions
policy.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:47:20 +0100, Jim
[wake wrote:



Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

What happened to the Mercedes Vito van-based cab with 4-wheel steering
that was supposed to take over in London? It doesn't seem to be very
common yet.

Recliner wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:47:20 +0100, Jim
[wake wrote:



Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

What happened to the Mercedes Vito van-based cab with 4-wheel steering
that was supposed to take over in London? It doesn't seem to be very
common yet.


Probably because it is too expensive? Since launch, the purchase
price has climbed quite steeply to the point where the saving over the
Manganese Bronze LTI cab is small. Also, there are many garages all
over London that specialise in repairing and maintaining the
traditional LTI models, but few with expertise in the Mercedes-Benz.

The Nissan taxi is going to have to be better supported than the
Mercedes-Benz if it is to make a dent in LTI sales. A low purchase
price is not enough. Significantly raising the price before it was
established in the market is what may have killed off the
Mercedes-Benz.

On 2012\08\29 21:50, Jim wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 29/08/2012 13:47, Jim wrote:


Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

Some years ago there were a small number of repro Asquith cabs in London
but I haven't seen one for a long time.

Are there any still in use?

Baku has also adopted London cabs as standard around the city.

Fascinating, I see they already have a thousand 'damson' cabs and are
expecting a further 3000 shortly.

I recently saw an F-reg Metrocab working in London, this surely is one
of the oldest taxis still licensed, soon to be a victim of the emissions
policy.

By "emissions policy" I presume you mean the policy that taxi drivers'
life savings should be emitted towards Tim Yeo's bank account.

http://order-order.com/2012/08/21/ta...ge-limit-deal/

On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:00:14 +0100, Bruce
wrote:

Recliner wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:47:20 +0100, Jim
[wake wrote:



Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

What happened to the Mercedes Vito van-based cab with 4-wheel steering
that was supposed to take over in London? It doesn't seem to be very
common yet.


Probably because it is too expensive? Since launch, the purchase
price has climbed quite steeply to the point where the saving over the
Manganese Bronze LTI cab is small. Also, there are many garages all
over London that specialise in repairing and maintaining the
traditional LTI models, but few with expertise in the Mercedes-Benz.

The Nissan taxi is going to have to be better supported than the
Mercedes-Benz if it is to make a dent in LTI sales. A low purchase
price is not enough. Significantly raising the price before it was
established in the market is what may have killed off the
Mercedes-Benz.


I must admit I don't know much about taxi economics, but I'd imagine
that running costs for a vehicle that's working for many hours each
day greatly outweigh the initial purchase price. So I wonder how these
new pretenders to the throne compare with the established LT1?

Recliner wrote:

On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:00:14 +0100, Bruce
wrote:

Recliner wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:47:20 +0100, Jim
[wake wrote:



Having just looked at a BBC news item concerning Nissan having an
approved cab for London has reminded me of something.

What happened to the Mercedes Vito van-based cab with 4-wheel steering
that was supposed to take over in London? It doesn't seem to be very
common yet.


Probably because it is too expensive? Since launch, the purchase
price has climbed quite steeply to the point where the saving over the
Manganese Bronze LTI cab is small. Also, there are many garages all
over London that specialise in repairing and maintaining the
traditional LTI models, but few with expertise in the Mercedes-Benz.

The Nissan taxi is going to have to be better supported than the
Mercedes-Benz if it is to make a dent in LTI sales. A low purchase
price is not enough. Significantly raising the price before it was
established in the market is what may have killed off the
Mercedes-Benz.


I must admit I don't know much about taxi economics, but I'd imagine
that running costs for a vehicle that's working for many hours each
day greatly outweigh the initial purchase price. So I wonder how these
new pretenders to the throne compare with the established LT1?


My cousin operates two black cabs and has done a detailed comparison
of the LTI cab and the Mercedes-Benz.

According to him, the fuel cost of the Mercedes-Benz is lower but
every other component of running costs is higher. Servicing is very
expensive indeed; there is effectively no competition for
Mercedes-Benz servicing whereas the market for LTI servicing is
extremely competitive. The result is that Mercedes-Benz servicing
costs are around three times higher, with hourly rates for a service
technician at around £145 against £45-£50 at independent garages
servicing LTI cabs. The tyres for the Mercedes-Benz are lower profile
and cost at least double those for the LTI.

He attended the launch of the Nissan 200 cab in New York and was very
impressed, although he didn't have the opportunity to drive one. It
is a simple variant of the mass produced and very cheap Nissan 200
van. Apart from the usual taxi kit, the main difference is in the
drive shafts which are double articulated to give a turning circle of
less than 25 feet between kerbs as required by the London Carriage
Office, or whatever they call it now. It is a low maintenance vehicle
and the engine comfortably complies with the next tranche of exhaust
emission requirements. He is almost certain to buy a Nissan cab to
replace one of his LTIs.

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:01:17 +0100
Bruce wrote:
drive shafts which are double articulated to give a turning circle of
less than 25 feet between kerbs as required by the London Carriage
Office, or whatever they call it now. It is a low maintenance vehicle

That must mean its front wheel drive which won't be kind to the tyres.

B2003