[eye30]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24426483

Nearly 100 London cabs have been sent to Australia, but painted white rather than black.

[Surferdude]

They arrived quite a while back, Maybe a month or two. Saw them on the news here.

[Dazzler]

Apart from the iconic look of a london cab, what is the appeal/ benefit.. Hybrids (Camry and Prius) have finally started to get popular as taxis down here due to their frugal fuel use around town.. Surely they would be a better buy than one of these "old" things 

[eye30]

So i wondet why is it only reported here now!

Must have been a slow news day.....

[AlanHo]

Apart from the iconic look of a london cab, what is the appeal/ benefit.. Hybrids (Camry and Prius) have finally started to get popular as taxis down here due to their frugal fuel use around town.. Surely they would be a better buy than one of these "old" things 

Easy to get in and out of with wide doors and flat floor
Unrivalled leg room
Tight turning circle - they can turn around in a normal road without 3 point turns
Driver is surrounded by a plexi glass screen to protect him from Perth hooligans
High cabin noise to keep you awake
Bumpy stiff ride to flatten your piles
Simple and strong construction with low maintenance costs.

[asathorny]

Interesting that Ozz might want our bumpy old cabs made by BRONZE with no competition. just as most sensible UK taxi lads are swapping to the new super duper Mercedes cab, ?????????????????????????????  WHY 

[Aussie Keith]

These have trialled these before and it didn't work out. Here in Brisbane there are as Trev pointed out fleets of Toyotas now working as cabs with the odd Passat diesel as well. Nary a Foulcan to be seen these days. They seem to have gone the way of the Caucasian cab driver, vanished, never to be seen again.

[agentr31]

Pretty much all falcons where I live, and hiace for the maxi taxis!

[rustynutz]

So i wondet why is it only reported here now!

Must have been a slow news day.....

Must have been a slow day here too....
Btw, where does your luggage go when you're off to the airport? 


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-09/london-black-taxis-turn-white-for-australia/5010334

[beerman]

Pretty much all falcons where I live, and hiace for the maxi taxis!

Don't know where you are, but Brisbane are mainly Toyotas (with a couple of VWs, i30cw and i40 wagons) and the Gold Coast are basically the same (have seen a GD I30 getting around there too). The Falcon Cab is a very rare breed indeed.

[diablo]

The traditional black cab seems to have become much rarer in Blackpool, England recently. Some of my relatives used to be cab drivers many years ago and they swore by them - and sometimes swore at them when they broke down.

All sorts of car are used now, Skoda Superbs may well be the most common though -  they are supposed to be reliable. I have seen one i30 used as a cab in the last few days.

[AlanHo]

where does your luggage go when you're off to the airport? 

There is space alongside the driver, a small boot and a boot lid that drops down and is used to strap cases onto out in the weather.

If there are only a couple of passengers - the luggage generally goes in with the passengers who brace it against the bulkhead with their feet to stop it from flying around.

[beerman]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24426483

Nearly 100 London cabs have been sent to Australia, but painted white rather than black.

What did they do, steal a loaf of bread???? 

[rustynutz]

They're actually Chinese Cabs.... 

[Surferdude]

where does your luggage go when you're off to the airport? 

There is space alongside the driver, a small boot and a boot lid that drops down and is used to strap cases onto out in the weather.

If there are only a couple of passengers - the luggage generally goes in with the passengers who brace it against the bulkhead with their feet to stop it from flying around.

For all the times we've been in the UK we'd never been in one so last visit we determined to do it. Got one from The Royal National Hotel in Holborn to the hire car place in Abbey Road St Johns Wood. Driver was pleasant and talkative (what cabbie isn't?). All our luggage (2 hard shell cases and backpacks etc) fitted in no trouble. And it was a great way to see a slice of North London.

[Ugly Mongrel]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24426483

Nearly 100 London cabs have been sent to Australia, but painted white rather than black.

What did they do, steal a loaf of bread???? 

These cabs weren't exported, they were deported.

[asathorny]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24426483

Nearly 100 London cabs have been sent to Australia, but painted white rather than black.

What did they do, steal a loaf of bread???? 

If they'd stolen bread we'd have hung them, dontcha know anything 

[rustynutz]

They came from China so they would probably have been shot... 

[beerman]

They came from China so they would probably have been shot... 

So they have a one and a half star safety rating? 

[agentr31]

Pretty much all falcons where I live, and hiace for the maxi taxis!

Don't know where you are, but Brisbane are mainly Toyotas (with a couple of VWs, i30cw and i40 wagons) and the Gold Coast are basically the same (have seen a GD I30 getting around there too). The Falcon Cab is a very rare breed indeed.

Caboolture... i did notice a camry hybrid on the weekend! so i guess either im not observent enough, or ive been lucky to only get falcons locally when i use them.

[Doggie 1]

Yes, we're getting the white taxis here too for trials.
The mechanicals worry me - I hope they're up to it.
Geely cars are sold in WA but they have a low safety rating and I believe aren't sold in some other states because of it.

[AlanHo]

Yes, we're getting the white taxis here too for trials.
The mechanicals worry me - I hope they're up to it.
Geely cars are sold in WA but they have a low safety rating and I believe aren't sold in some other states because of it.

These cabs are solidly built in Coventry, England possibly from Indian Steel, French plastic, German canbus, Irish glass and Korean electrics assembled by a local workforce which possibly includes some Pakistanis, Poles, Indians and Africans. They have an impeccable parentage so no need to worry about any Chinese content.  The safety label is irrelevant - they never do more than a few mph.

[rustynutz]

In that link I posted earlier it said this:

The company has two factories: one at Coventry in central England for the domestic British market, and one in Shanghai for worldwide sales.

The Perth cabs were shipped from the Chinese commercial hub.

So I'd say they probably have lots of Chinese content.... 

[AlanHo]

In that link I posted earlier it said this:

The company has two factories: one at Coventry in central England for the domestic British market, and one in Shanghai for worldwide sales.

The Perth cabs were shipped from the Chinese commercial hub.

So I'd say they probably have lots of Chinese content.... 

So the press here in England and the BBC were wrong to claim they were built in Coventry? 

The Guardian even had the audacity to show a picture of them on the Coventry production line.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/07/london-taxi-cab-australia-perth

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24426483

There is a hint that vehicles for the markets where they drive (mainly!!) on the right are assembled in China.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24519407

[rustynutz]

So the press here in England and the BBC were wrong to claim they were built in Coventry? 

 

http://www.caradvice.com.au/251834/london-black-cabs-land-australia/

http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/london-cabs-roll-off-ship-into-australia-20130916-2tucy.html

http://www.automotivelogisticsmagazine.com/uncategorized/london-taxi-ships-to-australia

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/667AEF85651F4B61CA257A87001D429C

[Dazzler]

So the press here in England and the BBC were wrong to claim they were built in Coventry? 

If so, then the media should be sent to Coventry 

[agentr31]

ladies, gents, doesn't matter where they are built, they will never be a match for the mighty falcon!








How many times did this old mate, see you home safely?
How many times did this old mate stop in the most obscure place and open the door for you?
How many times after doing an illegal 'U turn' across 6 lanes of traffic did this old mate let you sit comfterably in the back seat?
How many times at 3 am in the morning did you fall asleep to the sound off that smooth 4L 6cyl motor?
How many times were you so pissed you couldnt talk and this old mate came to your aid?
How many times did this old mate stop in at maccas, just for you even tho it wasnt part of the job requirment?
How many times did this old mate get you to the airport on time EVEN THOUGH there was traffic and speed cameras everywhere!
How many times did this old mate show you a faster way, that somehow cost more?

THATS RIGHT EVERY TIME! you own him, and you owe him big time, he has always been there for you... and now you do this HYBRIDS! ENGLISH TAXI'S, DIESEL VW PASSATS! bow your head in shame guys... you have let him down, all those faultless years of service, being spewed on, being passed out in, dropping your change everywhere inside him and then letting you go even though there was probably $15 short on the tab, YOU THREW THAT RESPECT RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW...

dont expect him to come to your aid... i bet he wont, not after this!

[AlanHo]

I challenge you to get into a Falcon whilst staying in your wheelchair - or if severely immobile but still walking - having the use of a swivel seat that assists entry

The London Taxi is the only vehicle designed from the ground up as just a Taxi with a flat floor, built-in ramp and accessible to all.  Converted sedans are only good for the fully able bodied.

[agentr31]

base covered, 4th one down, wheel chair falcon, there were plenty of them getting around!