London’s iconic black taxis continue to be popular with world travelers despite predictions for their impending demise amid increased competition and clean air regulations.
Some contend that the revered black taxi could become extinct as more modern, environmentally friendly cabs force them off London’s streets.
For now, it appears that London’s iconic black taxis are winning the war for public opinion. World travelers recently voted London’s black taxis as the best in the world for the fourth consecutive year, according to a survey by Hotels.com.
Clean Air Rules Could Remove 1,200 Black Taxis from Roads
However, the future for London’s black taxis is uncertain as more competition looms and new clean air regulations begin in 2012. According to London.gov.uk, part of London Mayor Boris Johnson’s air quality plan will target the oldest, more polluting black cabs in the capital. According to the mayor's office road traffic is responsible for about 80% of airborne pollution in central London, with black cabs contributing 20% of this. Starting January 2012, no license will be issued for a taxi more that 15 years old. It is estimated that could remove some 1,200 traditional black taxis from London’s roads. All new taxis entering the fleet by April 2012 will also have to meet the strictest emission vehicle standards.
Mercedes Battling For London Taxi Turf
Competition from other taxi companies has taken a chunk of the London market away from traditional cabs. The main competitor is the Mercedes-Benz Vito taxi, which entered the London market in 2008. The environmentally friendly light van has grabbed a 25 percent share of all new cabs licensed in the market. An electric version of the Mercedes Vito is scheduled to be launched in time for the 2012 Olympic games in London. With zero-emissions, the electric cab should be able to meet London’s new clean air taxi standards.
Staveley Head, one of the UK's leading providers of vehicle insurance, weighed in on the future of London’s iconic taxi in a December 2009 press release: “The black cab has long (been) as synonymous with London as the Double Decker bus and red post boxes so the news that it could be replaced will anger traditionalists. In some respects, it is indeed sad that such an iconic vehicle is being ousted by a new rival.”
However, some view the manufacturers of the traditional London black taxi as an outdated monopoly. The launch of the Mercedes Vito taxi “signaled the intention of this motoring behemoth to attack the antiquated monopoly held by company's like Maganese Bronze, over the manufacturing of black cabs for the lucrative London market,” the London Taxi Blog posted June 27, 2008. Maganese Bronze is the leading manufacturer of London’s traditional black taxi.
London’s Iconic Austin FX4 Black Taxi Updated
The Austin FX4 black taxi, produced in 1958, is a revered British icon. According to the London Vintage Taxi Association, the FX4 remained in continuous production with various modifications including five different engines for 39 years. After production of the FX4 ended in 1997, the TX1 was introduced as the contemporary version of the classic London taxi. The latest model is the TX4 launched in 2009. The updated TX cabs maintain the iconic shape of the classic black taxi. The London Taxi Company, which produces the TX line of cabs for owner Maganese Bronze, states on its website: “The London Taxi is the most recognised Taxi in the world and is the product of over 100 years of experience in the Taxi industry, selling, designing and manufacturing London Taxis. So when you buy a London Taxi you can be sure you are getting the most comfortable, most reliable and efficient Taxi in the world.”
It seems as if London’s most popular icons from the revered Routemaster double-decker bus to the wooden red phone booth have faced the harsh realities of the modern era. The famous Routemaster was retired in 2005 due to safety concerns and high maintenance costs. A modern, sleek version of the famous Routemaster is due to hit the streets of London early 2012. The bus will be 15% more fuel efficient than existing hybrid buses, and 40% more efficient than conventional diesel double deckers and much quieter. London’s iconic red phone booths have rapidly disappeared from streets on the rise of cell phone use.
Traditionalists certainly hope that London’s black taxi will not disappear from the roads and land up in a museum. But the purveyors of the classic taxi will have to forsake tradition and adapt to the modern world or this may very well happen.
Sources:
London .gov.uk
London Vintage Taxi Association //www.lvta.co.uk/history.htm
The London Taxi Company
Gary Raynaldo - I am a writer with more than 25 years of working experience as a journalist and editor for several newspapers and wire services in the ...
