Unsuitable Taxis

Terrontress

Why do people buy nice cars to taxi when they know they can get away with old junk?

I was in a new model S60 on Friday night. It had cream leather seats in it. I made a point of putting my battered sausage and chips in the boot so as not to stink it out.

I asked the man if he was mad and he said he prefers to have a nice working environment.

Still, cream coloured leather seats in a cab? Mad.

Rowley Birkin QC

Well leather is harder wearing than cloth isn't it?

I got a spin home in one of the last model S class one night from Coppers, very odd. Absolute poverty to absolute luxury in about 2 minutes:D

will1977

eoin_s wrote: »

I think Michael O'Leary did the same, but it was a big tank of a Merc from what I remember.

They do that in London to avoid paying the congestion charges.

nialler

Regulator is changing the rules this year. All NCT'd cars can only be a limo or a taxi so you'll see a lot of the S & LS go off the roads as taxis, I'm sure the drivers will pick up 4-5 year old passats/modeos and skoda diesels to do that part of their business.

The taxing a tank as a limo is a very cost efficient way of doing things btw.

Spook_ie

leincar wrote: »

For new cars in the Taxi business you write off the value of the car against tax over a 3 year period. 40%,40%,20%.

Actualy its depreciated on a rolling 40% basis, ie 40% of residual value per year and then an entry under disposed assets at the remaining value...

G Luxel

why not have something unique, some vehicle equivalent to the London Taxi (metrocab/fairway) or New York cab (yellow cab) or Tokyo (Toyota Crown)?
At least they have a carrying capacity as opposed to something like a Smart Car..........:D

rebel.ranter

There's a guy in Cork using a Kia Rio!!! Fara far too small!!
(same colour as the one on the website

http://www.kiamotors.ie/rio.asp

Wishbone Ash

I ordered a taxi in an African city one day for 3 people and a Fiat Seicento arrived!

Something like this:

G Luxel

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I ordered a taxi in an African city one day for 3 people and a Fiat Seicento arrived!

Something like this:

I have seen two of those cars on the roads here from Poland. They are called Daewoo Tiko. In Crete there are still some Mercedes E class from the early 80s used as taxi's.

Wishbone Ash

G Luxel wrote: »

In Crete there are still some Mercedes E class from the early 80s used as taxi's.

I got an E Class taxi in Crete a number of years ago and it had 960,000kms on the clock! The driver told me(in broken English) that it was driven by 3 people in 8 hour shifts 'around the clock'.

Now that's how to run a taxi - it's not making money sitting on a driveway.

Leon11

You won't believe this but there's a Merc A Class being used, I've spotted it regularly in Clondalkin Village, owner is from the area.

unkel

G Luxel wrote: »

In Crete there are still some Mercedes E class from the early 80s used as taxi's.

Nothing wrong with that imho. In fact the car with the highest ever mileage (about 5 million kilometers iirc) was a Greek Mercedes taxi

unkel

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I got an E Class taxi in Crete a number of years ago and it had 960,000kms on the clock!

Yeah I had a W210 late 90s E-Class taxi in Tenerife (Canary Islands) a couple of week s ago with nearly a million km on it. Basic spec 6 speed manual. No rattles. I'm still convinced no other make can pull this kinda longevity off. Nothing Japanese for sure

Wishbone Ash

unkel wrote: »

Yeah I had a W210 late 90s E-Class taxi in Tenerife (Canary Islands) a couple of week s ago with nearly a million km on it. Basic spec 6 speed manual. No rattles. I'm still convinced no other make can pull this kinda longevity off. Nothing Japanese for sure

I've a bit to go in my 160,000 (miles) 1998 W210 then so!

bazz26

unkel wrote: »

Yeah I had a W210 late 90s E-Class taxi in Tenerife (Canary Islands) a couple of week s ago with nearly a million km on it. Basic spec 6 speed manual. No rattles. I'm still convinced no other make can pull this kinda longevity off. Nothing Japanese for sure

Well considering how much more expensive the Merc cost when new compared to an average Jap car given similar use I would expect the Merc to out last them. Isn't that one of the things your paying the extra money for?

Unfortunately Mercs of that caliber, built in the last 10 years or so are the exception rather than the rule. Very common to still find plenty of W123 or E Classes still doing the taxi rounds on the Continent.

Spook_ie

G Luxel wrote: »

why not have something unique, some vehicle equivalent to the London Taxi (metrocab/fairway) or New York cab (yellow cab) or Tokyo (Toyota Crown)?
At least they have a carrying capacity as opposed to something like a Smart Car..........:D

Jeez, that looks just like the jap import Camry's that people complain about being used here.

goldenbrown

driver who I use often from the ranelagh rank uses a 1998 corolla, he says every 10euros on the meter one euro goes on petrol, for a 1400cc petrol car, he says he mostly has one passenger as he works during the day, seldom 3/four getting in, he rarely opens the boot, less overheads all round I guess

itarumaa

chris85 wrote: »

Daewoo Matiz

My Romanian friend informed that those ones are used as Taxis in Romania:) I think some of those are build there as well, not 100% sure.

2stageturbo

Seen a LEFT HAND DRIVE Renault Megane, mammy wagon, mpv type yoke in Drumcondra yesterday.

LEFT HAND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek:

Guy:Incognito

2stageturbo wrote: »

Seen a LEFT HAND DRIVE Renault Megane, mammy wagon, mpv type yoke in Drumcondra yesterday.

LEFT HAND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek:

Thats the 2nd left hand drive taxi mentioned. I really thought RHD would have been a minimum.

Run_to_da_hills

Mexico City. The Beetle is the favourite. Only having two doors would rule them out in most countrys around the world, however it makes it more difficult for a passenger sitting in the rear to do a bunk without paying.

Wishbone Ash

2stageturbo wrote: »

Seen a LEFT HAND DRIVE Renault Megane, mammy wagon, mpv type yoke in Drumcondra yesterday.

LEFT HAND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek:

Stekelly wrote: »

Thats the 2nd left hand drive taxi mentioned. I really thought RHD would have been a minimum.

This may be the other one also coincidently spotted in Drumcondra. How can the regulator justify this nonsense?

unkel

bazz26 wrote: »

Well considering how much more expensive the Merc cost when new compared to an average Jap car given similar use I would expect the Merc to out last them. Isn't that one of the things your paying the extra money for?

Get a million km out of a €60k vehicle or 300k km out of a €30k vehicle and which one is cheaper then?

But you do have a point of course:

bazz26 wrote: »

Unfortunately Mercs of that caliber, built in the last 10 years or so are the exception rather than the rule

We all know about the quality problems made worse by the dealer attitudes. 10 years ago there was barely no non-MB taxi to be found on the continent. It's very different now...

aphex™

Saw a Mercedes 1985 Estate (red) with a taxi plate the other day. :eek:

Terrontress

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

This may be the other one also coincidently spotted in Drumcondra. How can the regulator justify this nonsense?

Is there any evidence to support the fact that this car is LHD?

All I can see is a Picasso, like any other, and probably quite a good taxi at that.

Wishbone Ash

Terrontress wrote: »

Is there any evidence to support the fact that this car is LHD?

I've no photographic proof if that's what you mean but the driver was sitting on the nearside front seat and had a steering wheel in front of him!

I would have had no other reason to take a pic of a Xarza(?) or whatever it is.

Max_Damage

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

This may be the other one also coincidently spotted in Drumcondra. How can the regulator justify this nonsense?

<Snip>

Yep, that's the one I saw that was a LHD. I don't see what all the fuss is about to be honest.

Volvoboy

Terrontress wrote: »

Is there any evidence to support the fact that this car is LHD?

All I can see is a Picasso, like any other, and probably quite a good taxi at that.

If you look at the NCT yellow round sticker on the rear window the sticker is on the right hand side of the car, as its a left hand drive.


All RHD taxi's have these stikers on the left hand side of the car.

I'll post a pic of this if i can find one.


-VB-

Wishbone Ash

Volvoboy wrote: »

If you look at the NCT yellow round sticker on the rear window the sticker is on the right hand side of the car, as its a left hand drive.


All RHD taxi's have these stikers on the left hand side of the car

Thanks for that little nugget of information Volvoboy. I didn't know that.

Volvoboy

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Thanks for that little nugget of information Volvoboy. I didn't know that.

No bother, it was posted about in Taxi.ie fourm before it was pulled.


It's defo a left hooker, one of the lads there had photos of it in the kesh in dublin airport.



-VB-