“taxi! Hey, Taxi...”
“TAXI! HEY, TAXI...”
YOU THINK YOUR HOMEtown’s got traffic? You ought to see London’s, which is right up there on the Terrible Traffic Hit Parade with Rome, New York City and Tokyo. One way to beat it is to not own a car, or at least to not drive one while in the city. But what if you’ve simply got to get somewhere the city’s very efficient public transportation system doesn’t go? After all, taxis get stuck in traffic too, right?
Well, not necessarily. And as proof, we offer the firm Taxibike, which uses a fleet of three modified Honda PC800s to boldly go where no car could possibly fit. At least, not during rush hour.
Taxibike has converted its PCs for taxi use by fitting passenger footboards, rider-topassenger intercoms, and telephones. Passengers are offered rainsuits, gloves, an open-face helmet with adjustable padding, and even a lap-robe for use in the really cold weather that sometimes afflicts London.
Taxi pilot Peter Cunneen says most of his runs start in central London, where the Honda’s lane-splitting ability makes it far quicker than a conventional cab. The most popular destination is Heathrow Airport, usually 40 minutes away by car or public transport. It’s 20 minutes away by Taxibike, says Cunneen.
Public reaction to the service has been extremely favorable, according to Cunneen, who says, “A lot of customers have never been on a bike at all, let alone a Taxibike, and they’re all incredibly impressed. Most say they can’t understand why it’s not been done before. The only frowns I’ve received have come from drivers of normal taxis.” Unfortunately, convenience costs money. The cost of the service is about $3 per mile, with the run from central London to Heathrow costing a set $50 fee. Those numbers aren’t
scaring off customers, according to Patrick Gallagher, of London courier firm Addison Lee, which operates Taxibike.
“We’ve been running for over a year now, and business definitely is picking up,” he says. -Roland Brown
