So far i've come to a halt and i cant think of much else to say about one.

other than their old, noisy, expencive, unecanomical, slow, and no luggage space...

its for the year 2027 so most of my genaration will be 40 and most of the people about the wholrd will obviously be older in genaral there will be more old peeps than younger. but i need to redesign the taxi for 2027 to suit the environment. only major things that will change are the design - but the 4 wheels and a engine are unlikely to be lightyears ahead. so i need your help to just point out somethings you would like to see, or have changed on a taxi - this is kinda like a public survey but i'd like to see your oppinions even if its the smallest thing please leave some feed back.

i have a few ideas but need your "the public" oppinions of it too

hope to get some good suggestions thanks very very much.

Leon

another thing... would it be wise to think about maybe a seperate taxi for disabled people? wheelchair bound people? maybe. or have certain luxury dedicated airport taxis? ...fire away:)

In 2027, it'll be a hover taxi

Chris

Good turning circle, easily distinguishable from other traffic, interior is easy to clean (rear can be hosed down), good head and leg room.

That's a few but I'm sure there's more.

I think if you asked London Cabbies they would say, Safe, easy to run, Economical, Easy to drive, Spacious interior, and a way to buy a big villa in the sun and play golf a lot.

In 2027, it'll be a hover taxi

Chris

sensible ideas please children!

Bloody hell where even doing his homework for him now:rofl: :P

Bloody hell where even doing his homework for him now:rofl: :P

just saves me going back into town and having a note pad asking random people...theres enough random people here! :P

Good turning circle, easily distinguishable from other traffic, interior is easy to clean (rear can be hosed down), good head and leg room.

Im with Eddy on this one - the key aspects IMHO are the turning circle and the"recognisable" bit. London cabs are a tourist attraction in their own right and very easily distinguished from other "normal" cars - any changes need to try and keep this aspect (whilst making them more modern all round!)

Im with Eddy on this one - the key aspects IMHO are the turning circle and the"recognisable" bit. London cabs are a tourist attraction in their own right and very easily distinguished from other "normal" cars - any changes need to try and keep this aspect (whilst making them more modern all round!)

yeah i have the design elements of the london cab, tho i think a few will still be around in 2027 probrably running on lpg

yeah i have the design elements of the london cab, tho i think a few will still be around in 2027 probrably running on lpg

I think the major change I would want is seating that is more supportive - the current upright benches just leave people sliding all over the place.

Hydraulic floor (like some buses have) for easy access

should disabled taxis be seperate? is it a good idea to have varients of taxis... disableb, club, airport? just with differnt interior set ups?:confused:

should disabled taxis be seperate? is it a good idea to have varients of taxis... disableb, club, airport? just with differnt interior set ups?:confused:

careful, you're not allowed to call people disabled anymore, it's not politically correct!

careful, you're not allowed to call people disabled anymore, it's not politically correct!

erm.... broken?:confused: what else would we call unable to do everything but somethings people?

I've put forward some views in the other thread. Considering this thread, I'd ask whether you are concentrating on ease of keeping your cab tidy or on your best bet of getting customers into your cab. Hence things like the interior will be irrelevant unless very well publicised so that booking by word of mouth travels - but would it? given an essentially tourist based clientele.

Somehow the outside has to show that your cab is better (or arrives quicker), meaning that any inside features would be a bonus to a customer but irrelevant to your getting the business.

Re disabled access, I'd imagine that either you'd be in that market or you wouldn't. If you are really talking only about London floating taxis, then you'll need max clientele to stay in business (either now or 10 years hence). A specialist company advised to top London hotels would be a good move methinks, but you're asking about a basic pick-up and drop cab aren't you?

Mo

Turning circle, load carrying ability. RIDE COMFORT. Having been a passenger in a large number of black cabs, they do soak up even the most vile pot-holes - though are a bit of a blancmange in the twisties.

How about a more comfortable, spacious environment for the cabbie, with integrated satnav systems, that perhaps has a feed to a screen in the back so the passenger can type in the address - number of times i've been asked to clarify which "old police station" and which "train station" (despite having a longer more specific name than the other one) - imagine the capacity for confusion when you are just talking Royal Road or Acacia Avenue?!!?!

PLus, they always look so cramped up front, not very happy, perched up there.

I'd also like to see a electro-chromatic glass partitions that can be switched to see through/privacy modes as i'm not too keen on the looks i get from cabbies sometimes - and I'd imagine for a single woman out on the town late at night it might be even more disconcerting. - besides, i look a right walley dressed like an extra from the matrix brandishing a lightsaber, so I'd rather a cabbie didn't just sit there gaping slack-jawed or if he did, that i didn't have to see it.

Turning circle, load carrying ability. RIDE COMFORT. Having been a passenger in a large number of black cabs, they do soak up even the most vile pot-holes - though are a bit of a blancmange in the twisties.

How about a more comfortable, spacious environment for the cabbie, with integrated satnav systems, that perhaps has a feed to a screen in the back so the passenger can type in the address - number of times i've been asked to clarify which "old police station" and which "train station" (despite having a longer more specific name than the other one) - imagine the capacity for confusion when you are just talking Royal Road or Acacia Avenue?!!?!

PLus, they always look so cramped up front, not very happy, perched up there.

I'd also like to see a electro-chromatic glass partitions that can be switched to see through/privacy modes as i'm not too keen on the looks i get from cabbies sometimes - and I'd imagine for a single woman out on the town late at night it might be even more disconcerting. - besides, i look a right walley dressed like an extra from the matrix brandishing a lightsaber, so I'd rather a cabbie didn't just sit there gaping slack-jawed or if he did, that i didn't have to see it.

i like!!!

For a "London Taxi", pretty much everything bar the power plant and gears (accomodation, wheelchair access, turning circle certainly are) are governed by national or local statute law I think.

A web search for "Public Carriage Office" London should turn up some useful info.

How about a more comfortable, spacious environment for the cabbie, with integrated satnav systems,

Agree about the more comfortable space for cabbies, however most cabs are already fitted with some sort of navigation/GPS location systems mainly for the drivers safety though, as they should generaly know where they are going anyway.

that perhaps has a feed to a screen in the back so the passenger can type in the address - number of times i've been asked to clarify which "old police station" and which "train station" (despite having a longer more specific name than the other one) - imagine the capacity for confusion when you are just talking Royal Road or Acacia Avenue?!!?!

Bit stupid IMO, If a customer can't tell you where they want to go accurately by talking to you, then they'd never be able to input it to a navigation system, besides the cabbies knowledge will always be better than the navigation systems and its much quicker to just say "the police station in xx road" rather than type it into a computer. and thats not even taking into account the people who dont know there is another train station/police station similarly named or that simply dont know the name of the road they want, the cabbie will always work out where you want to go, imagine typing "its near that chip shop down the road by where the school is" into a navigation system?!

I'd also like to see a electro-chromatic glass partitions that can be switched to see through/privacy modes as i'm not too keen on the looks i get from cabbies sometimes - and I'd imagine for a single woman out on the town late at night it might be even more disconcerting. - besides, i look a right walley dressed like an extra from the matrix brandishing a lightsaber, so I'd rather a cabbie didn't just sit there gaping slack-jawed or if he did, that i didn't have to see it.

Unfortunately we have to see what you are up to in the back for our own safety, believe me we are not realy interested in what you might be wearing, how do you have a conversation with someone you cant see either? the majority of people do want to chat with the driver, it's only polite, although you do get the occasional ignorant idiots who think they are above you and wont bring themselves to talk to you!

There's no reason why anyone should need privacy in a taxi? would you expect to not be looked at if you were dressed like a tw*t sitting on a bus? besides, there is no danger for single women in taxis, (assuming they are bright enough to not get in an illegal taxi) we have to undergo stringent police & CRB checks and have to pass an advanced driving test.

To be perfectly honest, the vast majority of taxi customers do not give a t*ss what they are driven in, so long as its clean, they just want to get where they are going as quickly as possible, so my only suggestions would be exemption from speed limits and traffic lights for cab drivers, plus mandatory minimum engine size of 3.0 Turbo and free petrol for cabbies too!

should disabled taxis be seperate? is it a good idea to have varients of taxis... disableb, club, airport? just with differnt interior set ups?:confused:

As far as I know the current rules don't allow this sort of distinction for black cabs - they all need to be able to do all things. I also can't see that it would work as discrimination laws would likely rule against any cab that was not set up for disabled passengers. IMHO airport taxis are usually normal cars as current cabs do not have suitable storage for cases etc and are usually not comfortable enough for a longer journey.

After all that I guess my answer is NO - different variants wouldn't work!