Most liked posts in thread: New Yorkers Select Mini Cooper for New Cab Platform

What...no mention of driving down subway entrance steps or beating traffic jambs by running through sewer pipes :confused5:

 

Would the Countryman fit in those spaces as well as the Mini did? :nonod:

Jim

 

Wow, is it April 1 already?

 

Can't be. MOTD registration isn't open yet.

Jim

 

Let's try it :eek6:

 

Jim

 

Aw, I was excited, hoping there was some truth to the news! (Gullible me!)

 

and to think...you live in the SHOW ME state :cornut:

 

Yeah, shame on me! :blush2:

 

Actually, I think the Ford Transit (one of the real finalists) would make an excellent taxi for that area. Small, manuverable, good mileage, sliding side door, good luggage room in the back..... the only thing it wouldn't do is accomodate large groups, for that they'd need some mini-vans or small buses.

Here in suburbs where taxis are rare, they've just started a new cab company using nothing but a fleet of PT Cruisers and Chevy HHR's, all at reduced rates - $10 for anything up to 5 miles and $15 for anywhere they go in the county.

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That's interesting as these small vans-with-windows have become very popular with taxi drivers in Britain (well, outside London, where things are different). They started with the French Renault/Peugeot/Citroen models that the Tranist Connect is a sorta copy of.

But a few drivers I've spoken to hate the newer models that have rear sliding doors as so many passengers either don't know how to shut them properly or actually don't have the strength (or in some cases are too drunk to work out how it moves....), so the driver has to get out and close the door themself.

I suspect their particular complaint is that with a hinged door they could make a point of slamming it like a petulant teenager in a huff, but with a sliding door that doesn't work....

 

The advantage of the sliding side door comes when you're in a city like NY or London with their crowded sidewalks and loads of peds walking by, you don't open the door into someone's legs or have to dodge around them as you walk. Not to mention the opening is usually larger and easier to navigate, especially if you're carrying packages or attached to a small child. And heaven forbid that a taxi driver would have to open the door for a paying customer!

With the proliferation of minivans over the last 30 years, I find it hard to believe people don't know how to close a sliding door.....but maybe in Europe where they're not quite as many as here it's a different story.....

 

Been there done that! Not to Scale