Call Sign March 2005 - Page 31 - EURO 3 TAXI EMISSION CONTROLS?

The recently announced deadlines for older cabs to be converted into cleaner, greener, sweeter-smelling, environmentally friendly, Euro 3 compliant machines, has brought a wealth of opinions from those most effected by Mayor Ken’s ruling - namely the drivers of those cabs that fall foul of the present emission requirements.
Call Sign went out on to the streets of the capital to seek the views held by some of the Dial-a-Cab drivers affected by the changes. These were some of our findings…

John Baptist (E06): ‘R’ reg. Metro…
"I’m not due to change until 2006, but we will need it done to go to work. Fleet owners will not go bankrupt like they say, because the cost will be passed on to the driver in extra rentals. I expect there will be further discussions between proprietors and the authorities, that’s almost inevitable. I had a passenger recently who said he worked for Jaguar Cars and that a conversion could be done for £250 and not the £2500 we’ve been quoted! Maintaining the engine/exhaust heat will be a big problem."

Barry Kaplan (H11): ‘M’ reg. Metro.
"I’m due for conversion around May/June 2006, but I’m unaware of a catalytic converter for a Metro. I bought a plastic cab because I thought it would last me until I retired - no rust or corrosion! Right now I’m undecided what to do. I might go for the gas convert or offer this cab to a hospice or the like if conversion is impractical. A replacement engine also costs thousands, so it’s a problem at present. I’ve even thought about a Eurocab if the CoF are lifted, but I

EURO 3 TAXI EMISSION CONTROLS?

DAC DRIVERS HAVE THEIR SAY…

believe they are not available with an automatic gearbox."
Editor’s note: This survey was undertaken before the Review of the Conditions of
Fitness was due to be announced and it was therefore unclear at the time whether the Eurocab would even be allowed onto the streets of London...

Adrian Everett (T20): ‘V’ reg. TX1.
"These are now sentenced vehicles. I agree with the effort to improve air quality, but firstly it was wheelchair accessibility - which was not a viable option for all cabs and natural wastage saw the old ones go. Now its pollution, but there are so many varying reports in the trade press, I just don’t know who to believe. This cab is the best one I’ve ever had. My son has a TXII and he is pleased with it."

Reginald Fuller (D53): ‘X’ reg. TX1.
"I’ve not got the foggiest idea about time scale. We already have an emissions test prior to overhaul. If TfL want us to improve on that, they should pay for it! My biggest criticism is that I do not think it has been put out to Tender. If a cab is now 4 years old and is 2 years away from conversion, am I going to sell it or keep it with a short ‘converted’ life?"

Robert Minter (R10): ‘Y’ reg. TX1.

We caught up with Rob as he was
giving his Nightfire Red ‘Royale’ spec chariot some TLC, despite the poor weather. "As yet I have
not investigated the details of reducing the emissions, but I’ve read the publicity - about £3000 to convert, I think. Hopefully that will come down to £1200 / £1500 over a period of time. I may
choose to renew my cab, but I reject this strategy of being ‘forced to swap’. I think the clean air policy is a good idea, but we may have a new Mayor in due course and who knows what will be then? This Nissan engine is good and it’s the best cab I’ve ever had. Cabs have come a long way since my father started driving quite some years ago."
   Finally, Call Sign drove to Holloway Road to speak with Ian Butcher, the Sales Manager at LTI Main Dealer Mann & Overton, regarding the reported drop in value for cabs of a certain age. He agreed that the uncertainty of the current climate inevitably reflected in trade-in figures,
but not as steeply as rumours would suggest. He told us:
   "A driver with a very old cab should think carefully about having it converted, because it may well not meet the stringent PCO standards in other ways. In the majority of cases, it is possible to achieve a minimum deposit from a part-exchange against a new or pre-owned TXII. If in doubt, we are always here to help."
   Call Sign would like to thank all those who gave their time and took the trouble to make an input for this survey. A point raised several times throughout our canvassing was that when the wheelchair accessibility rules came into effect, many cabs were pensioned off over a period of time through natural retirement with relatively few being converted. This is, perhaps, the direction in which the current policy should have gone, coming so quickly as it does on the heels of the receipt printer requirements.
   If you have a view, why not share it through ‘Mailshot’ at the usual address?

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