Taxicab Business and Operations

Vehicles


-Photo courtesy of Marc Klein
Prototype of the Standard Taxi. The vehicle is designed to be wheelchair accessible and easy to maintain.

• The US-made Standard Taxi by The Vehicle Production Group LLC is due to be in production in 2009

• Ford taxi fleet sales for 2008 Crown Victoria taxicabs with the long-wheelbase option

• London Taxis International, maker of the world-famous London cabs

• London Fleet sells, finances and places wrap advertising on London cabs throughout the U.S.

• The TX1 London Taxi, by London Taxi International, announced 10 October 1997

• KPM-UK Taxis, home of the only independent franchised LTI dealer in London for the TX4



TX4 London cab by London Taxis International

• Mann and Overton, LTI dealer buys and sells new and used London cabs

• Ascott Cab Company and Sales of London

• Surge Checker Cabs

• MetroKing Accessible Taxicab by Alternative Fuels Technologies Corp.



Ford and London taxis side by side at Luxor Cabs in San Francisco

• Taxi 2000, a personal rapid transit system of computer-controlled, three-passenger vehicles.

• Freedom Motors, makers of TaxiPlus accessible minivans.

• Activan, Ricon Group, source of accessible taxicabs.

• Liberty Motor Company produces a rear-entry, lowered-floor wheelchair access modification on Ford Windstar and Freestar minivans for the Canadian market.

• Liberty Motors USA is the US distributor for Liberty Motors rear-entry, lowered-floor wheelchair accessible Ford Windstar and Freestar minivans.



European Renault taxibus, suitable for wheelchair accessible service.

• Ray Tomkinson, UK supplier of special and historic taxicabs for weddings, films and special events

• The London Cab Company Ltd supplies London Taxis for use as action, stunt and prop vehicles for TV, movie, advertising and promotional videos.

• Elite London taxis, London taxis for Export and Sale

• Fowlers Motors UK car dealer specializing in taxis from various auto manufacturers

• The Taxi Centre Glasgow taxi dealership

• Taxi-Mart UK site offers used taxis and parts for sale, has a drivers' forum



The MetroKing accessible taxi designed for NYC

---

Insurance and risk reduction

• New America Insurance, taxi policies for Ohio, West Virginia, Idaho and Oregon

• Cabina-America Insurance, insurance policies for US cab operators

• Research Underwriters insurance for the public transportation industry

• Gateway Insurance for the transportation industry

• Essex Insurance auto liability for taxicabs in most US states

• ABI Business Insurance Services transportation insurance in most US states

• Lighthouse Insurance for the transportation industry

• American Country Insurance Company passenger transportation insurance



In-cab signage can reduce risk

• John Burnham Insurance Services for the transportation industry

• Professional Insurance Center for taxicabs

• Penk Taxi Insurance for operators in the UK

• J&M Insurance Agency offers insurance for all private and public hire business including minicabs, black cabs, taxi fleets, chauffeur vehicles and minibuses

• CabQuote taxi insurance in the UK

• Headley Insurance taxi insurance in the UK

• Milestone Insurance Consultants insures taxis and for-hire vehicles in the UK

• A19 Insurance taxi insurance in the UK

• InsureTaxi.com taxi insurance in the UK

• Sakza Insurance brokers, taxi insurance in the UK



Seatbelt reminder from the City of Auburn in New South Wales

• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, crash tests and ratings

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation, including crash test results

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration review of rear end collision fires in Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Town Car vehicles, completed October 2002.

• Ford Motor Company's defense of Crown Victoria Police Interceptor safety in rear end collisions (1.8 mb PDF file)

• The Center for Auto Safety, documentation on specific vehicle models

• Driver Improvement Consultancy Pty Ltd, crash-free driving program

• National Institute for Driver Behavior, a nonprofit 501c organization dedicated to the premise that education is an essential component in the formula for crash reduction

• SafeCarGuide.com including International Injury and Fatality Statistics

Other professional services

• Medallion Financial Group, taxi medallion and small business lender

• MVA Group, multi-disciplinary international consultancy specialising in transport planning, social and market research and related information services, UK

• Cab Atlas Training Course, for City of Aberdeen, Scotland

• Master Cabbie school in New York City describes itself as the largest taxi driver training center in the world.

• UK Taxi Directory, an all round directory service for taxi, hackney carriage and private hire drivers in the UK, and London Taxi Directory focusing on the London taxi trade

---


-Courtesy of Dial-A-Cab
Call-takers at work in the busy computerized call centre of Dial-A-Cab in London, England.

Technology

• Centrodyne taximeters and related equipment

• Pulsar taximeters and related equipment

• Taxitronic taximeters and related equipment

• Gleike, Inc. taximeters and related equipment

• Digitax Meters for the London cab trade

• Cygnus Taximeters for the London cab trade

• Aquila Electronics, Ltd., meters for the UK taxi trade

• Air Comm offers Motorola Radius two-way radios

• Overview of Computerized Dispatching, article by Don McCurdy.

• Nextdayfunding.com wireless credit/debit card processing.

• CabCharge international taxi charge-account system.

• Cecam Consultancy of Aukland, software and electronic hardware for taxi dispatch, including the ARTEDATA system.



Mobile Knowledge data terminal
Click the picture for a large animated display (1.5MB), then use your Backspace key to return

• Mobile Knowledge US data dispatch, computer-aided voice and passenger information monitors for taxis and private hire vehicles.

• TaxiSystem, Stockholm-based provider of a booking, administration and GPS-navigation system for taxis

• Unified Dispatch Unibook platform UniBook allows riders to order transportation services through an automated telephone interface.

• Auriga, computer systems to the taxi and private hire industry

• TaxiCentral dispatch and related software for the taxi industry

• Infowave, a Singapore-based company offers wireless and mobile computing products

• Mobile Knowledge taxi dispatch and location technology

• Raywood Communications, computerized (GPS) dispatch systems

• Piccolo Software, dispatch system can run on WAP-capable cell phones



An electronic taximeter and mobile data terminal.

• MobileSoft taxi dispatch systems

• APP Technologies business software for transportation companies

• Cordic Ltd., provider of taxi data dispatch systems

• Digital Dispatch Systems of Vancouver, Canada

• SigTec, mobile dispatch and vehicle location systems and equipment

• Cabmate of Australia makes Cabmate and Bosscabbie software to help with tax and management



Many taxi companies are small businesses.

---

Safety equipment and services

• Safecab addresses passenger and driver security concerns with smart card technology. Scanning the card at the beginning of a trip ensures that the driver is logged on and thus identified, and that the passenger is a known and safe customer.

• WIT-Software, Lda. of Portugal offers TaxiAlert, a panic button system that sends GPS coordinates to a server installed in a police station. The police can then make a voice call to the taxi to hear sound from inside the taxi, without an attacker knowing it. The system is currently installed in Lisbon and is being deployed in Oporto.

• Attorney Tom Dickens' Taxicab Driver Safety program offers crime prevention safety training for taxi firms.

• Taxicab Partitions, NYC manufacturer of taxicab partitions and other safety equipment, including L-shaped partitions for NYC hybrid taxis

• Safe America Products, NYC manufacturer of taxi partitions, and front and rear bumper guards

• Taxi Shields by Okan Industries in Ontario, Canada

• Lascoe International, advanced automotive security systems

• Custom Plastics Creations has developed a shield for taxis in Winnipeg, Manitoba

• Clear Cab, UK producer of a new design partition

• Security shield, a taxi partition from Sweden

• iCar dual camera taxi security system with built-in DVR, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

• Silent Witness FareView camera, Honeywell's digital mobile surveillance system for the taxicab industry.

• DriveCam video system for crime and accident prevention

• Raywood digital security cameras for taxicabs

• VerifEye in-vehicle digital taxicams and surveillance video cameras.

• SigTec taxi security camera system offers inside and exterior cameras, and real-time 2-way radio transmitting of images.

• Hawk-Technologies, AutoEye - The small vehicle digital surveillance system.

• In-Cab Video Cameras, by Infonics, Australia

• MartinMeters taxi security cameras.

• LeoGlo non-glare interior "NiteVizn" illumination for police cars and taxicabs.

---

Advertising services for the taxi industry

• TaxiNumbers.com, UK directory with over 13,000 taxi companies, firms and cabs.

• Taxi Trade Websites designs websites for the taxi industry

• Taxi Advantage, websites for UK taxi and airport transfer services

• Taxi4.us offers a customized web address that includes your phone number or other info.

• HitchHiker Ads, bumper-mounted holders for advertising

• HubAds, advertising placed on vehicle hub caps

• Glasgow Taxi Advertising, Scotland, UK

• Cab Media, wrap ads and taxi advertising campaigns; based in Stockport in Cheshire, UK



1968 ad for Checker Diesels

• Cabtivate, narrowcast digital screen networks, private television channels and out-of-home TV offers passenger information, advertising, entertainment and CCTV security on buses, trains and taxis.

• Taxi Advertising, full body taxi advertising, by Andrew Westbrook, London, England

• Infotaxi.org, search function provides phone numbers for cab companies worldwide

• TaxiGrab service forwards reservations to cab companies

• AutoCab Australia, coin-operated public booking terminals.

• 1-800-TAXICAB, a single-number cab call service for North America

• 416-taxicab.com Toronto single-phone-number service for taxis

• Australia's Taxi Network, a one-number taxi connection to 300 taxi services.

• Holiday Taxis UK based booking service for taxis, sedans, etc. operating in 17 countries



A good ad can make a lasting impression.

---

Cabs seeking fares on the Internet

Taxi-L is directed to people working in the taxi industry, and not to taxi passengers. These links give industry participants ideas on how other cab operators use the web. Taxicab firms are invited to send links for their own web pages. See also the Advertising Services section above for firms that provide online booking services for networks of cab companies.

• Dial-a-Cab in London, UK

• Computer Cab in London, UK

• Radio Taxis Group in London, UK

• Taxis Heathrow Airport in UK

• Bob Ellis' Airport Taxi Service is based at Birmingham Airport in England.

• Sky Cars is a Birmingham, England private hire service.

• London taxi driver Stanley Roth explains why you want a Blue Badge licensed driver for your sightseeing in London and offers a price list for his tours.

• Cephas' London Cab for hire in Singapore

• Yellow Cab of Fall River, taxi service in Massachusetts

• BlueBird Cabs, Victoria, BC

• Airport Taxi of Birmingham, UK

• The Checker Group, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

• Union Cab of Madison fare estimator

• Specialty service for Wedding taxis including classic cabs (UK)

• Three related taxi booking sites by Trust Taxi Services in the Netherlands: Trust Taxi Service, Taxi2Airports and Taxi Goedkoop Naar Schiphol

• Taxi de Boer airport taxi and minibus service, Amsterdam

• Bookings and services offered by United Cabs of New Orleans, Louisiana




[ Back to top ]