You Auto Know |
Call Me a Cabby Jim Corbran |
|
|
Seeing that this is a milestone column (YAK 100) it seemed appropriate to do, as they’d say on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” something completely different. Keeping in that British vein, I headed downtown to check out another milestone—Buffalo’s only London Taxi. I found it on point (Londonese for “at the front of the taxi stand”) outside the entrance to the beautifully refurbished Larkin at Exchange Building (LCo.), located—surprisingly enough—at the corner of Larkin and Exchange Streets. The car’s a 2003 London Executive Sedan, just like the black cabs you see in London, only this one’s metallic silver.
First, a little history on the London cab. This particular iteration started life with a splash, as one of the stars at Earl’s Court in the 1997 London Automobile Show. It was big news at the time, as the London cab is a huge tourist attraction in the city, and at the time the FX4, probably the most recognized of the different styles of London cabs, dated back to 1958 when it replaced the FX3. These cabs were Austins, but were manufactured by LTI Carbodies. It gets even more confusing when we learn that in the mid-eighties, manufacture was taken over by Taxis International, which started calling the FX4 the Fairway. When the new car was introduced in 1997, it was called the TX1, or, the London Executive Sedan in North America.
You’ve got to admit, the styling is striking. The week before my trip to LCo., I was following driver Bob Simpson in his cab down Washington Street on one of his many daily loops through the downtown business district. It certainly does stand out from the crowd, even with the slightly stodgy silver paint job. It would be a real head-turner in the familiar black of London or yellow of New York.
When I got the chance to talk with Bob last week, he commented on the car’s trouble-free time in the city. “Where,” I asked, “does one take a one-of-a-kind car for service when the nearest dealer is hundreds of miles away?” “We have the car serviced regularly at Hoffman Automotive on Elm Street,” Bob told me. Turns out that Hoffman also has an agreement with the Larkin folks to ferry their customers around downtown while their own cars are being serviced in their garage.
Simpson carries no cash on his route. All fares are required to purchase coupons ahead of time at LCo. A book of ten costs $30, and a coupon is good for one one-way trip. The cab follows a specific route from the LCo. building down Exchange to Washington Street, to High Street and down Main to Goodell, back down Washington to Lafayette Square, then to Niagara Square to Pearl Street and back to Exchange. Half-hour runs begin at 8:30 am and the last trip leaves LCo. at 3:30 pm.
About the car. It holds five fares—three in the very roomy rear bench, and two more on foldaway jump seats. The Larkin cab is a left-hand drive export model, and where the right front seat would be is space for luggage, as there’s no trunk to speak of. A wheelchair ramp can also be found at the curb side rear door. Once inside you’ll think you’re in your living room. It’s very spacious with a tall roof, and hookups for DVD and Play Station equipment. Lifting the bonnet will reveal a British Ford motor and a Nissan automatic transmission. In London, over the years, the black cabs have been known to travel a million miles before retiring to the scrapyard. That’s a lot of trips down Washington Street, whether you’re a musher (driver), punter (passenger) or wangler (one practicing for the London cabdriver’s test).
more info at: www.greatspacedowntown.com
|
Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v4n45: Wal-Mart: Little People are Fighting Back (11/10/05) > Call Me a Cab This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Artvoice TV • Events Calendar • Classifieds |
Subscribe 