Basil Jet wrote:

When you consider the cost of the vehicle and the fuel consumption (and
consequent safety) are so much lower than a taxi


Eh? Are hackney cabs fitted with air bags? Do hackney cabs have to
pass compulsory crash tests? Have any hackney cabs achieved a 5-star
rating in the NCAP tests, or indeed any NCAP rating at all?

So where is this "consequent safety" of which you write?