On Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:46:41 +0100, "Basil Jet"
wrote:

The only feature of London minicabs which is designed specifically to serve
the interest of the public rather than the interest of the minicab
drivers/bosses is the fact that the drivers are verified to have been
convicted of no rapes since coming to this country. By contrast, London
taxis have numerous features which serve no interest to the driver but serve
the interest of the city as a whole - the tight turning circle which
approximately doubles the cost of the vehicle but prevents London from being
permanently gridlocked being the most obvious one.


The turning circle requirement does not alone double the cost of the
vehicle. An objective comparison could be made between the costs of
the EcoCity Vehicles London Cab based on a Mercedes Vito, and a
similarly specified vehicle that lacks only the modification to the
standard steering system to give a smaller turning circle.

Obviously, these figures are not readily available, but I find it
difficult to believe that a single, albeit fairly complex modification
would actually double the cost of the EcoCity vehicle.