New York’s Yellow Cabs are symbiotic with the city, as too are London’s black cabs – they’re a perfect reflection of the British aesthetic. To bring the city and the cabs into a more future-oriented mindset, London Mayor Boris Johnson has decreed that all new taxis must be zero emission capable by 1 January 2018. At least four manufacturers have put their hands up to be considered to create the eco-cab of choice… and their plans go beyond getting you from A to B.
Turkish car marker Karsan’s design is not only low emission, but it’s door can be illuminated, with a ‘getting out’ message and arrows pointing to the respective door displaying on the back window, for the benefit of cyclists, pedestrians and other vehicles. It also has an automated wheelchair ramp – future proofing for an ageing population.
Currently road transport is responsible for around 80 percent of airborne pollution in the parts of central London where air quality is the worst, with black cabs contributing to 30 percent of particulate matter emissions in those areas. Reducing pollution will improve people’s health too, an added bonus in helping to improve London today and into the future.
