The Conditions in Russia for Taxicabs.
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By an Odessa Correspondent.
There is a very-considerable demand for taxicabs in all the principal cities of the Russian Empire, but serious hindrances to the proper exploitation of suitable services are many. Amongst the principal disabilities under which taxicab operation has to be conducted in the land of the Czars, the uncertain climatie conditions, the execrable state of both the country and the city roads, the public requirements as to speed, and the very-poor the material winch is available for drivers, must all be quoted. The writer has some knowledge of all these conditions, and he is of opinion, as the result of careful observation, that, with few exceptions, all the English and Continental taxicab models, which are available at the present time, are too light for Russian conditions, Practically speaking, after a few months of regular wear and tear, almost all such models become hopeless wrecks.
It is not generally realized, by those who are proposing to run public-service motor vehicles in Russia, that, (luring the greater part of the year, the average temperature of many parts of the empire is a very-low one indeed, and this state of affairs, in combination with the outrageous state in which practically all the highways are maintained, imposes very-grave conditions on the whole mechanism. 'fle combination of excessive vibration and of abnormallylow temperatures render all metal parts on motor vehicles, winch are used in Russia, subject to very-rapid fatigue.. Instances in support of this contention are not far to Seth, and the writer has frequently, for example, seen such sturdy components as a. stub axle, two inches in thickness, broken clean through, as the result of the above two detrimental conditions.
The streets in all the principal cities are very-poor indeed. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but, on the whole, the surfaces are very-badly maintained. The corruption amongst the municipal officials has, during a course of many years, been brought to a fine art. Money which is originally earmarked for the upkeep of the streets, in a very large measure readies the private purses of the multitude of officials. Small repairs are never on any account undertaken, but the streets are relaid over large areas at one time, as it is considered that this method, although it may be inconvenient to the public, is economical in the long run.
Generally speaking, the appearance of an ordinary Russian paved street resembles that of a choppy sea, and the vibration, to which any motor vehicle, which is travelling at anything like a high rate of speed, is subjected, is remarkable. In many places, the setts have sunk to a depth of several inches. The roads outside the cities are even worse than those within the municipal boundaries. The former are nearly all earth roads, and their contour, such as it is, is solely formed by the constant padding down by the traffic. The grit and dust thrown up by the wheels penetrates everywhere, and, of course, the effect of this on the whole of the transmission gear of motor vehicles is disastrous. In certain parts of Russia there are a few macadam roads, but these. ore even worse than the soft earth roads, because they are first made very hard
and are rolled solid, and are subsequently neglected for long periods, and, no provision having been made in the first place for efficient draining, water lies an the surface, so that the road very stem gets full of soft holes, with what result may easily be imagined.
Quite as serious a factor to the taxicab owner in Russia as the villainous state of the road surfaces is the requirement of the average Russian in the matter of speed. He invariably insists upon being driven in a motor vehicle at a much higher rate of travel than that which he could attain in if horse-drawn conveyance. It is it matter of physical impossibility to drum into the average Russian's head the fact that it is disastrous to drive a comparativelylight motor vehicle over these dreadful Russian roads at high speeds. He is used to travelling as fast as possible
in his native droshky, and he cannot be made to see why there should be any limitation on this score with mechanical propulsion. It is a common sight in many of the principal streets to see, half-a-dozen droshkys racing neckand-neck over the vilest of roads, their drivers and passengers seeming to revel in the speed Some of these vehicles are drawn by as many as three or four horses
abreast. The typical. Russian droshky is a very-light conveyance indeed, but it has large wheels and a remarkably-well-sprung body.
Russian social life in the larger cities render it customary to keep late hours. Theatres and concerts are going on nearly all night. It is quite a usual thing for parties to leave cafes or concert halls at three or lour o'clock in the morning, and then to hire taxis and drive out into the country, subsequently breakfasting and keeping it up until the midday following. So that it will be seen that the ordinary conditions that prevail for taxicab hiring in such places as Paris, Berlin and London are in no way applicable to services in the larger Russian towns. The tiverage Russian driver is tarred with the same brush as the passenger. He shows but little sense in the matter of driving, end keenly enjoys the sensation of forcing the machine at the highest-possible speed, where the roads are at their worst. Taxis are used extensively by wealthy business men, who live outside the larger cities, for driving daily to their offices. Again, many of the largest places of amusement are situated in some country or suburban resort some miles from the centre of the larger towns.
Enough has been said to show that the moterea.b conditions in this vast country are almost unique. There is little doubt that the demand for taxicab services will in the near future he a very-large one indeed, but there is reason to believe that it will be many years before it is considered necessary to insist that the highways shall be kept in anything like decent repair. Large numbers of cabs are therefore likely to be wanted long before the road conditions have been en brought into line in order to receive them. Unless English manufacturers are prepared to make a very-special study of the conditions under which these machines will have to operate, they
would be welt advised not to risk their reputations by sending out standard vehicles which are bound to "crock up" in a short time. Apart from these many ine.chani cal limitations, it must finally be remembered that the taxicab driver will not necessarily have a soft thing in a Russian city, as it is possible, in almost all towns of any pretensions, to hire a good carriage and a first-class pair of sturdy horses at the rate of a rouble an hour, that is, roughly, 2s. per hour, and, in this connection, it must be remembered that the droshky is built for the job.