The Call for a Small Type of Cab.
Page 11
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
-DARTS has set the lead in sanction-1ing and adopting the small taxicab. The monoplace." fills a distinct need, which. is experienced in .London and our provincial cities and towns just as much as it is felt in Paris. One has only to look' at' the the cab traffic as it passes through the streets to note that the bulk of cab use is by single passengers, persons going about their individual business or quest. Next would come the use of the cab by two people. A full cabload of four passengers is by no means common. Therefore one welcomes the appointment by the Home Secretary of a committee to inquire into the question. But we sincerely hope that evidence.will be sought on behalf of the cab user, because the cab trade will certainly oppose any proposal that would tend to cheapen cab travelling. We think, ourselves, that this is an extremely shortsighted policy, for specializing in catering always develops demand. The availability of low-fare cabs would at once tap a new market of very large proportions and assist in developing the habit of cab use. The man who, instead of using a bus on his business rounds, always used the "small cab, would, whenever he was accompanied by his wife or frieed, use the larger cab again instead of travelling by bus. The public unquestionably feel the need for cheaper
sole-use public-service vehicles, but the present high rate of fare, brought about by the fact that the regulation cab is too big for it job and, therefore, too expensive to mu, drives the public into the buses which are often overcrowded, particularly at night time. Our illustration shows the latest typo of " monoplace " cab, of Peugeot manufacture, to be put into service in Paris. In appearance and in passenger comfort it is a distinct improvement upon the earlier model. The Citro6n Co. are at work on designs for a single-seater cab.