Silver Top cabs nobbled by blaze

MELBOURNE'S taxi service was disrupted yesterday after a fire at Silver Top Taxis' offices in Collingwood destroyed the cab company's call centre.

No Safety Screens For 80% Of Taxis

A PLEDGE by Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky to equip all Melbourne taxis with protective screens by New Year's Eve has failed, with only 650 of Melbourne's 3800 cabs fitted.

Trust The Taxi Drivers

REGULAR readers will know I have a bit of a thing for taxi drivers. Not to the extent that I've asked my wife to get a job with Yellow Cabs so she can bring the uniform home - I mean, obviously, she'd look far hotter with Silver Top epaulettes - but it is for their dining recommendations. Luckily, I'm partial to food from India and Ethiopia.

Taxi Chaos Heads South

CABCHARGE is now fighting frustrations about its new booking and despatch system on two fronts, with St George Cabs drivers staging protests after experiencing problems similar to those that have plagued Newcastle Taxis.

Taxi Report Calls For Big Rise In Fares

MELBOURNE would have hundreds more cabs and increased taxi fares under recommendations in a new draft report.

It's A World Of Upstairs-downstairs Really Driven Home

TO ENTER one of London's shiny black cabs is to return, briefly, to a time when security, cleanliness and courtesy were comforting, everyday examples of the Anglo-Saxon talent for order and attention to detail. In 2008, a ride in a London cab speaks still to all these things.

Driving Change Can Be Taxiing

London black cabs and the divisions of class; is there anything that could speak more eloquently of England, Her Majesty aside?

Overhaul Needed As Melbourne's Cabs Taxi To A Halt

Deregulation and more licences would put a stop to the malaise, writes Richard Allsop.

Small Talk

BRITISH supermodel Kate Moss has bought one of London's famous black taxis for about 45,000 euros ($74,600).The top model is the latest of a series of celebrities to buy one of London's 20,000 black cabs. In 2003, US actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had one shipped to California. The late US director Stanley Kubrick used to be seen behind the wheel of one of the famous cars, while British actor Stephen Fry allegedly used his in order to avoid paying parking tickets. Owning one ...

Taxi Firm May Join The Ranks

TWO taxi co-operatives could exist in the small Wollongong market by May after representatives from the Kingsgrove-based St George cabs met with Illawarra taxi owners on Monday.

Frustration In City Taxi Ranks

A MEETING between the Wollongong Radio Cabs board, taxi owners and lessees degenerated into a slanging match as two clear factions emerged among the co-operative's members.

Cabs Need Fixing Now

To be fair, when moaning about Sydney cabs you have to acknowledge that we do have some of the cleanest, safest, best-equipped cabs in the world.

Follow That Cab

Does Sydney have enough cabs? As Miranda Devine pointed out in her column yesterday, it does not seem like it as each year's holiday season approaches. Taxis become harder to find; would-be passengers spend long periods trying to hail them, or make bookings which are not honoured. Rain makes things worse; so does the sudden rise in demand after a big event finishes. Passengers may think that the problem could be solved by issuing more taxi licences. Unfortunately, matters are not so simple.

On A Closer Look, Those New Kids On The Block Resemble The Old Ones

Fluoro came and went two weeks ago. The trend for ultra bright clothing peaked on the Sunday night of the long weekend. Like a pack of highlighters made human - in orange, yellow, pink and purple - partygoers spilled from the Parklife dance party at Centennial Park. All along Oxford Street they swarmed in fluorescent T-shirts and denim shorts, some friendship groups wearing identical outfits, crawling down Wentworth Avenue, as far as Goulburn Street even, unsteadily hailing cabs without luck.

Drop-off Spots Create Danger In Suburbs

THE TAXI DRIVERS WOLLONGONG Radio Cabs manager Nick Katselos is not convinced a bus service would be effective, pointing out that many patrons would still need to hail a taxi once they were dropped off closer to home.

Union Call For Driver Protection

THE Transport Workers' Union is calling for urgent installation of perspex cages in all Wollongong cabs and buses to protect drivers from acts of violence.

24 Hours In - New York City

If 24 hours is all you've got in New York, sleep is not advised. Walking is the best, and sometimes speediest, mode of transport, but those eager to cram a round tour into one mad day will need cabs, the subway and maybe even a horse and cart to see more than a pocket of Central Park. Pick your major stops and then be prepared to ditch all plans.

Cabs Used To Ferry Prisoners

VICTORIAN prisoners are being driven to their medical appointments by taxi.

Clearly, Screen Test Is A Comfort Zone

FOR nine years now, Harminder Malhi has driven cabs, and for the past month he has been testing the new safety screens.

Clean, Safe And Efficient? Cabs Put To The Test

THE SUNDAY AGE tested eight taxis - four trips from Shiel Street in North Melbourne to the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, and four return journeys. This is what we found: