Octavia Taxi spotted

[bluey]

Saw a Skoda Octavia taxi last night. Looks like at least one Yellow Cabs operator is trialling two of them - see job ad:

Yellow Cabs Job Vacancies - Taxi Driver - Yellow Cab - Yellow Cabs Warwick
"10 TAXIS AT BASE. [...] WE OPERATE TOYOTA PRIUS VEHICLES AND 2 SKODA OCTAVIA VEHICLES."

I presume it would be a diesel but didn't get close enough to see.

[dArK5HaD0w]

there's a superb (sedan) silver taxi running around here in canberra. been about 2 yrs now.
i spot it every now & then.

[Mysticality]

There's a Superb in Bundaberg doing the same job a big standard Falcadore would normally do.

The driver looked pretty comfy.

[Yao]

there's a superb (sedan) silver taxi running around here in canberra. been about 2 yrs now.
i spot it every now & then.

Managed to secure this taxi about a year ago for a trip to the airport while in Canberra on business. I was with a mate of mine and took great pleasure in showing him how the rear heated seats and other functions worked. The taxi driver was surprised to hear me talking so knowledgeably about a Skoda superb until I told him I owned one

[wai]

I used to work for the NSW Department of Motor Transport (then the RTA and now the RMS) many moons ago. It used to be almost impossible to get anything other than a Falcon or Commodore registered as a taxi. In fact, even the first commodores were not acceptable and this is why the good old HQ through HX remained as a taxi.

Basically, the original rule was three boxes of a specified size had to be able to be placed on the rear seat so that nothing of the boxes were not supported by the seat. I know this has now been relaxed, however the boxes on the sides can overhang the seat as it curves, however there is still a minimum amount of the box must actually be supported by the seat.

The result is that it is difficult to get many cars accepted as taxis.

Currently, only Ford offer a taxi pack (uprated suspension, uprated radiator, rubber mats instead of carpet, and non-absorbent seat material, amongst others). Holden stopped doing this a few years back. It does not mean you can't run another vehicle as a taxi, just that you have to then make these modifications.

Of course there are new categories of taxis where the rules are different like Silver Service taxis in Sydney. These are the Statesman and LTD ones, and of course there have always been the Hire Cars (HC in the number plates) that had slightly different rules.

[zei20t]

I see some camrys and hybrids as taxis too. with T numberplates not HC. do they jump through hoops to get taxi registration? sounds like a pain in the A

[wai]

I see some camrys and hybrids as taxis too. with T numberplates not HC. do they jump through hoops to get taxi registration? sounds like a pain in the A

Yes, they end up with the boxes overhanging the seat at the ends.

[K1W1]

Taxi regulations vary from state to state. There are probably more Camry Taxis in Victoria now than there are Commodores and there are increasing numbers of Prius and converted vans as well. Ford Territories are also starting to appear in Vic as station wagon replacements. There have always been reasonable numbers of Prius in places like the Gold Coast and Tasmania where the average trip is not as long as Sydney or Melbourne.

[Mysticality]

From what I've seen, the local taxi guys run Falcons and Hiaces, city taxi companies run Falcons and some run Prius.
There's a local HC company called The 05 Club, they run Camry (can't remember if hybrid), Falcon and Hiace.
Silver Service run the upmarket Falcon and the Statesman.
I've seen a fair few HC around as either SIDI Statesmans (V6 lol), Merc Viano, Merc C-class, Audi A6 and even some BMW 5 and 7 series.

Man, I'd love to get a job driving those 7-series around... Apart from the butt-ugly rear end!!

[Tigger]

Skodas are used as taxis all over europe I have heard....

[zei20t]

yes, they are everywhere. I was so happy when I was in the Mediterranean last year and seeing them everywhere! All yellow or white, and barely any RSs

[andymarc]

I saw one at Milton the other day.
was an Octy Wagon.