Taxi Driver Online

The Evening Standard (London)

October 10, 2006 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Filters fitted to black cabs actually make the air dirtier; Mayor's bid to cut toxic emissions has backfired

BYLINE: DAVID WILLIAMS

EXHAUST filters being fitted to London's black taxis have increased toxic emissions, the Evening Standard can reveal today.

Mayor Ken Livingstone has ordered 16,000 taxis to be fitted with the filters, at Pounds 2,000 each. The total cost - Pounds 32 million - is being funded by passengers through a 20 pence surcharge on every fare.

All four types of approved filter - already fitted to about 1,000 taxis - are making the air even dirtier. Independent tests show that one filter made harmful emissions soar by 1,000 per cent. Even the best belched out 30 per cent more pollution.

On average, cabs with filters are 900 per cent worse. In one trial, a cab exceeded acceptable levels of particulates by more than 20 times. The revelation comes just weeks after moves to cut pollution from London's buses suffered a major setback.

Filters aimed at cleaning diesel fumes from 8,000 buses were instead found to do the reverse. Millions are now being spent on the problem. Today, the London Cab Drivers Club - which together with taxi operators paid nearly Pounds 3,000 for private tests - demanded an urgent halt to the scheme, claiming the filters were a "major health hazard".

It wants to know why the Public Carriage Office decided to approve the four different types following a sixmonth trial. Alan Fleming, chairman of the London Cab Drivers Club, which co-ordinated the tests, said: "It is an absolute disgrace that the Officeapproved filters are causing damage to Londoners' health.

"This is costing the public and taxi owners vast amounts. Up to Pounds 100,000 is being spent daily fitting filters." Taxis without filters will be run off the road under strict rules. More than 16,000 out of around 20,000 on London's roads must have the filters fitted when they undergo annual inspections. Filters must go in by July next year for more than 9,000 older cabs and July 2008 for more than 6,000 newer ones.

Sources in the cab trade claim the regulations were meant to pave the way for the Mayor's Low Emission Zone scheduled for 2008. Heavy vehicles entering London that fail emissions standards face a fine. The scheme can only proceed if buses and taxis are exempt and the filters were one way of achieving this.

Five cabs were tested at the Emission Laboratory (UK) Limited, Southampton. One without a filter had dramatically better particulate emissions. It also performed better in carbon monoxide tests and nitrogen oxides were lower than from three of the filtered vehicles.

A Transport for London spokeswoman said: "TfL is confident that the approved technology for London's taxis designed to make them less polluting meets Euro 3 standards. This equipment is being installed to help improve London's air quality for everyone, not least taxi drivers. The taxis in question are having their equipment independently tested by the Energy Savings Trust next week."

PEDESTRIAN commuters in London are to get pocket "pollution kits" to measure airborne emissions. The sensors - which will also track the commuters' movements - are to be developed in a Pounds 4.1 million programme backed by the Department for Transport.

Larger pollution-measuring kits will also be carried on buses.
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Well at least it's nice to know that one taxi association stands up for it's members in London.

As opposed to the likes of the T&G and LTDA who always succumb to Red Ken's wishes.

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IDFIMH

Well will this be the final nail in LTI's coffin????????.
Will we now see the demand for the turning circle dropped????
Will Peugeot rain supreme with it almost cleen exhaust???
Will Red Ken and the PCO put there hands in the pocket and reimburse the cab owners????
Why are the buss-es in London not running on Gas
Can Pigs fly
It looks to me like a total buck up and until the 5 Questions above are addressed nothing will change.
Thank god I've only been to London twice and that was to stand guard outside her mages house

That's the bit I can't work out, emissions is a manufactors problem not a driver or punter one.

So why have the London public got to pay for LTI's problems?

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IDFIMH

Quite right Sussex, but??? I may be wrong on this but I don't think so, all new vehicles must be euro 5 compliant , so i hope LTI has taken note, with the new tx4 remains to be seen

The pugeout is neither clean or green. Most Pug owners round here, including 05 plated cabs are having test failures for emmissions.

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Former taxi driver

When it comes to London Taxi law and conditions Alan Fleming will never be beaten.

What Alan does'nt know about London Hackney Carriage law probably is'nt worth knowing.

However the LCDC's down side is, they get a touch of the Terrys, slagging of named individuals at the PCO, launching personal attacks, and then wondering why their not invited along when meetings do take place.

That said they've ploughed a lot of effort into these tests, and as they have quite rightly said, London Buses are now in the process of re-fitting their silly emissions kits as they don't work either.

But thats what happens when you have an ageing socialist for a mayor, and the 7 million people who have to commute in every day get no say whatsoever in who runs London.

I'll be following this story with great interest.

Oh, and the LTDA did commission similar tests on the emissions equipment, and they all passed.
We should bear in mind this article refers to 5, err, somewhat elderly fairways which are serving out their final years.

http://www.the-badge.org/index.html


Captain Cab:

Its not been added to their website yet, but have a look at the picture on the front cover of Octobers 'Badge' when it does, it should make you smile.

My friend the turkster

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The up-side of having a so-called loose cannon is that the rest get more access to the powers that be, deserved or not.

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IDFIMH

Yep.

He's in action thumping an effigy of Ken Livingstone this month!

Bless him.

Which plate is 05?

JD

So should Livingstone exempt all vehicles over a certain age? And what age should that be? Roughly how many TX2 and TX1 models does London license?

Regards

JD

Now if he thumped yer man Terry, I could understand it

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Well Jimbo if they where to change there oil and take the cab for a blast in 2nd gear for about half a mile they would pass every time and at half the maximum permitted levels.
The engine needs to be hot as well before the test
Is there a small possibility that there was a tx tested before them?????

No, as drivers would go and plunder the second hand market in Blackpool.

I'm guessing out of the 15'000 + that will need converting, the majority will be the TX1's that were manufactured betweem 1998 and 2002.

Its a bit of a joke for a driver, having bought a cab a mear 4 years ago, to find it will need converting next year.

Still, we'll see what their tests show this week at the EST.