NEWS..IN THE NEWS... MIKE’S MILLION MILE METROCAB


Some time ago we pro- filed Leicester-based driver Mike Ward, so we’re not talking much about him this time; we’re introducing you to his immaculate Metrocab. So what’s so special about it? The main thing is that it has now clocked up 1,050,000 miles - and is still going strong, and still immaculate, and still a favourite


amongst


Mike’s regulars. You can see from the photograph that it’s in good nick; believe me, we’ve sat in it and rid- den in it – and appeared in Court suc- cessfully on its behalf, during which case the Metrocab was at that time granted an extra 12 months’ licence to be issued by Leicester City Council.


But eventually last year Leicester would not license it any more. Why? Because it was down as Euro 2 emis- sion


level,


Leicester’s criteria is Euro 3 - this despite the fact that at the last test, the Metrocab test- ed with lower emission readings than LTI taxis. So Mike took the Metrocab over


to


North West Leicester- shire District Council, which licensed it with pleasure in January 2012. He had to do something - as Leices- ter City Council had advised him he could no longer license it as a hackney carriage in Leicester. He could have taped up the ‘taxi’ roof light and licensed it as a private hire vehicle, they said, because


Leicester fault, I hasten to and Mike’s million mile Metrocab


doesn’t have an emis- sions policy for their 1,400 PHVs. But of course no mem- ber of the public would continue to try to flag it down as a taxi, would they??!!! The insur- ance implications are countless... Meanwhile back in North West Leicester- shire, Mike speaks to us while waiting for one of his wheelchair


clients. Over the


course of the 13 years Mike has run the Metrocab,


they’ve


completed over 12,000 wheelchair journeys. How about some more stats on this Metrocab: it has the same engine, gearbox and interior as at manufacture. All Mike has had to replace are a couple of new bumpers from the odd nudge (“not my


add...”) and one injec- tor. All that’s been done is “normal maintenance” - but you should see Mike’s normal mainte- nance! He’s somewhat fastidious, to say the least... as a result, his Metrocab still averages 35mph urban and 47 on motorways. Mike tells us that in a recent roadside swoop,


it


took the officers a pre- cise three minutes and 54 seconds to test the Metrocab. It passed... Mike was saying also that at one point when Metrocab was still operating, they actual- ly turned out an LPG version; he could not in all honesty under- stand why it wasn’t put on the market, as he believes an eco-model would have sold like


hotcakes. So why was the good ol’ Metrocab often a figure of ridicule? Yes, we all know about the fibreglass body, but Mike believes it


is


because they fitted the Ford 2.5litre transit engine, which tended to be noisy. He’s con- vinced that if it had had a different engine - such as the Nissan used in LTI Fairway vehicles - the Metrocab would have been bought many more times over. Still, Mike’s white beauty is still pleasing their passengers, and with very little mainte- nance costs. As Mike says, “If you look after it, it’ll look after you.” We’re sure his million- mile Metrocab will clock up many more thousands of miles.


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JANUARY 2013 PHTM PAGE 39


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