As one who lives and works in New York City, I can attest to how important taxicabs are sometimes. And in New York, all cabs are clearly identified by their color and in most cases shape; traditionally, they were always Ford Crown Victorias. Lately, they have been introducing other models like hybrid powered SUVs and minivans. But none of these models do any one thing exceptionally well.

Sure, the Crown Vics do the job but they only hold four people (tops) and not comfortably. The minivans hold another person (I think) and the hybrids have the same capacity. Trunk space is great for the average traveler but there isn’t any access for wheelchair bound people. If you are mobily challenged you have to call ahead for special transportation and its often expensive and unreliable.

Well, according to Autoblog, a company called Standard Taxi is building a better taxi and is hopeful that the livery industry places orders for their well designed automobile. According to both Autoblog and Standard’s websites, the prototype will seat 5 or 4 with someone who is wheelchair bound and has an enormous amount of cargo space (some in the trunk and other room in the seating areas). They claim the car is fuel efficient with a V6 installed instead of an 8 cylinder. And should be able to handle commercial wear and tear (something you know will happen in NYC.

Its not a pretty car but I kinda like that. It reminds me of the Checker cabs and if Standard Taxi takes off, will let everyone know that that car is a taxicab and not something else – like a cop, elderly driver, or someone who isn’t cool.

Why am I writing about this? I don’t know… I just think its cool.

Here’s a pic: