New fleet of London cabs plagued by defects

After a short stint of operation, the fleet of new London cabs has met technical problems. Runned by SMRT, these China-made cabs suffered from an array of defects, such as faulty air conditioning, dashboard lights that do not light up, and windscreen wipers that stall.

The Straits Times reported that SMRT has flown in an engineer from the carmaker, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, to help the local mechanics solve the pending problems.

The fleet has also been recalled to the workshop for repairs, which usually takes a few days, and this give wheelchair users who rely on the cabs inconvenience. They find it hard to book these cabs as they are frequently in the workshop.

51-year old freelance writer June Ho, who is paralysed from the waist down, told The Straits Times that she had to miss therapy sessions as the cabs were unavailable.

Madam Poh Gwat Eng, a user of the cab, tried to look for alternative transport provided by disabled associations. Poh shared, "But that's really not an option either as I have to book those a few days in advance and sometimes we need a taxi urgently."

The London cab is the only taxi in Singapore with wheelchair carrying capabilities. The London Taxi Company who made the cab went bust last year, and Geely Holding Group bought over the rights to the company in February.