Here's a story in the Winnipeg Free Press about taxi cab companies downsizing their vehicles. While the Corolla is preferred by one company, the Prius continues to favoured by another. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/business/local/story/4101310p-4699516c.html
Sounds good. Not to sound boastful but most of our taxis here are Corollas (some are US models), Camrys (incl. hybrid and some are US models) or Priuses (some are US models). There's one HCH, Altima, Jetta and a handful of old domestic taxis left.
Where are you located? As the Free Press article noted, because the HCH doesn't meet the Winnipeg Taxi Board's requirements for cargo capacity, there are none here.
I wouldn't have thought the Corolla would have enough leg room in the rear which is why I think the Prius would make a perfect taxi. Corolla has 894mm of legroom in the rear while Prius has 990mm. To me the Corolla looks a bit tight in the back. I have been looking at a Corolla sedan for my wife and back seat leg room is the only concern. My son is taller than me. I would think with limited leg room getting in and out, particularly for the elderly would be more difficult. Isn't the cab industry a service industry? I think it's fantastic the cab fleet in Canada are moving to lower fuel consumption vehicles, with the high mileage they can have a big impact on emissions.
Lower Mainland It's decent. The current Corolla is the same as yours since 2000 (we got it in Feb 2002 as a 2003 model). Heck, even the Yaris Sedan (Belta in Japan) is very spacious in the back in terms of legroom. It could even pass as a Corolla!
I like the Yaris, I hired one in England in 2003 and the 3 of us went all over in it and even had friends in traveling 5 up. The Yaris was sold here as the Echo although when the Yaris name came here it was slightly shorter than the Echo. Regarding Corolla taxis my main concern is elderly people getting in and out of the back seat. I guess they are higher than a lot of larger sedans so that is a plus. I was happy to see Toyotas were popular as taxis in Northern England when I was there, they seemed to like the Avensis was a favorite.
I have yet to see a single Corolla taxi cab here in Winnipeg, I guess I'll keep an open eye for them. While I see Prius Cabs all over the place, the remaining fleet vehicles are gas powered older model Camrys, Accords and some Taurus (oh yes, and the crown vics). Second, not all Prius used in cab duty around here cost $30K+. If you look carefully, some are bought "used" from our US neigboors market. Yep, some even have the CA HOV stickers on the bumpers. Once again,they got some of the details in this story wrong. The HCH has only 10 cubic feet of cargo, not 13. Yes, this does not help since it keeps the Camry hybrid as well as the Altima hybrid out of cab duty as well. Darn. Typical "Free Press" accuracy I guess. Cheers; MSantos
The Avensis is a good size. It's between the Corolla and Camry and it's also a bit more powerful than the Corolla and more fuel efficient than the Camry.
I find the Free Press a very good newspaper to put under my cat litter boxes, to catch any ... overly aggressive digging that may result in things flying out Especially those long-winded articles by whats-her-name Frances Russell, only good for being put under cat poop boxes
I think with a lot of elderly folks, the step-in height is cruicial. For many, a low car is worse than a high SUV, unless climbing is involved in which case the SUV is also out. My father has an easier time getting into my FJ than into my Prius. For most elderly folks, a minivan is the best compromise between fuel economy and step-in height. A family friend purchased a Honda Odyssey last year, and is very happy with it. For transporting elderly folks, like my father, it really is just right
