Mercedes-Benz Vito - London Taxi Variant

London Taxi Variant

In August 2008 a variant of the Vito was approved by the Public Carriage Office for use as a licensed London 'black cab'. The Vito taxicab includes electric sliding doors, electric steps and seating for six people. The Vito's rear-wheel steering enables it to meet the PCO's strict Conditions of Fitness requirements including a 25 ft (7.6 m) turning circle and wheelchair accessibility. The vehicle, a variation of the 'Traveliner' model, is built by Penso in Coventry. The rear wheel steer system is licensed from one80, and it is distributed through Eco City Vehicles subsidiary KPM-UK Taxis.

Because the Mercedes Taxi has sliding doors the option of opening windows is no longer available to passengers. The PCO (Public Carriage Office) has also specified that the option of sliding windows has also been banned, this is due to the danger of passengers having part of their body out of the windows when the doors open.

The new Taxi doesn't perform the famous U-turn in the same way as the TX and Metro models, instead it incorporates an electrically operated rear wheel system, activated by a button adjacent to the steering wheel. This turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels, thus allowing the Taxi to perform the same tight turning circle as the TX and Metro models. This system is only possible when the vehicle is travelling at less than 5 mph (8.0 km/h), and if the vehicle goes over this speed while the LSM is active, it is deactivated and the wheels straighten up.

It is longer and wider than the TX models, but traveling through tight spaces is aided by the electric folding wing mirrors, from the options list which as of 2009 is standard.