London’s original minicab wars, 60 years on
In these days of Uber ride-hailing, it’s difficult to imagine the excitement of a cheap rival to the capital’s traditional black taxis
5 March 2021 • 4:30pm
The vibrant West End of London in 1961 was the battleground between the new minicabs and black taxis
Credit: Bettmann
Sixty years ago precisely, London experienced a minor revolution thanks to the Wimbledon firm of Carline. Its fleet of Ford Anglia 105Es became the capital’s first minicabs and they carried 500 passengers in the first week of operation.
Two weeks later, 25 black and white-liveried Fiat 600 Multiplas owned by Tom Sylvester of Dolphin Square served the capital’s West End shopping and entertainment centre. The Minicab Wars of 1961 had commenced.
âIâm just shocked.â Those are the words of Paula Hunter who received a call late Wednesday from the management team of the Jasper Loweâs Home Improvement Store. The company - under no obligation to do so - told Paula that they were going to replace nearly $600.00 worth of appliances that she purchased on Wednesday afternoon, and went up in flames just minutes later.
Paula and Tom Sylvester purchased a water heater and a small chest freezer and were carrying it on a small trailer behind their car to their home off of County Road 276, a few miles east of Jasper. When the couple got within a few hundred yards from their house, they realized that the appliances, still in their cardboard crates, were ablaze on the trailer.