Taxi, Taxi! LONDON’S Colorful Cabbies
In North America, we’ve just started to hear about "pink cabs." The Pink Ladies cab company was started in Warrington (Northern England), in 2005, and has been so successful it’s now looking for franchisees. Pink cabs are driven by women for women, saftey and comfort being paramount. In the days when all British cabs were black, "Pink Ladies" might have stood out. Now they are part of an already colorful streetscape.
I hadn’t been in London for quite a while till Fall 07. (I still haven’t managed to finish writing about that trip on this blog, with so many other life/travel interruptions.) When there, I couldn’t help but think how much brighter a place this city has become because of its colorful cabbies. Traditional "stiff upper lip" black vehicles are transformed into mobile advertising machines. When I noticed the first colourful cab, I thought it was a one-off vehicle. Then, each way I turned, I saw another and yet another. Time to pull out the camera and start snapping. Cab after cab, I collaged their images into a poster (inserted above) on returning home. Funny what strikes us on our travel adventures. I’d never have thought that cabs would capture my attention like this. I suspect their ads are working! You certainly can’t help but notice them.
Other ads, I was aware, were displayed by humans. I chanced on a bunch of placard supporters close to Covent Garden station. I didn’t envy their job, sitting there holding arrow signs to local businesses. Fortunately, it was a balmy September morning. I don’t know how widespread or seasonal this form of (in)human(e) advertising might be…
