Metrocab was a British brand of

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...

s, started by Metro Cammell Weymann in 1987 and from 2001 owned by

Kamkorp The Kamkorp Group was a privately held holding company, encompassing a wide range of businesses but operates mainly as Frazer-Nash Research Ltd. It was owned by UK-based Indian businessman Kamal Siddiqi. Over the past 25 years, the Kamkorp Gro ...

. Ecotive Ltd. filed on 29 November 2021 for voluntary liquidation.

First generation (MCW Metrocab; 1987–2006)

The MCW Metrocab existed in two main variants, the original with a direct-injection diesel engine from the

Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo i ...

and, from 2000, the Metrocab TTT powered by a

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

turbodiesel. Metro Cammell Weymann introduced the MCW Metrocab in 1987. In 1989 MCW’s owner, Laird plc, divested itself of the Metrocab. The rights passed to

Reliant Reliant Motor Company was a British car manufacturer based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. It was founded in 1935 and ended car production in 2002, the company had been known as "Reliant Motor Company" (or RMC for short) until the 1990s w ...

and production was moved to Tamworth. When Reliant collapsed in 1991, the receiver sold rights to Hooper, which kept the vehicle in production until December 2000, when Hooper itself suspended trading. Current owner

purchased rights from Hooper’s administrator Leonard Curtis in June 2001 and restarted production under a new holding company Metrocab (UK). The vehicle remained in production until April 2006 (apart from a 14-month suspension which ended April 2005).

Second generation (Ecotive Metrocab; 2014–2021)

In 2014 a completely new Metrocab was presented to the press, electrically powered with a 1.0-litre range-extender petrol engine. It is the first authorised electric-powered London

black cab A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common ...

.Hilton Holloway
London's Electric Cab Goes Live
'' Autocar'' 11 February 2015 It is a hybrid petrol-electric vehicle capable of zero emission operation and designed to comply with London Taxi Private Hire (LTPH) regulations.

Notes

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External links

Metrocab site
Taxis of the United Kingdom