By Jeffrey the Barak

Having just returned from the airport by cab, I have been moved to rant about how ridiculous it is for Los Angeles taxi cabs to pick the American dinosaur Ford Crown Vic as a cab.

It’s a large sedan, with a big engine, and many cab operators buy them as used vehicles from the police, so the Police Interceptor version is a veritable rocket ship dragster.

But in taxi guise, the partition that keeps the driver safe from potentially violent rear-seat passengers also takes away the rear seat legroom.

A Fiat Taxi in England - small outside - roomy within.

Tall people have no way to place their feet on the floor without twisting them to the side. Only two normal adults can comfortably stand a short ride on the hot vinyl seat in the back of a Crown Vic cab.

The particular cab that we took from LAX also had a propane conversion. Nice for the environment you say? Well that propane tank has to go somewhere, so only one suitcase could fit inside the trunk, and our second bag had to go in the front seat beside the driver, obscuring his view of the right-side mirror.

Our flight originated in the UK where all kinds of economical, sensible vehicles are used as working cabs. All of which are able to take four adults and their luggage, and none of which have any issues with steep hills, motorway speeds etc.

The American taxi industry seems to have lost the plot. if you had to choose the worst possible passenger vehicle to use as a cab, it might very well be the exact one they have chosen.