Daley sold on scooters, London-style taxis here

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September 20, 2002, BY FRAN SPIELMAN CITY HALL REPORTER - Mayor Daley on Thursday gave his powerful blessing to two innovative modes of transportation--London taxis and battery-powered scooters--after joy rides on both. Daley said he test drove the $5,000 Segway Human Transporter in his City Hall office recently and came away impressed--if not a little dizzy. Full Article

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Daley sold on scooters, London-style taxis here

September 20, 2002

BY FRAN SPIELMAN CITY HALL REPORTER

Mayor Daley on Thursday gave his powerful blessing to two innovative modes of transportation--London taxis and battery-powered scooters--after joy rides on both.

Daley said he test drove the $5,000 Segway Human Transporter in his City Hall office recently and came away impressed--if not a little dizzy.

"It was easy.... You can do a 360 [degree turn] and spin right around," he said, telling reporters the ride was fun.

It was clear from his comments that Daley was the prime mover behind the three-month Chicago police scooter experiment.

Daley said he can't recall precisely how the Segway came to his attention--whether it caught his eye in a magazine article or from a direct approach from the inventor of the self-balancing technology.

But Daley is certain of one thing: He's determined to push the envelope of new technology to improve employee productivity during troubled economic times.

"If someone has to walk from here all the way to the other end--you could be on this [instead]," Daley told reporters after a police graduation ceremony at cavernous McCormick Place.

"If you start cutting 25 minutes a day per employee--that's a lot of people. [You could use it] at O'Hare field when you have to have a plumber go from one end to the other end, or a tradesman. It's technology. You have to be able to [find out] whether or not you can use technology--which you can."

After enjoying cab rides during trips to London over the years, Daley was equally enthusiastic about Yellow Cab's proposal to debut the roomy and distinctive London taxi in Chicago.

"We're very excited about it.... It's a traditional luxury car. They're very roomy, comfortable, carry up to five passengers and their luggage. And they're wheelchair-accessible," he said.

"It gives you a different aspect of the industry, which is very professional ... and career-oriented in London. It's a larger cab.... It really goes way beyond what we see. It's a new concept which we're glad to receive."

To finance the switch to the $40,000 taxi, Yellow wants Daley to give the elusive go-ahead to place advertising on cabs.

The ads would be painted on the fenders and doors beneath the window line of 573 London taxis and appear on interactive screens in all 2,000 Yellow-affiliated cabs.

"We have an open mind on it. We're looking at that very closely now," the mayor said.