Peter Da Costa, chief
executive of the firm which markets and services the 6-seater Mercedes
Vito taxi, told Reuters the effect on business for cab drivers from the
airport shutdowns caused by the ash cloud was "horrendous.""It sent
jitters right the way through the cab trade and everybody got spooked
because they were saying this volcano could go on for months," he said
after Eco City reported a 30 percent increase in revenues for 2009.Eco
City said although trading conditions remained challenging, it was
cautiously optimistic."People are returning back to cabs now thanks
to the bankers' bonuses, so if the driver can see steady income it
settles it all down," Da Costa added.He said the company's share of
the market, in which it competes with Manganese Bronze, was running at
about 24 percent, adding Eco City had now sold more than 700 of the Vito
taxis since they were launched in mid-2008.He said the group had
increased production at its Coventry site, where it kits out the basic
vehicle model sent across by Mercedes from Spain, to 12 units per week
from 8.That stands in contrast to Manganese Bronze, the maker of the
traditional TX4 black cab, which is moving production to China to save
costs.For 2009, Eco City narrowed its pretax loss to 0.2 million
pounds ($294,800) from 0.7 million as sales of higher margin new Vitos
tripled to 398 units during the year.Eco City's shares were up 7.5
percent at 5.4 pence at 0845 GMT.
