2,000 London black cabs now carry life-saving equipment

When you’re looking to get around town, getting a classic London black cab, with all its cabby’s knowledge and know-how, can be a bit of a lifesaver. But now if you’re caught in a serious medical situation, more London black cabs than ever can be actual lifesavers.

And that’s all thanks to an initiative by charity RAPAID, which distributes packs of medical equipment to London’s black cabs. Life-saving kits can now be found in a whopping 2,000 cabs around the city.

RAPAID apparently dished out their 2,000th kit on Monday (November 20), which marked a landmark because now those packs are in about ten percent of London black cabs (there are currently around 20,000 black cabs in the capital) The initiative has the backing of both the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association and Transport for London.

Each RAPAID pack contains bandages, surgical gloves and an instruction card, and the project was founded by veteran Alex Chivers. You’ll know if your cab has RAPAID equipment because each equipped cab has a special sticker on the outside.

So, if you end up in need of medical attention either in or near a cab (god forbid), now there’s a better chance that help is at hand. You can find out more about RAPAID on the official website here.

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