London's black cabs hit the streets of Paris

The spacious vehicle with five-passenger seats, glass partition and two-way microphones -- as synonymous with London as red double-decker buses and Big Ben -- is on sale in France from 33,900 Euros, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

"We have had interest from French taxi drivers, in particular due to the cab's special ramp for the mobility- impaired and the security of having an ultra-resistant partition between passengers and driver," Elisabeth Young of EMG, the company importing the cabs, was quoted as saying.

However, there is no guarantee that driving black cabs will improve Paris cabbies' sense of direction or customer service. London's licensed cabbies follow a tough three-year training programme dubbed "the knowledge" that is far more rigorous than their French counterparts.

"It's true that there is a great deal of progress to be made both in terms of knowledge of the streets and taking into accounts the customer's wishes," Young said, adding there were plans to introduce a training programme identical to "the knowledge" within six to nine months.

After being the preserve of the British for almost a century, black cabs are now going global. This month, Manganese Bronze signed a contract to supply Saudi Arabia with 150 cabs.

They can already be spotted in Germany, Poland, Beirut and Bahrain and are to be introduced to Barcelona, Kuwait, and Moscow, according to parent group, The London Taxi Company.

While the TX4 models on sale in France look identical to their London counterparts, they will be made not in Britain but China through a joint venture between the Midlands-based manufacturer Manganese Bronze and Chinese maker Geel.