London Black Cabs Now Carry Rapaid Emergency Bandages

Hundreds of the iconic London black cabs are to begin carrying military-grade emergency bandages designed to stem serious blood loss in the first vital minutes following an accident or major incident.

Participating cabs will display green window stickers allowing the public and the emergency services to easily identify the cab and have immediate access to bandages that are quick and simple to use, with no specialist training required.

The innovative emergency pressure bar bandages distributed by charity, Rapaid, are carried by the Armed Forces of Britain and America. They were designed originally for battlefield use and can apply up to 40lbs of direct pressure onto a serious bleed injury.

The London rollout has been supported by Transport for London and Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA).

Commenting on Rapaid’s London rollout, Steve said:

We are delighted to be supporting this fantastic initiative with the potential to save lives. Black cabs are a staple on London’s streets and so are ideally placed to carry these bandages, with participating taxis able to be quickly flagged down in an emergency or drivers to pull over and help if they come across a serious incident or life-threatening situation. We know that cabbies often stop to assist people in distress and help keep Londoners safe when the worst happens, now they will be better equipped to do so.