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You have probably read a lot about black cabs in Melbourne airport but today in this article we will dive into the historical ocean of the famous London cabs. Its background is interesting and the story is inspiring.

So, let’s get started!

Antiquity of Modern Cabs

Initially known as hackneys, taxis in the city of London are called by this unique term. Still today most people, especially the older generation, always call the taxis hackney cabs. The word itself originated from “hacquenee” a Norman French word, which meant a horse could be hired.

First appeared in London in the middle of the 1600s the hackney coaches were horse-drawn carriages. It was the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Purchasing the horses and a coach to use a Hackney was momentous speculation during this era. Most rich coach owners would hire them out to the elite members to counterbalance this cost.  Well, isn’t it giving you a feel like a fairy tale, hmmm? 

When the coaches aged, their masters replaced them with contemporary models. Those people, who used them to transport patrons and their customers for a fee, bought these old coaches. That way somehow poor in-keepers, merchants, and entrepreneurs were benefited. However, these modern coaches had not been recognized for being reliable for a long time. In fact, most of them were accused of being overpriced and offering a deprived transportation facility. This reputation was not shaken by many big taxi drivers for three centuries.

The first formal organization for tax drivers was formed in 1634 and Captain J. Baily, a sea for many years, became head of the group to shatter these allegations of unethical conduct. He attained four coaches that worked on the Strand. To settle the resentment Baily ordered his coachmen to wear uniforms and to charge a reasonable fare. He had worked for the crew of Sir Walter Raleigh, who had been a merchant in the New World at sea.

The credit of success of coaches went to Baily and this progress eventually caused other coach owners to imitate the idea. Facilities of the taxi in London grew immensely within the next 2 decades. But the truth was that not everyone could not make it to the high standards that Baily had for his coachmen. Inspiring by Baily, parliament, passed legislation to normalize cabs in the city. It helped to bring a resemblance of order to the taxi business.

More than 1000 cabs were operating in London by the early 1760s. And civilized residents of London named the coaches “hackney hell carts”. The reasons for this title are interesting;

  • uncertain as well as the unpredictable behavior of their drivers
  • the coaches themselves were usually of poor quality.

However, this later changed in the 1800s. It was after French two-wheeled cabriolet hit the streets. This term is still in use today. It describes cars that have a convertible roof. Later on, further advancements were made, and it led to the introduction of the hansom carriage. This carriage was quicker and swift. They were also quite light and required only a single horse to poll them. And to reduce congestion on the streets of London it was necessary.

The Taxi Meter 

Friedrich Bruhn, a German in 1891, formed the original mechanism. Towards the end of the 1800s, the taximeter (a device used in taxis that automatically records the distance traveled and the fare payable) was designed. In 1897 Daimler Victoria who first time installed a meter in the taxi.

The gadgets were originally mechanical meters that would be straddling outside the cab. Over time, they were mounted the inside of the taxi. Electronic meters were standard in most cars circa the 1980s.

Motorised Taxis 

Berseys was the first electric cab in the City that started run on the streets of London circa 1897. Powered by electricity the taxis originally ran on a motor. The name was referred to it after their inventor C. Bersey.

And progressively there were 50 of these taxis by the end of that year. However, due to less abundance, they were expensive, and by 1900 they were ruled out. The reason for doing so was that the technology for the electric motor was still young, but there was not as much research on how to improve it as it should be.

Petrol Taxi

After 3 years, taxis came from France that ran on petrol were introduced on the routes of London. But later, the running of petrol taxis was seemed difficult in the streets of London due to the high cost when US-made Ford Model Bs was imported. However, there were still taxis built by British firms at the time such as Vauxhall, Herald, and Rational.

History of Term Taxi 

In 1906, when the use of taximeters became obligatory, the term TAXI was first officially assigned. As part of the regulation, the turning circles were also introduced that same year. It indicated that each taxi must be able to turn in a tight circle of twenty-five feet.

The taxi business flourished after the next few years. But it came close to downfall many times. When taxi drivers went on an industrial strike in 1911 it was the first time when it collapsed. The second was when there was a shortage of fuel in 1913 and during the world wars I and II.

The reason for this collapse was that at the time of the second and first world wars, young individuals (male) who could drive taxis were also seen as ideal for military duty. Therefore, to defend the country from assault most of the cab drivers were called into the Service of the British Forces. At that time the manufacture of the vehicles was also stopped because the factories were converted into weapons production plants.

Surprisingly yet logically, the industry boomed during the inter-war period. This revival led to new expansions like the production of the first Austin vehicle in 1929. Based on this development, Austin became quite successful. In 1948, the FX3 black cab was introduced by Austin.

And till the date, the development, and production of luxury, economical taxis as well as cabs for the airport, intercity and interstate transfers never stopped. Frequent and new travelers can move anywhere any time they want with having the option of booking a taxi just in one click (in mobile phones)

So from your next trip by taxi don’t forget to recall this amazing history of taxi and hackney. Fortunately, now you can avail of the extravagant service of a cheap airport taxi due to the abundance of vehicles in Melbourne, population, and an immense number of daily transfers as well as flights. Also, compared to the old-time now you do not have to suffer through the inferior quality of hackney hell carts. Furthermore, unlike old and unethical coaches you will now be impressed by the outclass customer care service of the taxi service company.

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