Taxi from London Airports to Hotel. Hiring a London airport taxi is the most convenient and safe option when it comes to travelling from Heathrow (LHR) or Gatwick (LGW) airport to your hotel in the city. London airport taxis are available 24/7 and they are known for providing excellent services. These prices also depend on local tariffs and standard London taxi fares. For groups of more than 7 people check out our event service. A licensed taxi driver will pick you up curbside in the same way as if you call for a cab, help with your luggage, and allow free cancellations.
Taxicab rank with 'black cabs' outside Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Taxicabs are regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: 'Little however is known about the regulation by anyone outside the trade. The Public Carriage Office, which regulates and licenses taxis and private hire (commonly known as minicabs) was transferred from the Metropolitan Police to become part of Transport for London in 2000.'[1] In 2015, there were around 298,000 licensed drivers in England, of which 164,000 were private hire licences, 62,000 were taxi licences and 72,000 were dual licences.[2]
1Types of cab
2London
2.2The Knowledge
2.3TfL Taxi and Private Hire office
Types of cab[edit]
Hackney carriages (taxis) can be flagged down in the street or hired from a taxi rank.
Private hire vehicles ('minicabs') are passenger vehicles which can be either a 4-door saloon/hatchback, carrying up to four passengers or MPVs that are licensed to carry between 5 and 8 passengers. These may not be hailed in the street.
Chauffeur cars are a sub-set of private hire; generally a higher-value car such as a Mercedes or Jaguar where the passenger pays a premium but in return receives a higher level of comfort and courtesy from the driver, some of whom wear a uniform.
Hackney carriages[edit]
Only licensed hackney carriages can pick up passengers on the street and without pre-booking. London's traditional black cabs (so-called, despite being of various colours and advertising designs) are specially constructed vehicles designed to conform to the standards set out in the Conditions of Fitness. London taxi drivers are licensed and must have passed an extensive training course (the Knowledge). Unlike many other cities, the number of taxicab drivers in London is not limited. For many years purpose-designed vehicles were used, but from about 2008 specially-adapted 'people carrier' vehicles have also been used.
There have been many models over the years.[3] The space beside the driver's seat can be used for luggage, although there is much luggage room in the passenger compartment. For improved manoeuvrability, the turning circle is smaller than other vehicles of similar size (a black cab is said to be able to 'turn on a sixpence'). The cab seats three people on the back seat, and two more in backwards-facing 'jump seats'. There is good headroom, to facilitate entry to and exit from the vehicle. A ramp for access by disabled people is fitted.
Private hire (minicabs) [edit]
A Ford Mondeo UK private minicab with company name and telephone number on each side
In London the term minicab is used to refer to a private hire car and 'private hire' is used in the rest of the United Kingdom; that is a car with a driver available for hire only on a pre-booked basis. They began operating in the 1960s in competition with hackney carriages after a loophole in the law was spotted (although in some areas it is possible to hold a dual hackney/private hire licence). A minicab must be booked, for example, by telephone, internet, or fax, or in person at the registered minicab office. A minicab can be booked at the time it is required, but only at the office of a company registered to accept bookings rather than directly with a driver.
Since 2001 minicabs have been subject to some regulation in London and most other local authorities. London minicabs are now licensed by TFL (London Taxis and Private Hire), or LTPH, formerly known as the Public Carriage Office. This is the same body that now regulates London's licensed taxicabs, but minicab drivers do not have to complete The Knowledge, and although they must undergo a small 'topographical test' in order to obtain a Private Hire Drivers Licence, they generally rely on satnavs or local knowledge to take them to the pick up and destination. All vehicles available for pre-booking by London minicab drivers must hold a PH licence showing that the vehicles are fit for purpose; this is updated with MOT tests twice a year after an inspection at a licensed garage. In London new applicants must send their Topographical Test Certificate along with their application to the PH Driver Licensing Section of the LTPH.
Uber, a transportation network company, operates under minicab regulations in London.[4]
London[edit]
London Black Cab
Greater London, a metropolitan area with a population of about 8 million, has no grid plan laying out streets in vertical and horizontal patterns; thus the streets of London follow complex patterns.[5]
History[edit]
Horse-drawn hackney carriages began providing taxicab service in the early 17th century. In 1636 the number of carriages was set at 50, an early example of taxicab regulation. In the same year, the owner of four hackney carriages established the first taxicab stand in The Strand. After 1662 hackneys were regulated by the Commissioners of Scotland Yard.[6] In the early 19th century cabriolets (cabs for short) replaced the heavier and more cumbersome hackney carriages. Battery-operated taxis appeared briefly at the end of the 19th century, but the modern taxicab service took off with the appearance of petrol-powered taxis in 1903. In 1907 meters were first introduced to calculate the fare and were set at 8d (8 pence) for the first mile. Today, taxicab service in London is provided by the famous black cabs (typically the distinctive TX4 depicted in the photo to the right, The Metrocab and the Mercedes Vito).[citation needed]
The Knowledge[edit]
The London taxicab driver is required to be able to decide routes immediately in response to a passenger's request or traffic conditions, rather than stopping to look at a map, relying on satellite navigation or asking a controller by radio. Consequently, the 'Knowledge of London' is the in-depth study of a number of pre-set London street routes and all places of interest that taxicab drivers in that city must complete to obtain a licence to operate a black cab. It was initiated in 1865, and has changed little since.
It is the world's most demanding training course for taxicab drivers, and applicants will usually need to pass at least twelve 'appearances' (periodical one-on-one oral examinations undertaken throughout the qualification process), with the whole process usually averaging 34 months, to pass.[7][8]
Course details[edit]
320 standard routes through central London, or 'runs', are defined in the Guide to Learning the Knowledge of London, which is produced by the Public Carriage Office. In all, some 25,000 streets within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross are covered, along with the major arterial routes through the rest of London.
A taxicab-driver must learn these routes, as well as the 'points of interest' along and within 1⁄2 mile (800 m) of each end of those routes including streets, squares, clubs, hospitals, hotels, theatres, embassies, government and public buildings, railway stations, police stations, courts, diplomatic buildings, important places of worship, cemeteries, crematoria, parks and open spaces, sports and leisure centres, places of learning, restaurants and historic buildings.
The Knowledge includes details such as the order of theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue, and the names and order of the side streets and traffic signals passed on a route.
There are a number of Knowledge Schools that provide books, maps and classroom tuition which help Knowledge students to learn the 320 runs and points of interest.[9] There are separate, shorter courses for suburban London, with 30 to 50 runs, depending on the sector.[10]
'Knowledge boys/girls'[edit]
'Knowledge boy' on a Honda Super-Cub.
During training, would-be cabbies, known as Knowledge boys or Knowledge girls, usually follow these routes around London on a motor scooter, and can be identified by the clipboard fixed to the handlebars and showing details of the streets to be learned that day.Taxi-driver applicants must be 'of good character', meeting strict requirements regarding any criminal record,[11] then first pass a written test which qualifies them to make an 'appearance'. At appearances, Knowledge boys and girls must, without looking at a map, identify the two points of interest in metropolitan London that their examiner chooses and then choose the shortest and most sensible route from one to the other. For each route, the applicants must recite the names of the roads used, when they cross junctions, use roundabouts, make turns, and what is 'alongside' them at each point.[12]
Academic research[edit]
Knowledge boys/girls and their online learning communities have been the subject of academic research, including a PhD dissertation by Drew Ross at Oxford University.[13]
There is evidence that training for the Knowledge can measurably alter the hippocampus of trainee cab drivers. The hippocampus is the area of the brain used for spatial memory and navigation, and is generally larger in taxi drivers than in the general population.[14][15][16]
Film and literature[edit]
A humorous 1979 television film about this learning experience, called The Knowledge, was written by Jack Rosenthal for Euston Films,[17] and was in 2000 voted number 83 in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute.
In the Up Series documentary films, Tony Walker is seen on his motor scooter learning 'The Knowledge' before becoming a cab driver. Later, his wife Debbie joins him after qualifying herself.
In the Chas—The Knowledge miniseries, which was a spin-off from the comic book Hellblazer, Chas Chandler's job as a taxi driver is the basis for various plot elements of the series.
The Knowledge, its runs, and to a certain extent the role of the PCO, form the basis for a future religion in Will Self's The Book of Dave.[18]
TfL Taxi and Private Hire office[edit]
Taxis and private hire driver licences in London from 2010 to 2019[19]
The Taxi and Private Hire office is the body responsible for licensingtaxicabs within Greater London. Taxi and Private Hire is part of Transport for London and is responsible for licensing the familiar London taxicab or 'black cab' and also licenses private hire or minicab services. 'Black cabs' were traditionally coloured black, but this is not a requirement and cabs are painted in other colours, sometimes bearing advertising; however they are traditionally called black cabs to distinguish them from minicabs.
History[edit]
PCO licence plate, as seen on the back of all licensed hackney carriages (September 2006)
Since 1600 public carriages for hire have been a feature of London life. The discarded coaches of aristocratic families, complete with their coat of arms, were among the first hackney carriages to ply for hire. They were the forerunners of the Frenchhackney carriage or cab (cabriolet) which first appeared in London around 1820.
The first horseless cab, the Bersey electric-powered vehicle, appeared in 1897, followed by the first internal combustion engine cab in 1903. At that time London still had more than 11,000 horse-drawn cabs.[citation needed] The last horse-drawn cab was removed from service in 1947.[citation needed] As of July 2019, there are over 21,000 licensed vehicles on London's roads.[19]
Regulation of the trade passed to the Metropolitan Police in 1850 and was undertaken by the Public Carriage Office, which was originally in an annex to New Scotland Yard in Whitehall called 'the Bungalow'. It moved to 109 Lambeth Road in 1919, remaining there until 1966, when it moved to 15 Penton Street, Islington. In 2010 it moved again to the Palestra Building at 197 Blackfriars Road, Southwark.
Present role[edit]
On the formation of Transport for London on 3 July 2000, the licensing authority changed; however, the day-to-day licensing function remained with the Public Carriage Office.
With the introduction of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 the role of the PCO has been expanded to include the licensing of private hire operators, drivers and vehicles, bringing the capital into line with the rest of England and Wales.
In November 2005, in the report Where to, Guv?, the London Assembly's Transport Committee reported on a review of the Public Carriage Office and made some key recommendations.[1]
Elsewhere[edit]
Hackney carriages in Leeds are white with black bumpers and bonnets
In many metropolitan areas throughout the UK, taxis are licensed by the local authority,[20][21] and in many places are required to be painted a certain colour.[22][23] For instance, hackney carriages are blue in Bristol, white in Renfrewshire, yellow in Derby, and silver in Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight, while in some places they are two-tone with a coloured bonnet and boot: Leeds has white with black, Brighton has white with aquamarine-colour, Cardiff has black with white and Windsor has white with purple. These restrictions do not apply to licences granted previously, and many taxis remain unchanged.
Elsewhere there are two types of 'taxi'—hackney carriages (licensed under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847), which may pick up fares on the street or be pre-booked and have a meter that charges a rate set by the local authority (alternatively the driver may negotiate a lower fare with the customer), and private hire vehicles (licensed under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976) which must be pre-booked and whose rates are set by the private hire operator. Hackney carriages may only pick up fares off the street in the area in which they are licensed—however they and private hire vehicles may pick up anywhere in the UK as long as they are pre-booked, and the driver, vehicle and operator are all licensed in the same borough. Some authorities have entered into agreements with neighbouring authorities to deputise each other's enforcement officers so they have the power to apprehend 'trespassing' taxis from outside their area.
The legal way for a driver to ply outside their area is to obtain multiple licences, one for each licence authority area.
Luton is reported to have the highest number of taxicabs per head of population in the United Kingdom.[24]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
^ ab'Where to, Guv?', London Assembly Transport Committee report into the Public Carriage Office, November 2005
^'Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Statistics: England 2015'(PDF).
^'Taxicab Make And Model History'. London-taxi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
^'The Knowledge, London’s Legendary Taxi-Driver Test, Puts Up a Fight in the Age of GPS' Blog post by Jody Rosen The New York Times Magazine November 2014
^Webb, Sidney; Webb, Beatrice (1922). 'Ch.4: The Improvement Commissioners'. Statutory Authorities for Special Purposes. English Local Government. Vol.4. 1922: Longman, Green. p. 240.
^'The Knowledge'. Public Carriage Office, Transport for London. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012.
^'The Knowledge :: A-Z Maps'. www.az.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
^'London Taxi Knowledge Schools',
^'Applicants for a Taxi Driver’s Licence – The 'Knowledge of London' Examination System', Public Carriage Office, Transport for London
^'Requirements in order to obtain a taxi licence in London – by: Transport for London'. Infotaxi.org. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
^'The Knowledge Boys', Scientific American Frontiers
^Ross, Drew A. R. (March 2007). 'Backstage with the Knowledge Boys and Girls: Goffman and Distributed Agency in an Organic Online Community (Abstract)'. Organization Studies. 28 (3): 307–25.
^Maguire, E. A.; Gadian, D. G.; Johnsrude, I. S.; Good, C. D.; Ashburner, J.; Frackowiak, R. S.; Frith, C. D. (2000). 'Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers'. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97 (8): 4398–403. Bibcode:2000PNAS...97.4398M. doi:10.1073/pnas.070039597. PMC18253. PMID10716738.
^Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne; Frith, Uta (2005). The learning brain: lessons for education. Blackwell Publishing. p. 125. ISBN978-1-4051-2401-0.
^'Taxi drivers 'have brain sat-nav''. BBC News. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
^The Knowledge (1979) (TV) on IMDb
^Will Self. The Book Of Dave. ISBN978-1596913844.
^ ab'Licensing information'.
^'Taxi and Private Hire Byelaws and Conditions'. Eastbourne Borough Council. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
^'Taxis and private hire vehicles'. Portsmouth.gov.uk. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
^City and County of Swansea (28 January 2010). '# # Vehicles – Hackney Carriage'. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
^City and County of Swansea (17 June 2010). 'Vehicles – Private Hire'. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
^'Luton South', UK Polling Report
External links and further reading[edit]
The London Taxi Trade A report by London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, June 2007
London Minicab History History of minicab trade by John Sanderson
'The Knowledge, London’s Legendary Taxi-Driver Test, Puts Up a Fight in the Age of GPS' Blog post by Jody Rosen The New York Times Magazine November 2014
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom&oldid=917717053'
LTI TX2 cab
LTI FX4 cab
The Beardmore was an alternative taxi design used in London during the 1960s and 1970s
Until the late 1950s, vehicles licensed as London taxis were required to be provided with an open-access luggage platform in place of the front passenger seat found on other passenger cars (including taxis licensed for use in other British cities).
A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire.[1] A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise.[2]
In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage today refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office, local authority (non-metropolitan district councils, unitary authorities) or the Department of the Environment depending on region of the country.[citation needed]
In the United States, the police department of the city of Boston has a Hackney Carriage Unit, analogous to taxicab regulators in other cities, that issues Hackney Carriagemedallions to its taxi operators.[3]
2History
3Black cabs
Etymology[edit]
'Hackney' is derived from the village name Hackney (now part of London). Hackney supplied horses from its surrounding meadows.[4] The word was once thought to be an anglicized derivative of French haquenée — a horse of medium size recommended for lady riders.[5]
The place-name, through its fame for its horses and horse-drawn carriages, is also the root of the Spanish word jaca, a term used for a small breed of horse[6] and the Sardinianachetta horse. The first documented hackney coach—the name later extended to the newer and smaller carriages—operated in London in 1621.
The New York City colloquial terms 'hack' (taxi or taxi-driver), hackstand (taxi stand), and hack license (taxi license) are probably derived from hackney carriage. Such cabs are now regulated by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.[citation needed]
History[edit]
'An Ordinance for the Regulation of Hackney-Coachmen in London and the places adjacent' was approved by Parliament in 1654, to remedy what it described as the 'many Inconveniences [that] do daily arise by reason of the late increase and great irregularity of Hackney Coaches and Hackney Coachmen in London, Westminster and the places thereabouts'.[7] The first hackney-carriage licences date from a 1662 Act of Parliament establishing the Commissioners of Scotland Yard to regulate them. Licences applied literally to horse-drawn carriages, later modernised as hansom cabs (1834), that operated as vehicles for hire. The 1662 act limited the licences to 400; when it expired in 1679, extra licences were created until a 1694 act imposed a limit of 700,[8] which was increased by later acts and abolished in 1832.[9]
There was a distinction between a general hackney carriage and a hackney coach, a hireable vehicle with specifically four wheels, two horses and six seats, and driven by a Jarvey (also spelled jarvie).
In 19th century London, private carriages were commonly sold off for use as hackney carriages, often displaying painted-over traces of the previous owner's coat of arms on the doors.
London growler circa 1900
The Clarence or growler was a type of four-wheel, enclosed carriage drawn by two horses[10] used as a hackney carriage, that is, as a vehicle for hire with a coachman. It is distinguished from a cab, hansom cab or cabriolet, in that those had only two wheels. It is distinguished from most coaches by being of slightly smaller size, nominally holding four passengers,[11] and being much less ostentatious.
A small, usually two-wheeled, one-horse hackney vehicle called a noddy once plied the roads in Ireland and Scotland. The French had a small hackney coach called a fiacre.
Motorisation[edit]
Electric hackney carriages appeared before the introduction of the internal combustion engine to vehicles for hire in 1901. In fact there was even London Electrical Cab Company: the cabs were informally called Berseys after the manager who designed them, Walter C. Bersey. Another nickname was Hummingbirds from the sound that they made.[12] In August 1897 25 were introduced, and by 1898 there were 50 more. During the 20th century, cars generally replaced horse-drawn models, and the last horse-drawn hackney carriage ceased service in London in 1947.[citation needed]
UK regulations define a hackney carriage as a taxicab allowed to ply the streets looking for passengers to pick up, as opposed to private hire vehicles (sometimes called minicabs), which may pick up only passengers who have previously booked or who visit the taxi operator's office. In 1999, the first of a series of fuel cell powered taxis were tried out in London. The 'Millennium Cab' built by ZeTek gained television coverage and great interest when driven in the Sheraton Hotel ballroom in New York by Judd Hirsch, the star of the television series Taxi. ZeTek built three cabs but ceased activities in 2001.[citation needed]
Continuing horse-drawn cab services[edit]
Horse-drawn hackney services continue to operate in parts of the UK, for example in Cockington, Torquay.[13] The town of Windsor, Berkshire, is believed to be the last remaining town with a continuous lineage of horse-drawn hackney carriages, currently run by Orchard Poyle Carriages, the licence having been passed down from driver to driver since 1830.
The Royal Borough now licences the carriage for rides around Windsor Castle and the Great Park, however the original hackney licence is in place allowing for passenger travel under the same law that was originally passed in 1662. The city of Bath has an occasional horse-drawn Hackney, principally for tourists, but still carrying hackney plates.
Black cabs[edit]
Illuminated for hire signage is a distinguishing feature of the hackney carriage
A TX4 hackney carriage at Heathrow AirportTerminal 5
Motorised hackney cabs in the UK[14] were usually painted black in the past and are known as black cabs, although they are now produced in a variety of colours, sometimes in advertising brandliveries (see below). Fifty golden cabs were produced for the Queen'sGolden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.[15]
Vehicle design[edit]
Historically four-door saloon cars have been highly popular as hackney carriages, but with disability regulations growing in strength and some councils offering free licensing for disabled-friendly vehicles, many operators are now opting for wheelchair-adapted taxis such as The London Taxi Company (LTI). Other models of specialist taxis include the Peugeot E7 and rivals from Fiat, Volkswagen, Metrocab and Mercedes-Benz. These vehicles normally allow six or seven passengers, although some models can accommodate eight. Some of these minibus taxis include a front passenger seat next to the driver, while others reserve this space solely for luggage.
London black cabs must have a turning circle not greater than 25 ft (8 m). One reason for this is the configuration of the famed Savoy Hotel: the hotel entrance's small roundabout meant that vehicles needed the small turning circle in order to navigate it. That requirement became the legally required turning circles for all London cabs, while the custom of a passenger's sitting on the right, behind the driver, provided a reason for the right-hand traffic in Savoy Court, allowing hotel patrons to board and alight from the driver's side.[16]
The design standards for London taxis are set out in the Conditions of Fitness, which are now published by Transport for London. The first edition was published in May 1906, by the Public Carriage Office, which was then part of the Metropolitan Police. These regulations set out the conditions under which a taxi may operate and include regulating the taximeter (not compulsory until 1907), the maximum age of the taxi (not more than 15 years), advertisements and the turning circle of 8.535 m (28 ft).[12][17]
As part of the Transported by Design programme of activities,[18] in 15 October 2015, after two months of public voting, the black cab was elected by Londoners as their favourite transport design icon.[19][20]
Driver qualification[edit]
In London, hackney-carriage drivers have to pass a test called The Knowledge to demonstrate that they have an intimate knowledge of the geography of London streets, important buildings, etc. Learning The Knowledge allows the driver to become a member of the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers. There are two types of badge, a yellow one for the suburban areas and a green one for all of London. The latter is considered far more difficult. Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as 'mushers' and those who have just passed the 'knowledge' are known as 'butter boys'.[21] There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.[22]
Elsewhere, councils have their own regulations. Some merely require a driver to pass a DBS disclosure and have a reasonably clean driving licence, while others use their own local versions of London's The Knowledge test.[citation needed]
Notable drivers[edit]
Alfred Collins, who retired in 2007 at the age of 92, was the oldest cab driver and had been driving for 70 years.[23]
Fred Housego is a former London taxi driver who became a television and radio personality and presenter after winning the BBC television quiz Mastermind in 1980.[24][25]
Clive Efford MP for the London constituency of Eltham was a cab driver for 10 years before entering parliament in 1997.
John Worboys is a convicted serialrapist, known as the Black Cab Rapist because he drove a London cab. He was convicted in March 2009 for attacks on 12 women.[26]
Private users[edit]
Oil millionaire Nubar Gulbenkian drove about in a custom-built gold and black car, designed to look like a vintage London taxi and powered by a Rolls-Royce engine, because he had been told 'it can turn on a sixpence.'[27][28][29] Other celebrities are known to have used hackney carriages both for their anonymity and their ruggedness and manoeuvrability in London traffic. Users included Prince Philip, whose cab was converted to run on liquefied petroleum gas,[30] author and actor Stephen Fry,[31] and the Sheriffs of the City of London. A black cab was used in the band Oasis's video for the song 'Don't Look Back in Anger.' Black cabs were used as recording studios for indie band performances and other performances in the Black Cab Sessions internet project.
Ghosthunting With... featured a black cab owned by host of the show, Yvette Fielding. Bez of the Happy Mondays owns one, shown on the UK edition of Pimp My Ride. Noel Edmonds used a black cab to commute from his home to the Deal or No Deal studios in Bristol. He placed a fully dressed mannequin in the back so that he could use special bus/taxi lanes, and so that people would not attempt to hail his cab.[32]
The official car of the Governor of the Falkland Islands between 1976 and 2010 was a London taxi.[33]
In other countries[edit]
A London taxi (TXII model) in Switzerland
Between 2003 and 1 August 2009 the London taxi model TXII could be purchased in the United States.[34] Today there are approximately 250 TXIIs in the US, operating as taxis in San Francisco, Dallas, Long Beach, Houston, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Newport, Rhode Island, Wilmington, North Carolina and Portland, Oregon. There are also a few operating in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The largest London taxi rental fleet in North America is in Wilmington, owned by The British Taxi Company. There are London cabs in Saudi Arabia, Romania, South Africa, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain and Cyprus, and in Israel, where a Chinese-made version of LTI's model TX4 built by Geely Automobile is available. In February 2010, a number of TX4s started operating in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, and are known as London Taxi.[35]
A London taxi (TX4 model) in Singapore
Singapore has used London-style cabs since 1992; starting with the 'Fairway'. The flag-down fares for the London Taxis are the same as for other taxis. SMRT Corporation, the sole operator, had by March 2013 replaced its fleet of 15 ageing multi-coloured (gold, pink, etc.) taxis with new white ones. They are the only wheelchair-accessible taxis in Singapore, and were brought back following an outcry after the removal of the service.[citation needed]
By 2011 a thousand of a Chinese-made version of LTI's latest model, TX4, had been ordered by Baku Taxi Company. The plan is part of a program originally announced by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Transportation to introduce London cabs to the capital, Baku.[36][37] The move was part of a £16 million agreement between the London Taxi Company and Baku Taxi Company.[38][39]
Variety of models[edit]
There have been different makes and types of hackney cab through the years,[40] including:
Mann & Overton - including Carbodies, The London Taxi Company and currently London EV Company
Unic sold in London from 1906 to 1930s
LTI TX1, TXII and TX4
Mercedes-Benz
Vito W639[41]
London General Cab Co.
Beardmore
Metrocab (originally formed by Metro Cammell Weymann)
London Taxi Drivers Knowledge Test
Use in advertising[edit]
An example of an Eyetease digital screen on top of a hackney carriage
Primelocation livery
Vodafone livery
Vita Coco coconut water livery
The unique body of the London taxi is occasionally wrapped with all-over advertising, known as a 'livery'.[42]
In October 2011 the company Eyetease Ltd. introduced digital screens on the roofs of London taxis for dynamically changing location-specific advertising.[43]
Future[edit]
On 14 December 2010 Mayor of LondonBoris Johnson released an air quality strategy paper encouraging phasing out of the oldest of the LT cabs, and proposing a £1m fund to encourage taxi owners to upgrade to low-emission, such as electric, vehicles. On the same day Secretary of State for TransportPhilip Hammond unveiled the £5,000 electric car subsidy.[citation needed]
In the longer term, black cabs are predicted to be largely automated and driverless.[44]
Digital hailing[edit]
2011 saw the launch of many digital hailing applications for hackney carriages that operate through smartphones, including GetTaxi and Hailo. Many of these applications also facilitate payment and tracking of the taxicabs.[citation needed]
United Kingdom law[edit]
Laws about the definition, licensing and operation of hackney carriages have a long history.[45] The most significant pieces of legislation by region are:
In England and Wales: the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. In Wales, responsibility for licensing is now devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. In September 2017, a consultation started about the future of such licensing.
In London: the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869 and the London Cab Order 1934.
In Scotland: the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.
In Northern Ireland: the Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008[45]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
London Taxi Drivers School
^'Definition of 'hackney''. Onlinedictionary.datasegment.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
^'Definition of remise by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia'. Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
^'Boston Police Hackney Carriage Unit'. Cityofboston.gov. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
^Oxford English Dictionary online pay site accessed 18 April 2018
^'The history of the word 'Hackney''. Worldwidewords.org. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
^'DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA'. REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
^An Ordinance for the Regulation of Hackney-Coachmen in London and the places adjacent, June 1654, british-history.ac.uk; accessed 26 May 2017.
^'William and Mary, 1694: An Act for the lycenseing and regulateing Hackney-Coaches and Stage-Coaches [Chapter XXII Rot. Parl. pt. 5. nu. 2.]'. Statutes of the Realm: Volume 6, 1685-94. Great Britain Record Commission. 1819. pp. 502–505. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
^'The Omnibuses of London'. The Gentleman's Magazine. R. Newton: 663. December 1857.
^Busch, Noel F. (1947) 'Life's Reports: Restful Days in Dublin' ' Life Magazine 15 September 1947 page 9, includes a photograph of a growler.
^Knox, Thomas Wallace (1888) The pocket guide for Europe: hand-book for travellers on the Continent and the British Isles, and through Egypt, Palestine, and northern Africa G. Putnam, New York, page 34, OCLC28649833
^ ab'Taxi History - London Vintage Taxi Association'. lvta.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
^Cockington Carriages plan for the future
^traditionally all black in London
^Golden times for black cabs, bbc.co.uk, 13 March 2002
^Why does traffic entering and leaving the Savoy Hotel in London drive on the right?, theguardian.com; accessed 26 May 2017.
^'Construction and Licensing of Motor Taxis for Use in London: Conditions of Fitness, as updated 11 December 2017'(PDF). Transport for London: Public Carriage Office. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
^Transported by DesignArchived 2016-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
^London’s transport ‘Design Icons’ announced, ltmuseum.co.uk; accessed 26 May 2017.
^Transported By Design: Vote for your favourite part of London transport, timeout.com; accessed 26 May 2017.
^The history of London's black cabs, theguardian.com, 9 December 2012.
^About the Public Carriage Office, 'Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Statistics, England: 2018'(PDF). p. 2.
^Longest serving cabbie honoured, bbc.co.uk; accessed 26 May 2017.
^de Garis, Kirsty (9 February 2003). 'What happened next?'. The Observer. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
^'Take our Mastermind quiz'. BBC News. 7 July 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
^'Cab driver guilty of sex attacks'. BBC News. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
^The sixpence was the smallest coin in circulation, so the phrase was a hyperbole meaning that it had a tight turning radius.
^Last of the big spenders, time.com, 24 January 1972.
^Photo of Gulbenkian in special cab Photographer Bryan Wharton, 1964
^'Prince Philip's taxi'. Royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
^Stephen Fry in America, stephenfry.com, 10 October 2008.
^'Noel Edmonds' black taxi mannequin gets a makeover from blonde to brunette'. Daily Mirror. 21 April 2013.
^'Rex Hunt, Governor of the Falkland Islands'. Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
^http://www.london-fleet.com
^Ben-Gedalyahu, Dubi (18 August 2009). 'Eldan to sell Chinese 'London taxi''. Globes. Tel Aviv. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
^Meidment, Neil. 'Manganese Bronze seals biggest London taxi order'. Reuters. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
^Jaglom, Ben. 'Manganese takes black cab to Azerbaijan'. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
^'1,000 London taxis for Azerbaijan'. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
^'British firm wins £16m Azerbaijan order for its Chinese built taxis'. Retrieved 4 March 2011.[permanent dead link]
^'Taxicab Make And Model History'. London-taxi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012.
^'London Black-Cab Crisis Opens Road to Mercedes Minivans'. Bloomberg. 3 December 2012.
^Robert Hardman (3 December 2012). 'End of the road for the Black Cab? They're a British icon—but now the factory that makes London taxis has run out of cash. And without a rescue, it's doomed'. Daily Mail. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
^Mark Prigg (11 October 2011). 'The video screen coming to a cab near you'. ThisIsLondon. London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
^'Thinking of doing The Knowledge? You may want to think again'. Onega.net. 15 November 2016.
^ abButcher, Louise (2018). 'Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing in England. House of Commons Briefing Paper CBP 2005'(PDF). Parliament. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taxis of London.
London Taxi Drivers Protest
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Cab.
Taxis and private hire Transport for London Public Carriage Office
London hackney coach regulations, 1819. Genealogy UK Genealogy and Family History.
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