The modern taximeter was invented and perfected by a trio of German inventors; Wilhelm Friedrich Nedler, Ferdinand Dencker and Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn. The Daimler Victoria—the world's first gasoline-powered taximeter-cab—was built by Gottlieb Daimler in 1897 and began operating in Stuttgart in 1897.

The concept of the modern "taxi" as a metered vehicle-for-hire was developed in Germany, though the name itself has French and Latin roots. In 1891, German inventor Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn invented the "taxameter"—the mechanical device that calculates fare based on distance and time. Six years later, in 1897, the first gasoline-powered taxi, the "Daimler Victoria," was built by Gottlieb Daimler and began service in Stuttgart. The name "taxi" comes from "taximeter," where "taxi" means "tariff" or "charge" (from the Greek taxis) and "meter" means "to measure." While horse-drawn "Hackney carriages" existed in London and Paris as far back as the 1600s, the "Taxicab" as we know it—a motorized vehicle with a regulated, measured fare—is a German innovation that revolutionized urban mobility. By 2026, the "Taxi" has become a global icon, from the Yellow Cabs of New York to the Black Cabs of London, but the underlying "meter" technology that ensures a fair price for a stranger's ride remains the legacy of 19th-century German engineering.