When did taxis start in the US?

The first motorized taxicabs were electric-powered vehicles that began appearing on the streets of European and American cities in the late 1890s. Internal combustion-powered taxicabs equipped with taximeters first appeared around 1907 and have dominated taxi travel ever since.



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The new fleet was the largest single order for new taxicabs in history. The new model taxicab from Chevrolet is shown in New York City, May 17, 1950. The Checker Cab, used between 1956 and 1982, became one of the most recognizable symbols of mid-20th century urban life.

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During this period, several aspects of the modern-day taxi began to emerge, such as the popularity of the comfortable and stylish Checker taxicab. Checkers were immensely popular in the 1940s and 1960s and are considered an iconic part of vintage New York history.

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The taxis of 1914 were Renault AG1 Landaulets. They could seat five men per vehicle, but averaged a speed of only about 20-25 miles per hour.

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A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice.

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According to Yellow Cab Co. tradition, the color (and name) yellow was selected by John Hertz as the result of a survey he commissioned at a local university, which indicated it was the easiest color to spot.

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Unofficial drivers were barred from picking up people on the street, but they readily found business in under-served neighborhoods. In 1967, New York City ordered all medallion taxis be painted yellow to help cut down on unofficial drivers and make official taxicabs more readily recognizable.

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By 1625, London innkeepers hired out carriages. In 1635 in England, the Hackney Carriage Act was passed as the first legislation to cover hireable horse-drawn carriages in the country. In 1636, the first London taxi rank appeared at the Strand outside the Maypole Inn.

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An early electric hansom taxicab on a New York City street, circa 1900. The Electric Carriage and Wagon Company, the first taxicab company in New York City, began operating 12 electric hansom cabs in July 1897—a time when city traffic was overwhelmingly of the horse-drawn variety.

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