Where did the phrase taxi come from?

Ultimately, the word taxi originates from the ancient Greek word t???? (taxis), which means 'arrangement, order'. Taxi is a shortening of the French term 'taximètre'. Germans named this device 'taxameter'. This word stems from the medieval Latin word taxa (taxation), which initially applied to rental cars.



The word "taxi" is a contraction of the term "taxicab," which itself is a combination of two words: taximeter and cabriolet. The "taximeter" was an instrument invented in the late 19th century (from the German taxameter) to measure the distance traveled and calculate the "tax" or fare. The word "tax" comes from the Latin taxare, meaning "to charge." A "cabriolet" was a light, two-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage used for hire in 18th-century France, named after the French word cabrioler ("to leap or caper") because of the vehicle's bouncy movement. In 1907, Harry Nathaniel Allen of New York imported 600 gas-powered vehicles from France and coined the term "taxicab" to describe them. Over time, the phrase was shortened to just "taxi." In 2026, while the technology has shifted to digital apps and electric autonomous vehicles, the etymological roots remain tied to the historical "measure of the charge" for a "leaping carriage."

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The two words, in this context, mean the same thing. But cab is not short for taxicab; rather, it comes from cabriolet, which in its original use referred to a two-wheeled, one-horse carriage with a leather hood that folded down. These carriages were rented out for hire.

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Taxi is also U.S. slang for “a prison sentence of between five and fifteen years,” says the OED, perhaps from the analogy between a short taxi ride and relatively short prison term.

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The term cab derives from the cabriolet, a two-wheeled, one-horse carriage often let out for hire. The development of modern taxicabs closely parallels that of automobiles. The first motorized taxicabs were electric-powered vehicles that began appearing on the streets of European and American cities in the late 1890s.

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The famous London taxis are actually called 'hackney carriages' but in London we just call them 'black cabs/taxis'.

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Taxicabs are the only vehicles that have the right to pick up street-hailing and prearranged passengers anywhere in New York City. By law, there are 13,587 taxis in New York City and each taxi must have a medallion affixed to it.

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taxi (n.) 1907, shortening of taximeter cab (introduced in London in March 1907), from taximeter automatic meter to record the distance and fare (1898), from French taximètre, from German Taxameter (1890), coined from Medieval Latin taxa tax, charge.

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Gottlieb Daimler built the world's first dedicated taxi in 1897 called the Daimler Victoria. The taxi came equipped with the newly invented taxi meter. On 16 June 1897, the Daimler Victoria taxi was delivered to Friedrich Greiner, a Stuttgart entrepreneur who started the world's first motorized taxi company.

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Though still popular after four seasons, the ratings for Taxi started to decline, and ABC canceled the show after the 1982 season. The cable television company HBO was in talks to acquire the series, but it went to NBC instead. It lasted just one season on NBC, and its final episode aired on July 27, 1983.

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Cabbie Slang 101. Aside from the usual cabs, there are some folks who refer to these as sherbet. It originated from a rhyming term from Cockney “sherbet dab.” It is a sweet dissolving sugar that you can eat with a lollipop.

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Taxi drivers, also called cabdrivers or cabbies, use a meter to calculate the fare when a passenger requests a destination.

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The results might shock you. She found that without tips or surge pricing, hailing a cab was always less expensive than an UberX or a standard Lyft. Cab prices averaged 35-83% less than a ride-share. Prices for the same rides on the taxi cab app CURB varied.

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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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Without adding in tolls and tip, taxis follow a standard $52 fare to JFK from Manhattan. Is it cheaper to take a taxi or Uber in NYC? In most cases, it will be cheaper to take a taxi than do rideshare or Uber from JFK airport to Manhattan.

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Taxi cabs in Edinburgh are mostly black, the iconic 'hackney carriage' like the ones you can find in London and elsewhere in the UK. They're casually referred to as 'black cabs' and can often seat a company of 5.

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