England Taxi
In the early 17th century, hackney carriages began providing taxicab service and the number of carriages was set at 50. In 1636, the owner of four hackney carriages established the first taxicab stand in The Strand, a street in the City of Westminster. At the end of the 19th century, battery-operated taxis appeared shortly but in 1903, the modern taxicab service took off with the appearance of petrol-powered taxis. In 1907 meters were first introduced to calculate the fare and were set at 8d for the first mile.
There are two types of taxicabs in England, London taxicab or “black cab” and licenses private hire or “minicab” services. Austin FX4 is always used as the classic London Black Cab and all of them are painted with black color. Private hire car or “minicab” is a car with a driver available for hire only on a pre-booked basis, for example, by telephone, internet, or fax. Minicab in England is painted in many colors.
In England, The Public Carriage Office (PCO) is the body responsible for licensing taxicabs within Greater London. Would - be cabbies must complete some driving tests to obtain a taxi – driving license and The 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 or ask a controller by radio.
