taxi (n.)
Short for “Taximeter Cab” an automatic meter to record the distance and fare (1898), coined from Medieval Latin taxa "tax, charge." An earlier English form was taxameter (1894) used in horse-drawn cabs.
My first ride in a NYC Cab was in a new 1953 Ford taxi with my father in NYC. It was a great experience being driven around town in a new cab.
This is my Tribute to the NYC Taxicab. Enjoy, Mario
1 1890's Horse Drawn Taxicab. New Yorkers have long relied on cabs to get around town.
2 1895 A snugly dressed cabbie awaiting some fares at the Battery Park NYC elevated train station.
3 1896 Hansom Cab New York City Horse Carriage. The original taxicab is a far cry from today’s modern versions.
4 1897 Arrival of Electric Taxis in NYC. The Electric Carriage and Wagon Co sold twelve electric taxi cabs to NYC. They could hold two passengers in the single row in the vehicle while the driver sits on top.
5 1899 The First Speeding Infraction in the U.S. was Committed by a New York City Taxi Driver in an Electric Car.
6 1900 An early electric hansom taxicab on a New York City street.
7 1900 Madison Square Park Cab Stand NYC. Strolling along Fifth Avenue at Madison Square.
8 1905 Horse drawn cab. The driver sat behind and above the passengers at the same height as the roof outside of the covered area.
9 1907 1st Female cab driver. It was the cabby’s discretion during this time how much to charge their customers and they often billed exorbitant amounts.
10 1907 The first metered taxicab took to the streets of New York City.
11 1920's NYC Taxi. The yellow taxicab is an iconic image synonymous with the hustle and bustle of New York City.
12 1920's NYC Taxi. Popular car manufacturers like Ford and General Motors created their own taxi models in the 1920s.
13 New 1929 Taxi's. After the Great Depression, with fuel being rationed, taxis became an inexpensive and convenient mode of transportation.
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14 1930's NYC cab. As the taxicab industry grew, New York City lawmakers wrote an abundance of laws to regulate the industry.
15 1936 NYC cab. The Haas Act passed in 1937 established a limit to the number of Medallions, or official taxi licenses, that were to be authorized.
16 1940 NYC Checker Cab.
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17 1940 Plymouth Taxi.
18 1940's Brooklyn cab and Trolley.
19 1940 DeSoto Sky-View, Waters Mfg. Co.
20 1948 Checker Cab.
21 1946 Ford Cab.
22 1940s NYC Taxi.
23 1940's Times Square cab.
24 1944 New York City Taxi.
25 1944 New York Checker Taxi.
26 1944 Taxicabs line up for arriving train passengers at the original Penn Station, New York City.
27 1944 Train passengers wait to take taxi cabs outside the original Penn Station, New York City.
28 1944 Waiting for a Cab in New York City.
29 1949 Ford taxicab.
30 1950 Chevrolet NYC Taxi.
31 1950's Studebaker Taxi.
32 1953 Ford taxicab. Same year car my 1st Taxi ride with my Dad in NYC.
33 1955 Plymouth taxicab.
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34 1956 Chevy taxicab.
35 1957 Ford taxicab.
36 1958 Plymouth taxicab.
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37 1959 Ford taxicab Ad.
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38 1959 Rambler taxicab Ad.
39 1959 Plymouth taxicabs.
40 1960 Plymouth Fury 3 taxicab.
41 1960's Checker cab NYC. No cab is more ingrained in city lore than the boxy Checker.
42 1960's Stretch Checker cab.
43 1960's VW cab. In 1967 NYC lawmakers forced all licensed taxis to be painted yellow to prevent people from getting into unauthorized cabs.
44 1962 Checker cab. In 1982, the company stopped making taxis.
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45 1970's Plymouth NYC Cab. In 1971 NYC formed the Taxi and Limousine Commission which is still in operation today.
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46 1980's Chevy cab. During the 1970s and 1980s, Ford and Plymouth created competition for the Checker Cab Company by releasing their own models.
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47 1980's Chevy taxicab.
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48 1980's Ford taxicab. Ford released their Galaxy taxi model.
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49 1980's Ford taxicab.
50 1998 Ford Crown Victoria NYC Yellow Taxi. In the 1990s, Galaxies were replaced by the Ford Crown Victoria and the Chevy Caprice.
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51 1991 Chevy Caprice taxicab.
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52 1991 Chevy Caprice taxicab.
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53 1998 New York City Taxicab Medallion. They are riveted on the hood to prevent theft and sell for $1 Million in a long waiting list!
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54 1900 to 2013 Taxis through the years.
55 In 2013 NYC introduced 6,000 Green Hybrid Boro taxis to the streets which cover the five boroughs: Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
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56 2017 Meet the new NYC taxicab. Nissan unveiled its new NX200 taxicab which has won the contract to be the new taxi for New York City.
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57 It is a roomy van that provides individual climate control, USB port, and 12-volt charging plug to passengers.
58 Circa 1890's Hansom Cab in Clinton Park Stables Central Park Horse and Carriage Garage NYC. Taxicabs have progressed enormously since the original Horse Drawn Cabs of the 1850’s.
1981 NYC Checker Cab
New York City Taxi Cab Evolution
1930's Spectacular New York City in Color
NYC Taxi Medallions sell for $1 million
Cartoon One Cab's Family 1952
HORSE DRAWN VEHICLES - B/W
TV Show Taxi opening theme song
57timemachine on Sep 24, 2023 said:
Mario, you never stop with the good stuff here. Another great post and I do not know where you come up with all this amazing stuff. A history lesson and I love history. Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
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Mario on Sep 25, 2023 said:
Glad you enjoyed the history lesson George. I too am a fan of history and there's always an interesting subject to cover. Thank you for your comments.
I really enjoy all your car shows this year, keep 'em coming! Cheers, Mario
[Reply to this comment]Anonymous on Sep 24, 2023 said:
There's an old Doo Wop song titled: Hat's off to Larry.
Well this thread's title is: HAT'S OFF TO MARIO......
You really knocked this one out of the park, like a Mickey Mantle or Roger Maris Home Run.
I chose a New York team to keep it relative to your home state.
I never knew why cabs were painted yellow. Now I know. I'm smarter today than I was yesterday.
Did you ever see the movie: USED CARS, with Kurt Russell? Great movie with the underlying taxi cab theme in it.
Nice work Mario. It's good to see your mental faculties are hitting on all cylinders.
You'll reach that 200 thread mark sooner than you know it.
Great work, Rob
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Mario on Sep 25, 2023 said:
Thank you Rob for all your accolades, I appreciate all your colorful comments.
Yes I know the song Hats off to Larry and thank you for your hat tipping!
Being a New Yorker and a huge Yankee fan I liked your reference to the Mick and Roger Maris, the M&M boys! I saw them both play in 1961 and each one hit a homerun in the game! That was the year Maris hit 61 and Mantle hit 54!
I'll have to check out the movie Used Cars you mentioned, thank you again for your comments. Cheers, Mario
[Reply to this comment]
ghpcnm on Sep 24, 2023 said:
Wonderful post, Mario. There is really something special about the unique styling of those old Checkers. Thanks for sharing this nostalgic bit of American automotive history.
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Mario on Sep 25, 2023 said:
Thank you Dave and glad you're doing well. Stay strong and keep doing what you enjoy doing. It keeps you young.
The Checkers cab was around for over 20 years in NYC. They had a monopoly at one time until Chevy and Ford moved in. Have a great week, Mario
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Anonymous on Aug 5, 2024 said:
I drove a NYC cab 20 years ago. NYC cab drivers are the punching bags of the city, the amount of abuse on that job was absolutely unbelievable. Constant harassment by cops, crazy passengers, drunk people, flat out abusive people, crooks, every day non-stop and it paid like utter crap and the summer times starting in July, you could make more picking up cans off the street, absolutely no business in the summer.
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Mario on Aug 6, 2024 said:
Thank you for your comments as a NYC cab driver of 20 years.
This is why I made a Tribute to the NYC Taxicabs along with the people and the drivers behind the scenes. There is a lot of history in this profession.
We owe you and all the Taxicab drivers past and present a great deal of gratitude. Thank you, Mario
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Mario on Sep 24, 2023 said:
From horse-drawn carriages in the 1850’s to today’s hybrid sedans, New Yorkers have long relied on cabs to get around town. The original taxicab, a horse drawn carriage, lacked a motor and the carriages did not venture past their routes by Central Park between 5th and 8th Ave in NYC.
As the taxicab industry grew, NYC lawmakers wrote laws to regulate them. The Haas Act of 1937 established a limit to the number of Medallions or official taxi licenses that were to be authorized. They sell for $1 million+ today.
In 2013 NYC introduced 6,000 Green Hybrid Boro taxis which cover the five boroughs. These taxis can be hailed on the street or by using the app Uber.
This is my Tribute to the NYC Taxicab. Enjoy, Mario.
[Reply to this comment]