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Hackney carriage

In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office in London (for the area within the M25 motorway) or by the local authority (shire district councils or authorities) in other parts of England and Wales, by the Scottish Executive in Scotland, or by the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland.

Hackney carriages originated in the 17th century as horse-drawn carriages, later modernized as hansom cabs (1834), that operated as vehicles for hire. Electric hackney carriages appeared before the introduction of the internal combustion engine to vehicles for hire in 1901. Today the regulations define a hackney carriage as a taxicab allowed to ply the streets looking for passengers to pick up, as opposed to private hire vehicles (sometimes called minicabs), which may only pick up passengers who have previously booked or who visit the taxi operator's office.

At the beginning of 2004, the UK Government had started consulting local councils and taxi operators on abolishing the distinction between the two types of taxi, with a view to issuing only hackney licences.

Black cabs

A City of London FX4 Black taxi.

Motorised hackney cabs, traditionally all black in colour, have the popular name of black cabs, although other colours also appear, most frequently when advertising campaigns call for the respraying of large groups of cabs in vivid brand liveries.

In most of the United Kingdom hackney-carriage operators use conventional four-door saloon cars, but London (and some other cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh) use specially-designed hackney carriages manufactured by a small number of companies. These vehicles allow up to 5 passengers in the back. Luggage usually goes in the passenger compartment, but travel in the front next to the driver — these vehicles have no front passenger-seat, although a door has replaced the original open side. Some modern designs can also accommodate wheelchairs in the back. Black cabs have a turning circle of only 25 feet.

Some proposals exist to use "people carrier"-type vehicles as hackney carriages.

In London, hackney-carriage drivers have to pass a test called The Knowledge to demonstrate they have an intimate knowledge of London streets.

London Taxi drivers will only pick up passengers if they are travelling no further than six miles from Charing Cross in central London. This restriction has long been resented by Londoners who live outside this zone.

History

The first hackney-carriages licenses date from 1662, and applied literally to horse-drawn carriages. During the 20th century cars generally replaced horse-drawn models, and the last horse-drawn hackney carriage ceased service in 1947.

Note the distinction between a generic hackney carriage and a hackney coach, a hireable vehicle with specifically four wheels, two horses and six seats.

The name hackney derives not from the borough of Hackney in London, but from the French word haquenée (an ambling horse or hack) referring to the horses which pulled the original carriages. The word hackney came subsequently to denote "for hire".

The New York terms "hackstand" (taxi stand) and "hack license" (taxi license) likely derive from "hackney carriage".

City of Boston

The City of Boston in the United States of America also issues hackney carriage licenses. The Boston Police Hackney Carriage Unit handles the regulation of the city's taxis.

External links

• London hackney coach regulations, 1819
• The Cab Driver Newspaper, the licensed taxi industry's oldest and largest independent newspaper
• London Taxis of North America
• History of London taxi cabs at knowledgeoflondon.com
• LTI, a British manufacturer of purpose-built taxis

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