London Taxi: History, Stamps

Already in the XVI century on the territory of Britain rides hired carriages, which became the first ancestors of the modern London taxi. The final formation of this service in the kingdom occurred in the XIX century due to the emergence of black cabs. These cars are known for their reliability, endurance and unusual for the car appearance.

The first model of a taxi in London

The debut city cabs were cars of the company London Electric Cab Co. As you may have guessed, their engines were powered by electricity. The British capital owes this innovation to the 23-year-old Walter Bersy - a businessman who was the owner of the aforementioned company and the author of the electric vehicle project. The first cabs drove on one charge up to 75 km.

For the years of the company's existence, Bersy's cars became participants in hundreds of fatal accidents. This led to the bankruptcy of a young businessman and the complete disappearance of electric vehicles from the streets of the city.

Improvement of the London taxi in the XX century

In 1903 in the capital of Britain there are cars with a gasoline engine. For several decades there was no unity concerning the taxi brands. The companies bought different models of cars, among them were Rational, Austin, Prunel and Simplex. The only thing that united them all - it's black.

In 1919, an industrialist from Scotland, William Berdmore tried to get a contract to develop a taxi for London. He became the author of such models as Beardmore Mk1, Mk2 Super and Mk3 Hyper. It was at that time that the classic interior was created: the place next to the cabman was not used for passengers, but for their luggage.

Later, Berdmore settled down a competitor in the face of the company Morris, which in 1929 designed its version of the London taxi (photo above). The model differed from previous vehicles in that the passenger seats were located above the driver. The only and biggest disadvantage of this cab was its cost. It was too overpriced, and no firm could afford to bulk purchase Morris products.

In 1929 the company Austin joined in the struggle for monopoly and released a car that was ideally suited for the role of a taxi. The ceiling of the cabin was so high that the passengers could go standing up. The reason for the disappearance of Austin's competitors was the low price of their cars. A couple of years later, the company created a brand of London taxis with a low floor, as in modern English buses. The appearance of these machines resembles the current cabs.

After the Second World War, Austin, together with the body studio Carbodies, launched the FX3 car line. Compared with the prewar models, the new machines were hardier, faster and with a more modern appearance. In 1954, Beardmore tried to return to the market, releasing a fairly successful model Mk7 Paramount Taxicab. The truth is, the car was almost completely copied from the Austin FX3.

1958 was marked by the development of the most classic taxi, for the preservation of which the British patriots and supporters of traditions fought. From previous models FX4 differed closed area for luggage and seats, on which passengers could sit opposite each other.

After the bankruptcy of Austin, Metro Cammell Weymann took over the development of the cabs. The appearance of the cars changed to a more modern, but the internal layout remained the same, all loved.

Taxi in the streets of modern London

After the decision to stop the release of FX4, LTI designed a replacement for Metrocab. The cab of mark TX1 has kept the classical form, nevertheless its appearance looked more modern. In 2007, LTI created the models TX2 and TX4. In new cars, the salon was mostly renewed, while the exterior design remained the same.

In 2014, Kamkorp company revived Metrocab, introducing a cab called New Metrocab. The car became the first fully electric taxi with a classic exterior and interior design. Thus, the company Kamkorp partially returned the times of Walter Bercy.

Reliability of trips

Sitting in a London taxi, passengers can be calm for their safety. Modern black cabs around the world are famous for their convenience, speed and strength. Manufacturers of English taxis guarantee a minimum of ten years of service. During this period of time, the car's mileage is usually about 800 thousand km.

As for the responsibilities of the cabman, his skills, knowledge, experience and experience are controlled by the general rules of the rules for drivers. In addition, in London taxis it is almost impossible to find modern instruments like a GPS-navigator. The fact is that everyone, even an aspiring representative of this remarkable profession, considers it his duty to know by heart every corner of the capital and its environs.

Illegal taxi drivers

High tariffs for travel, like in any other country, caused the appearance of illegal immigrants. You will not find such taxi drivers at the railway stations and airports, as they are strictly forbidden to call customers there. But next to the concert halls, nightclubs and theaters of illegal drivers more than enough. Tariffs for their services are much lower than for officially working taxi drivers, but the consequences of such trips are the responsibility of only customers.

Noteworthy facts

The word "taxi" comes from the name of the device to determine the cost of the trip - taximeter. The author of this invention was the German baron von Tour-i-Taxis.
Popular yellow cabs of New York come from England. In the British capital, two Austin models were painted in bright colors and exported to America. Car brands did not take root among New Yorkers, but the yellow shade became the symbol of a taxi in the city.

Over the centuries of the existence in Britain of hired transportation, this service was called differently. About how the London taxi was called at the end of the 16th century can be judged by the meaning of the French word hacquenée, which means "horse for hire". In the middle of the XIX century hackney was replaced by a cab. The name came from the gigs that had just appeared at the time. Cab drivers are called cabmen.

High roofs of London taxis were created specifically for passengers, so that they could sit in the car without removing the hat-cylinder. Classic black cab is not the only type of transportation in the capital. On the streets of the city you can meet a mini-cab - an exact copy of his "big brother", whose body is generously pasted with bright advertising. Travel in such a taxi is cheaper, and you can order it only two options - via the Internet or by phone. Mini-cab drivers do not have the right to pick up passengers on the streets. For them, this is fraught with an impressive fine and deprivation of the license.