| By :
Nick Messe
Taxi cabs are everywhere, but until you find yourself with somewhere to go and you don't have any wheels, you may not take much notice of them. Even if you've never been to a city where they buzz around for all to see, most folks have been entertained by that famous television show from way back that was set in a taxi dispatch center. Movies are another way most of us are familiar with cabs, couples smooching in the back seat, and crazy drivers who don't speak English. It seems that in a huge place like New York City, the only way to get around is in a yellow cab. Everywhere you go in the Big Apple there are lineups of taxis aggressively vying for a fare. Yellow is a great color for visibility, but in some cities they are checkered, or painted brightly in shades of orange or green. Most have that lighted dome on top which adds to the look. Even though most of us think of taxis in terms of a car, usually a sedan, they can take on many forms. Taxi services have been around for a long, long time and they actually predate the advent of the automobile. In fact they go back in history to just after the invention of the wheel. In ancient Rome the first transports for hire were chariot-like units pulled by a human or a horse, that were used to get from one place to another. Instead of a meter there was a system of small stones or balls in a container on the axle. Counting how many fell out or how many remained when the journey was complete determined the fare. In about the 1600s the taxi industry began to be regulated and organized. It was in the 17th century that carriages and hackneys, pulled by horses were operated as actual businesses. This happened in Paris in 1640 and England's Hackney Carriage Act of 1635 were two of the first. In the 1800s, the Hansom cab came into use. These were fast and lightweight causing a surge in ridership. With a low center of gravity they offered the passenger a lot more safety and comfort. Things have come a long way since the muscle of horses or humans provided taxi power. Today fleets of vans and cars are the most common way to move people from here to there. Companies that count on serving airports, use vans, SUVs, or in some cases, full-size buses that ferry folks to and from their flights. The extra space is great for customer comfort and completely necessary for all their luggage and golf clubs. In countries that don't experience winter, where vehicles last a lot longer, you can see cars that were manufactured especially for use as taxi cabs, like the Black Cabs or Hackney Carriages of Great Britain. These dinosaurs are gradually dying out. These days most companies use large domestic vehicles such as the Crown Victoria that has lots of seating space and trunk capacity. On some parts of the world, such as Amsterdam or Venice, you'll find taxi boats that run up and down the canal system. These add a bit of romance to your ride. Or how about opting for a motorcycle taxi? No, you won't be riding on the back with your arms around the driver. They actually hitch a cart to the bike for what must be an exciting ride. Then there are rickshaws, a two-wheeled cart pulled by a human. These originated in Japan, but you can find them in many cities, including Toronto, Canada.
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