the.com/taxi
a four-wheeled negotiation between you, traffic, and a stranger who knows shortcuts you'll never see.
means A car you hire, usually with a driver and a running meter, to take you somewhere in exchange for a fare.
from Short for 'taxicab,' itself a squashing of 'taximeter cabriolet.' The 'cab' end goes back to 'cabriolet,' a light French carriage whose bouncing ride was likened to a goat's leap (Latin 'capra,' goat). The 'taxi' end comes from 'taximeter,' the device that tallies the fare, built from French 'taxe' (tariff) and Greek 'metron' (measure) — so the word literally means 'the goat-carriage that measures your charge.' It caught on in the early 20th century as metered motor-cabs hit city streets.
- yellow law
- NYC mandated cab color in 1967 to deter impostors
- checker reign
- Iconic Checker Marathon cabs ran until 1982
- meter origin
- Taximeter named the entire profession in 1890s Germany
- medallion gold
- NYC medallions once cost over one million dollars
- hail tech
- Romans used coin-dropping odometers on chariots-for-hire
london black cabs — 25,000 hackney carriages in london, requiring drivers to pass 'the knowledge' test
bangkok tuk-tuks — 40,000+ motorized three-wheeled taxis throughout bangkok, thailand