The first black taxi in London was the hackney coach in the 17th Century. The name comes from hacquenée, the French term for a general-purpose horse. It literally means, ‘ambling nag’. In 1625 there were as few as 20 available for hire, operating out of inn yards. In 1636, the owner of four hackney coaches brought them into the Strand outside the Maypole Inn, and the first taxi rank had appeared. A tariff was established for various parts of London, and his drivers wore a livery, so they would be easily recognisable. ‘Hackney carriage’ is still the official term used to describe taxis. In 1636 Charles I made a proclamation to enable 50 hackney carriages to ply for hire in London. It was left up to the aldermen to make sure this number was not exceeded. After the Civil War , in 1654 Oliver Cromwell set up the Fellowship of Master Hackney Carriages by Act of Parliament, and taxi driving became a profession. 200 hackneys were now allowed. The Act was replaced in 1662 under Charles II by a new act, which required the hackney coaches to be licensed, and restricted their number to 400. In 1688 the number was increased to 600, and then again six years later by an Act of Parliament to 700. In 1711, 800 licenses were issued, and then another 200. This makes the licensed taxi trade the oldest regulated public transport system in the world …more
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