Everything about Hackney Carriage totally explained
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A
hackney or
hackney carriage (also called a
cab or
hack) is a
carriage or
automobile kept for hire. A livery carriage superior to the hackney was called a
remise. In the
United Kingdom, the name
hackney carriage refers to a
taxicab licensed by the
Public Carriage Office in
Greater London or by the local authority (
non-metropolitan district councils or
unitary authorities) in other parts of
Great Britain, or by the
Department of the Environment in
Northern Ireland.
The word is still the official term used by city authorities to refer to taxicabs in certain parts of the
United States, such as
Boston.
History
"An Ordinance for the Regulation of Hackney-Coachmen in London and the places adjacent" was approved by Parliament in 1654, to remedy what it described as the "many Inconveniences [that] do daily arise by reason of the late increase and great irregularity of Hackney Coaches and Hackney Coachmen in London, Westminster and the places thereabouts". The first hackney-carriages licenses date from
1662, and applied literally to horse-drawn
carriages, later modernized as
hansom cabs (1834), that operated as
vehicles for hire. There was a distinction between a generic hackney carriage and a hackney
coach, a hireable vehicle with specifically four wheels, two horses and six seats, and driven by a
jarvey (also spelled
jarvie).
Electric hackney carriages appeared before the introduction of the internal combustion engine to vehicles for hire in
1901. During the
20th century,
cars generally replaced horse-drawn models, and the last horse-drawn hackney carriage ceased service in London in
1947. Horse-drawn hackney services in some other parts of the country continue to operate, for example in
Cockington,
Torquay. A small, usually two-wheeled, one-horse hackney vehicle called a
noddy once plied the roads in
Ireland and
Scotland. The French had a small hackney coach called a
fiacre.
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.
Several United States taxicab companies have purchased hackney carriages for use on US streets.
Etymology
The name 'Hackney' is the Anglicized derivative of the Norman French name 'de Haquenee', which appeared as a family name around the time of the Norman invasion in 1066. Early settlement of members of this family were in the vicinity of the ancient Roman town of Verulamium, and later in the area of Hemel-Hempstead. The first documented appearance of the
'Hackney Coach' - the forerunner of the more generic 'Hackney Carriage' - was in London in 1621. There is evidence to support that the unique conveyance - a four-wheeled, two-horse, six-passenger coach capable of navigating the narrow streets of London - was named after members of the Hackney family who developed it, not for any colloquial usage of 'Hackney' at the time. However, the 'Hackney Horse' was likely so-named based upon those colloquial usages, rather than any association with the Hackney Coach.
The
New York terms "hack" (taxi or taxi driver), "hackstand" (taxi stand), and "hack license" (taxi license) are probably derived from "hackney carriage".
Black cabs
Motorised hackney cabs, traditionally all black, 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. A notable example was the 50 golden cabs produced for the
Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.
Most hackney-carriage operators in the United Kingdom use conventional four-door
saloon cars, but in London and several other large cities, specially-designed hackney carriages, manufactured by just one company,
LTI, are used. These vehicles normally allow up to five passengers in the back, but some are rebuilt and licensed to carry six. Luggage usually goes in the passenger compartment or travels in the front next to the driver — these vehicles have no front passenger-seat. A door has replaced the original open side. All models can also accommodate wheelchairs in the back. Black cabs have a turning circle of only 25 feet (7.6 m). (Oil millionaire
Nubar Gulbenkian was said to have bought himself a London taxi because he'd been told "it can turn on a
sixpence — whatever that is.")
Other celebrities are known to use hackney carriages both for their anonymity, and their ruggedness/manoeuvrability in London traffic. Examples include
Prince Philip, whose cab has been converted to run on
Liquefied petroleum gas according to the
British monarchy website, and
Stephen Fry.
In
London, hackney-carriage drivers have to pass a test called
The Knowledge to demonstrate they've an intimate knowledge of London streets. There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the
Public Carriage Office.
Since 2003 it has been possible to purchase the London Taxi model TXII in the United States. Today there are approximately 250 TXIIs in the U.S.operating as taxis in San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Las Vegas.
There have been different makes and types of hackney cabs through the years including:
Use for advertising
The London Taxi has caught the eye of many advertising agencies because the body style is unique. The vehicle has therefore often been wrapped with advertising and used for marketing events both in the UK and in the US, including the Marmite Taxi, used to collect officials visiting the Marmite factory near Burton-on-Trent
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hackney Carriage'.
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