Taxis are one of the most popular services in the world when it comes to transporting people. In fact, there is no one who is not familiar with them and is unable to recognize them, therefore, especially those who travel abroad, tend to use them frequently to transport to their destination soon.
Without a doubt, we are talking about vehicles that are an icon of our society and that we will find anywhere in the world. But surely, like many of us, you have realized that in different parts of the world taxis are not the same. So we will find taxis with different characteristics in terms of their colour, shape or size, but also with different customs when moving on the streets.
With all this in mind, we can say then that there are many curiosities about taxis that very few know, and next, we will reveal some. So we invite you to keep reading until the end.
The first taxi
Although the automobile had not been invented yet, the first form of taxi service began in Paris and London in the early 17th century. Back then people used horse-drawn carriages as vehicles and hired or paid the driver for a trip.
Origin of the word “taxi”.
Although the word “taxi” is almost universal in all countries and people around the world use it or at least know what it means, few know where it comes from. It is a word that was first used in London shortly after its launch in the early 20th century. It’s actually the shorter version of “taxi-cab”, which is derived from the words “meter” and “cabriolet” combined.
A taximeter was an instrument used to measure the distance or time a vehicle travelled, while cabriolet refers to a horse-drawn carriage that was used in those days.
The first taximeter
The invention of the taximeter happened long after the invention of taxis as such; in fact, the first taximeter was invented in Germany in 1891 by Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn.
It is a device whose name comes from the combination of the Greek words “τάξις”, which means rate, and meter, which means to measure, referring to a device that is used to measure the distance or the time that the vehicle passes. So we can say that the name to designate this means of transport comes from the invention of this device. In fact, taximeter entered the language in 1894, while taxicab and taxi followed in 1907.
The first metered taxi
The world’s first metered taxi was built in 1897 and was called Daimler Victoria. It was first operated in Stuttgart city in Germany.
The fastest taxi driver
Sabine Schmitz has the title as the fastest taxi driver in the world, as he can drive 20.8 km in just 9 minutes, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, as in addition to being a taxi driver, he is also a professional BMW motorsport driver.
The most educated taxi driver
Cai Mingjie is a Singaporean taxi driver known as the most educated professional taxi driver in the world. But he is also an Internet celebrity who is famous for having his own blog called «A Singapore Taxi Driver’s Diary» and even having published a book. He has a PhD and used to work as a researcher for Sabine Schmitzbiology. But due to strange circumstances, he became a taxi driver and started a blog about his fascinating experiences.
The most expensive taxi service in the world
According to a report by the Daily Mall News, New Zealand airport taxi services are the most expensive services in the world and are rarely affordable for ordinary people.
The longest taxi-ride in the world
Paul Archer, Johno Ellison and Leigh Purnell are famous for completing the longest taxi ride in history. These three friends from the university covered more than 43,000 km at a cost of almost 80,000 pounds on the meter and it took them 15 months to complete the trip. Fortunately, as the trio were driving the car themselves, they never had to pay the fee.
In addition, they travelled to 50 countries. But in China, these guys also set the record for the highest altitude reached in a taxi: 5,224 meters.
London’s Legendary Taxi Driver Test
Being a taxi driver is not easy, especially if it is in London since the exam to become a taxi driver in this city is possibly the most difficult to pass in the world. New taxi drivers need three to four years of study to memorize the 25,000 streets of this labyrinthine city, not to mention any business or benchmarks on them.
This test, which was introduced as a requirement for taxi drivers in 1865, is certainly challenging. But for those who have the pride and passion to become a London taxi driver, there are other rewards in addition to knowledge. And it is that, as taxi drivers, they can choose when and where to work and how much to earn.
Why are taxis in New York City yellow?
Taxis come in many colors and the most iconic is undoubtedly the yellow used in New York City. But many people do not know why taxis have this particular colour.
Some sources point out that Jhon Hertz, founder of the Yellow Cab Company, had read a study by the University of Chicago which was concluded that yellow was the easiest colour to glimpse, so he decided to paint his fleet of taxis in this colour.
Read also curiosities about New York City
In Beijing it is difficult to distinguish a taxi
Although taxis are regulated in length and cylinder capacity, the same is not the case with their colour. So the disparity in colors makes them difficult to distinguish from other vehicles, making this an exercise only available to locals.
In Finland taxi drivers must pay royalties
In this country if passengers want to enjoy music, the taxi driver must pay a fee by law, otherwise this will incur penalties. Music rates are about $ 40 a year and include both playback from a device and music played on the radio.
Why do black London cabs have such high ceilings?
This is because in England there used to be a law that taxis had to be high enough for a passenger to sit comfortably while wearing a bowler hat.
As we mentioned, these are just some curious facts about taxis around the world. But if you know more curiosities and interesting facts about taxis, we invite you to share them with us in the comments.
ALFA