Wheels: Evolution of the yellow cab

It’s difficult to think of yellow cabs without picturing them scampering around New York City. In the days before Uber and Lyft, and peer-to-peer ride sharing, there was the taxicab. Prior to the turn of the 20 th century most taxicabs were of the horse-drawn variety with some early electric powered, but in October 1907 gasoline power took over. A NYC cab has the dubious honor of being involved in the first recorded traffic accident in the city, according to the NYC.gov website on the history of taxicabs.

Cabs prowled the streets of NYC unregulated until 1935, when the NYPD “Hack Bureau” was formed. According to Merriam-Webster, a hack is short for hackney (from the Middle English hackney), which at one time described a horse of average size, used for regular riding. Such horses were often let out for hire to pull a coach or cab. In 1937, the Haas Act introduced the medallion system still in use today. Eventually, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission was formed to handle the volume of cabs on the road, and in the late 1960s required all medallion taxicabs be yellow. The commission also approves vehicles to be used as taxicabs.