h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Very good entry although I would point out that, besides the top hat requirement, Hackney cabs must be able to turn through 360 degrees within a 25' radius. The area to the left of the driver can be used as extra luggage space and, as this researcher found out, for carrying an extra passenger when his life is in danger! (although actually illegal). The word Cab is an abbreviation of ‘Cabriolet’.

All Hackney cabs must have a yellow 'For Hire' light mounted on the roof, which when illuminated, is plying for hire. If a cab whose ‘For Hire’ sign is lit, is hailed and it stops it 'should' accept the fare, or journey as long as the journey is within the Metropolitan Police District. Also any cab waiting at a cab stand must also accept the fare. Previously the maximum distance a Cab could travel was six miles, hence not going South of the river. This no longer applies.All Hackney cabs have a regulated 'taximeter' and must display the tariff for the passenger to see. All Hackney cabs, and Cabbies, must be licenced, (which is valid for three years) and must carry a white licence plate on the back of the cab, indicating where registered (in London it is TfL's Public Carriage Office) the licence number, the cab's number plate, the expiry date and how many passengers it is licenced to carry. The licence number must also be displayed inside the cab. A Cabbie who wears a green metal badge can ply for hire throughout the London area, whereas a Cabbie wearing a yellow metal badge, who has not completed the full knowledge. can only ply for trade in the suburbs, and up to a six mile radius of Charing Cross and excluding Heathrow Airport.. As of 1998, there were 17,000 licenced black cabs, and 22,000 licenced Cabbies.
The black cap working area is any part of London under the juristiction of the Metropolitan Police District, The City of London and London Airport (Heathrow).

The Hackney Cabs are heavily regulated and there are many Laws governing the trade, Here are just some of the Acts of Parliament that apply to the trade:The Hackney Carriage Act, 1831.
London Hackney Carriage Act, 1843.
The Town Police Causes Act, 1847.
The Metropolitan Public Carriage Act, 1869.
The London Cab Act, 1896 and 1968.
The London Cab and Stage Act, 1407.
The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions ) Act, 1976.
The Transport Act, 1980.
The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, 1994.


Hackney cabs can be found in all major British Cities and major towns for that reason.

Also around a thousand of one particular model, the LTI TX4, with a 56 licence, have recently been taken off of the road after seven caught fire over a relatively short period of time.

Many black cabs are not black, but come in a variety of colours, or even multi-coloured when decorated for advertising purposes.

For those who want a very brief outline of Hackney cabs since the war, here is a potted history:
After the war, all pre-war taxi production had dried up and a new vehicle was urgently needed. Nuffield, manufacturers of Morris Motors commercial division, produced the Oxford in '47, which was sold through W Beardmore and Co. Ltd., based in Paisley, Glasgow and North London who had been making taxis since 1919.
In 1948 the first new black cab, the Austin FX3 was born. This was a joint venture, being made by Carbodies and Austin, and financed by Mann and Overton. It was initially petrol powered, but in 1952 a diesel version became available. There was also a 'posh' version, made by Austin, the FL1, which had four doors, a front seat and no 'For Hire' light. These ceased being manufactured in 1967.

In 1958, Austin, with Mann and Overton finance, produced the modern, definitive, black cab, the FX4. This car had a number of modifications and engine models over it's 40 year manufacturing period, and many are still on the road today. A true workhorse!!! Carbodies of Coventry also made two cabs, the FX5 and CR6, primarily due to Austin and Mann and Overton being unable to finance an upgrade. Carbodies eventually, in 1982, took over production and built the final version, the Fairway. By 1997, when production ceased, 75,000 FX4's had been manufactured.

Another distinctive 'Taxi' plying for hire was the retro pre-war stylised Asquith. This appeared in 1972 but production halted in 1998, when the company ceased trading. Few were built as they were very expensive.
At the same time, the company who had been manufacturing for Beardmore, Metro-Cammell-Weymann, introduced the Metrocab to mixed reviews, primarily due to it's modern body shape and it's fibre-glass body. The Metrocab has, over the years, had a number of owners and is currently not in production.
London Taxis International, who were the last company making the Fairway came up with it's new version, the TX range. This went through many variations, but was considered by many to be 'boxy' and was unpopular. It was also deemed unreliable and could not meet the 360 degree turning circle rule. The current model is the TX4, which came into production in 2006, and actually meets European exhaust emissions.

MMF

Sone of this information is in - A744888

If you are serious about an update, then perhaps the two entries should be merged. I wrote mine as a update to this one, I'd missed it in Peer Review so missed out on a chance to get a really good entry. For some reason mine was never put through as an update but a new entry, but as your message shows, they really need to be together, along with your new information.