England Taxi

In the early 17th century, hackney carriages began providing taxicab
service and the number of carriages was set at 50. In 1636, the owner
of four hackney carriages established the first taxicab stand in The
Strand, a street in the City of Westminster. At the end of the 19th
century, battery-operated taxis appeared shortly but in 1903, the
modern taxicab service took off with the appearance of petrol-powered
taxis. In 1907 meters were first introduced to calculate the fare and
were set at 8d for the first mile.

There are two types of taxicabs in England, London taxicab or "black
cab" and licenses private hire or "minicab" services. Austin FX4 is
always used as the classic London Black Cab and all of them are
painted with black color. Private hire car or "minicab" is a car with
a driver available for hire only on a pre-booked basis, for example,
by telephone, internet, or fax. Minicab in England is painted in many
colors.

In England, The Public Carriage Office (PCO) is the body responsible
for licensing taxicabs within Greater London. Would – be cabbies must
complete some driving tests to obtain a taxi – driving license and The
taxicab driver is required to be able to decide routes immediately in
response to a passenger's request or traffic conditions rather than
stopping to look at a map or ask a controller by radio.