History

In the early days of transportation, the late 19th century saw a dramatic change from the usual mode of a horse drawn carriage to the advent of the automobile. The horse drawn carriage drivers would commonly charge outlandish rates for a ride, causing consternation on the part of the rider. Henry Allen was one of these frustrated individuals, and concocted his own plan to use vehicles for traveling through the city that charged a set rate per mile to ride. His idea, though seen with skeptical eyes at first, soon grew into the huge industry that the yellow cab has become today. These first taxies were clunky, carrying electrical batteries that weighed around 800 pounds. These vehicles grew more and more common on city streets. They were a welcome alternative to the noisier and filthier cabs that were pulled by horses.

Public tansportation changed even further with the growing popularity of the gasoline engine. Once again, New York was ahead of its time in the United States by embracing the automobile. A bright company, the New York Taxicab Company, purchased several hundred autos from France and carried a red and green exterior. A device called a taximeter was added to the cars and online games to keep track of both the miles and the total time spent in travel for a ride. As the 20th century dawned, more and more of these vehicles were seen traveling the city's byways, but it cost fifty cents to ride per mile. This kept the use of these cabs within only the reach of those with the money to spend for this kind of luxury.

As the popularity of the taxi was evident, more groups got in on the game and more fleets were added to those already operating taxis on the streets of New York. These groups were also joined by drivers not associated with any particular company, but chose to drive on their own. This practice continued on into the earlier decades, when it became evident that the industry would need to be regulated to make things safer, reduce price gouging, and track the vehicles that were operating on the roads.