Five... historic facts you didn't know about the London cab
Roaming the streets since 1662
Hi and welcome to your weekend newsletter…
This edition’s a guest post from
of , with a collection of factoids you (probably?) didn’t know about the history of the London cab. (Of course if it turns out you did know these, you’re clearly a true cab historian: hats off to you and please share any bonus cab facts you have in the comments.)In addition having a surprising amount of cab trivia at his disposal, Will’s also the author of the recently published and extremely good Croydonopolis: A Journey to the Greatest City That Never Was — I recommend grabbing a copy from wherever you buy your books.
London's first electric taxi cabs ran in... 1897
That's right, while we're slapping ourselves on the back for London’s new 'revolutionary' electric taxis, Walter C. Bersey's London Electrical Cab Co. ran back in 1897. The fleet of 'Hummingbirds' was so-called because of the gentle noise they made, and their black and yellow livery. Said the Dundee Evening Telegraph, "It has been ascertained by test that [the battery power] is sufficient for running 50 miles — about a day's work — although not continuously at the highest speed." The company went bust just three years later. London just wasn't yet ready for the electric revolution.
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