London cab driver part 1

Uploaded by: francotenelli
Video Description:
short film by Franco Tenelli
Hackney or hackney carriage (also called cab or hack) is a carriage or automobile kept for hire. A livery carriage superior to the hackney was called a remise.In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office in Greater London or by the local authority (non-metropolitan district councils or unitary authorities) in other parts of England, Wales, and Scotland, or by the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland.
The word is still the official term used by city authorities to refer to taxicabs in certain parts of the United States, such as Boston.
History
The first hackney-carriages licenses date from 1662, and applied literally to horse-drawn carriages, later modernized as hansom cabs (1834), that operated as vehicles for hire. Note the distinction between a generic hackney carriage and a hackney coach, a hireable vehicle with specifically four wheels, two horses and six seats, and driven by a jarvey (also spelled jarvie).
Electric hackney carriages appeared before the introduction of the internal combustion engine to vehicles for hire in 1901. During the 20th century, cars generally replaced horse-drawn models, and the last horse-drawn hackney carriage ceased service in London in 1947. Horse-drawn hackney services in some other parts of the country continue to operate, for example in Cockington, Torquay. A small, usually two-wheeled, one-horse hackney vehicle called a noddy once plied the roads in Ireland and Scotland. The French had a small hackney coach called a fiacre.
Today, the regulations define a hackney carriage as a taxicab allowed to ply the streets looking for passengers to pick up, as opposed to private hire vehicles (sometimes called minicabs), which may only pick up passengers who have previously booked or who visit the taxi operator's office.
Several United States taxicab companies have purchased hackney carriages for use on US streets.
Etymology
The name 'Hackney' is the Anglicized derivative of the Norman French name 'de Haquenee,' which first appeared as a family name around the time of the Norman invasion in 1066. Early settlement of members of this family were in the vicinity of the ancient Roman town of Verulamium, and later in the area of Hemel-Hempstead. The first documented appearance of the 'Hackney Coach' - the forerunner of the more generic 'Hackney Carriage' - was in London in 1621. There is evidence to support that the unique conveyance - a four-wheeled, two-horse, six-passenger coach capable of navigating the narrow streets of London - was named for members of the Hackney family who developed it, not for any colloquial usage of 'Hackney' at the time. However, the 'Hackney Horse' likely was so-named based upon those colloquial usages, rather than any association with the Hackney Coach.
The New York terms "hack" (taxi or taxi driver), "hackstand" (taxi stand), and "hack license" (taxi license) are probably derived from "hackney carriage".
Black cabs
Illuminated 'for hire' signage is a distinguishing feature of the hackney carriageMotorised hackney cabs, traditionally all black in colour, have the popular name of black cabs, although other colours also appear, most frequently when advertising campaigns call for the respraying of large groups of cabs in vivid brand liveries. A notable example being the 50 golden cabs produced for the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.[3]
Most hackney-carriage operators in the United Kingdom use conventional four-door saloon cars, but in London and several other large cities, specially-designed hackney carriages, manufactured by just one company — LTI are used. These vehicles normally allow up to five passengers in the back, but some are rebuilt and licensed to carry six. Luggage usually goes in the passenger compartment or travels in the front next to the driver — these vehicles have no front passenger-seat. A door has replaced the original open side. All models can also accommodate wheelchairs in the back. Black cabs have a turning circle of only 25 feet (7.6 m). (Oil millionaire Nubar Gulbenkian was said to have bought himself a London taxi because he had been told "it can turn on a sixpence — whatever that is.")
Other celebrities are known to use hackney carriages both for their anonymity, and their ruggedness/manoeuvrability in London traffic. Examples include Prince Philip, whose cab has been converted to run on Liquefied petroleum gas according to the British monarchy website, and Stephen Fry.
In London, hackney-carriage drivers have to pass a test called The Knowledge to demonstrate they have an intimate knowledge of London streets. There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office

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