A Brief History of New York City Taxi Cabs

Taxi Cab
Nathan Lazarnick / George Eastman House / Getty Images

An early electric hansom taxicab on a New York City street, circa 1900. The Electric Carriage and Wagon Company, the first taxicab company in New York City, began operating 12 electric hansom cabs in July 1897—a time when city traffic was overwhelmingly of the horse-drawn variety.

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