The taxi is a means of public transport driven by a driver. This offers transportation services for a person or a group of passengers directed to a destination for money. Contrary to what many think, this medium is much older than it seems. If you are interested in knowing more about this, get on the journey of the taxi of history.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Of all the means of public transport, the first to appear was the taxi. In 1640, the Frenchman Nicolas Sauvage opened the first taxi company in Paris, more precisely on Calle San Martin. He was a horse carriage driver and although he did not have a taximeter with which to calculate the fare to be paid by the passenger, he was the pioneer of this means of transport.
A few years later, the philosopher Blaise Pascal had the idea of bringing this means of public transport to the big cities. In 1661 he proposed a system of carriages or floats that would circulate on certain routes. They would have stops, a fixed route, only at certain times and with an affordable price. Similar to what we know today as a bus. The first route joined the San Martín gate and the Luxembourg gate. These urban journeys attracted attention at first, but they did not last long because the wheels were bad and the carts were poorly adapted, they were very bulky and coarse and made the user suffer.
In 1703, the police regulated traffic and gave each vehicle a license plate number that had to be placed somewhere visible.
This taxi was a popular vehicle because the people with money and the nobility. They had their own cars and floats although they bore their family crest or owner's name. Many users used them privately, where they protected themselves from their love affairs. While the coachman was going around with his horse and for a long time, inside there were love scenes and love contacts like those that are collected in the novels of the 19th century.
The first automobile taxi with a meter was in 1904. That year Luis Reanult launched his small two-cylinder cars in Paris. It was also at that time that the word taxi emerged.
They were the first cars with heating and anti-glare glass, the floor was smooth and had special shock absorbers. It was so successful that even some wealthy families wanted to buy one, but it was only for public use. They had mechanics, uniformed drivers with peaked caps, gloved, polite and very attentive.
Sometime later, the American company known as Checker Motors, began to manufacture special vehicles under the brand "Mogul" to become part of the taxis in 1920. There were several models but the one that attracted the most attention was the one that could accommodate between 8 and 12 passengers inside. The vehicle was endowed depending on the capacity with 4, 6 or 8 doors.
From then until now, the evolution of the taxi around the world has not stopped. They are becoming more modern, comfortable ...always with updates for the client's adaptation. For example, taxis adapted for the disabled, electric, hybrid ... and those that are yet to come.