The first black taxi in London was the hackney coach in the 17th Century. The name comes from hacquenée, the French term for a general-purpose horse. It literally means, 'horse for hire'. 'Hackney carriage' is still the official term used to describe The British Taxi.
When the drivers began using lighter cabriolets, two-wheeled vehicles from France, at the beginning of the 19th Century, they became known as 'cabs'. The name comes from the French for 'jump like a goat', as they were very light, and tended to bounce through the streets.
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