Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Taxis Place You On The Map

By Ciara Hodson McLemon


You can use taxis to do more than move you from point A to point B. Some cities have such distinctive taxi cabs, just seeing them will tell you exactly where you are. In some cases, it is the color of the taxi that gives you the hint. In other cases, it is the type of taxi, which might not even be a car, that gives the city away.

The second you see the large, black cab you know it belongs to London. They are also called Hackney cabs after the horse and buggies used as cabs before there were cars. The precise model of the British cab has changed over the years, but the most widely used current model is the Austin FX4. Along with its black color, the shape of the FX4 cab clearly lets you know from where it comes.

New York City has its yellow taxi cabs. Regardless of the company operating the cab, the New York taxi cab has always traditionally been yellow. The color was so connected to taxi service that cab companies all over the United States started painting their cabs yellow. In fact, in almost any American company you can also find at least one taxi company that uses the world yellow in its title.

However, Miami is one of the few cities in the world where you can ride in a pink taxi. They are meant to be both distinctive and to blend in with the Art Deco and pastel style of the city. There are other types of cabs in Miami, but getting to ride in a pink taxi is a unique experience. You can also hail a pink taxi in Beirut, but these pink taxis are driven by women and only women get to use them.

In some cases, the cabs are not even cars. Rickshaws are a type of cab that is powered by human strength. A rickshaw driver either pulls or pedals the cab behind him. This type of taxi is mostly often found in cities throughout Asia, often also called pedicabs.

Some cabs cannot even be used on streets at all, but are water vehicles. The most famous water-born cab, the gondola, is found in Venice. However, many cities with lots of waterways running through them will use water taxis. They can be treacherous as they do not often come to a full stop at their docks. You just have to do your best to hop on or off.

Of course, whatever type of taxi you are taking, the driver can often be your best guide to the city. It is hard to think that anyone could know the streets and sites better than the taxi drivers who pass through them every day. Many cities even provide specific taxi cab tours with specially trained drivers who make riding taxis a much better experience that just getting around.




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