When you think of NYC taxis I’m sure you immediately picture a yellow one, right? I mean, they are one of the most iconic things about the city, but what if I told you NYC taxis weren’t always yellow? They were red, green and even brown, white or with squares. The history of NYC taxis is very interesting and you might find the logic behind the yellow color after reading this article. So, let’s get started.
The role of NYC taxis
Taxis have been a key part of New York public transport for more than a century, and they help millions of people:
- Commuters get to work quickly.
- Tourists reach landmarks and attractions.
- Residents travel to airports, restaurants, and events.
Taxi drivers know the streets very well and they can take shortcuts that most people don’t know about to save time. With their bright yellow color, NYC taxis are easy to see, which allows people to hail a cab way faster.
The first colors
When the first taxis arrived in New York they were imported from France and then painted in red and green by businessman Harry Allen. He also introduced the taxi meter, creating the first metered taxis in the city.
As taxi services were growing, different companies painted their taxis in different colors: brown, white, black, red, and even in squares. This made it difficult to know which taxis were official or with a license.
So, it wasn’t until 1970 that the yellow color became the mandatory color for licensed NYC taxis.
The history of yellow taxis
Albert Rockwell’s company was one of the first taxi companies in the U.S., beginning around the 1910. His wife suggested the yellow color for the fleet, and it became associated with their taxis.
Hertz, a famous rental and taxi company, also chose yellow because it is bright and easy to see. Starting with 40 taxis in 1915, Hertz expanded to 2,700 vehicles by 1925 and eventually reached New York, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. This helped make yellow the standard color for taxis in the U.S.
Taxis medallions and regulations
To manage the growing number of taxis, NYC created the medallion system. A taxi medallion is a license that allows a taxi to pick up passengers on the street. Only taxis with medallions could take riders directly from the street, other taxis had to schedule trips in advance.
In 1968, it became law that all medallion taxis must be painted yellow. The mayor at the time, John Lindsay, said that the color would help the public quickly identify licensed taxis from unlicensed cars.
The future of NYC taxis
Even though yellow taxis are still a symbol of the city, NYC is exploring cleaner and more sustainable ways of transport. It wants to reduce polluting emissions and offer more modern and eco-friendly transport options for the future.
So…
Thanks to their color, medallions, and regulations, taxis became a reliable and essential part of life in the city.
As NYC looks toward a future with cleaner and more sustainable taxis, the yellow cab will continue to be an icon that connects history, culture, and mobility, showing how even something as simple as a color can make a city unforgettable.
Isn’t it incredible how things we see everyday and we have normalized so much have their own history? I mean, who would have thought the decision of making NYC taxis yellow was so deep?