When you look at taxi cab service, the image that most likely springs to thoughts is a car. It is probably a sedan, and it's probably yellow. Many cabs are yellow in color just because it is considered a highly noticeable color, but nowadays many other vivid colors are employed.

The idea of hired transportation predates the automotive by a lot. It could be that people were hiring others to take them to places long before you get into that Aurora airport taxi. It can be a safe bet that hired transport has been around for nearly since the wheel has been available. Some of the very first taximeters we know of were simple devices used in ancient Rome.

It wasn't till the 1600s that the taxi sector saw any kind of organization or regulation. Prior to this time, most cabs were private. The first reported taxi service was started in Paris in 1640 and England's 1635 Hackney Carriage Act was one of the first pieces of legislation administering hired vehicles.

More regulation and a perhaps some modern business acumen led to the widespread popularization of the Hansom cab in the 1800s. Hansom cabs were lightweight and faster than previous designs. Then again, their real appeal was in the added basic safety and cornering ability afforded by the low body and center of gravity.

These days things are a bit different. Early taxis relied purely on muscle power, typically from horses and sometimes from people. These days most taxi cab services make use of a fleet of cars and vans to transport passengers.. Whether you're using an Elk Grove Village taxi or a Naperville airport taxi, a common sight is a van or SUV, as they have more room for passengers and luggage.

Cars are nevertheless the most common taxi cabs. In years past there were firms that made cars just for use as taxicabs. At present many of them are standard cars. In the U.S. they are normally large domestic cars like the Crown Victoria that provide abundant interiors.

Many taxi services have used smaller models with much better fuel efficiency, or even hybrids. In China the taxi of choice is a Volkswagen or Hyundai. Many of Great Britain's taxis, generally known as Black Cabs or Hackney Carriages, are produced specifically for the industry. For a long time Mexico's public taxi fleet included original Volkswagen Beetles but these are being phased out.

Other taxis have absolutely nothing to do with automobiles at all. In coastal cities such as Venice or Amsterdam taxi boats are quite common because their canal systems make water travel very easy. In other places, a taxi boat may take travelers to an offshore island for attraction. In some parts of the world motorcycle taxis are also used by hitching a cart to the bike. Some people might just hop on the back, offering what might wind up to be a harrowing experience.