The NYC Taxi Cab

The first taxicab company in New York City was the Samuel's Electric Carriage and Wagon Company (E.C.W.C.), which began running 12 electric hansom cabs. The company then built the Electrobat electric car, and had up to 100 taxicabs running in total by 1899. By the early 1900s they had 1,000 until, in January 1907, a fire destroyed 300 of these vehicles, which, in conjunction with the Panic of 1907 caused the company to collapse. causing horse-drawn cabs once again to become a primary means of transport around New York City.

New York City’s iconic yellow taxi traces its origins to 1907, when businessman Harry N. Allen was charged $5 for a short cab ride and decided to start a more affordable taxi service. He imported 65 automobiles from France and launched the New York Taxicab Company, repainting the vehicles yellow to make them easier to spot from a distance.

The idea caught on quickly, and within a decade taxi companies had spread across the city. By the 1920s, manufacturers such as Ford Motor Company and General Motors operated taxi fleets, while Checker Cab Manufacturing Company became famous for its distinctive yellow-and-black cabs, helping establish the yellow taxi as a lasting symbol of New York City. 

During the Great Depression, New York City had as many as 30,000 cab drivers, creating fierce competition and raising concerns about vehicle safety and maintenance. Efforts to create a taxi monopoly were abandoned after allegations that Mayor Jimmy Walker had accepted a bribe from a major taxi company.

The city's taxi industry was formally regulated in 1937 under the Haas Act, signed by Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, which created the medallion system still used today. By the mid-20th century, yellow cabs had become synonymous with New York, serving millions of riders and appearing in countless films, television shows, and photographs.

The color became official in 1967 when New York City required all licensed medallion taxis to be painted yellow