Anniversary of licensed taxis

From the 'did you know' place, yesterday was the 115th anniversary of the first licenced taxicabs, writes Brian Byrne.

Picture by David Iliff.

London was the first city in the world to licence taxicabs, on December 6 1897. Earlier, in 1865, the famous 'The Knowledge' test for hackney carriage drivers in London was devised, and it is still the most demanding in the world.

For most of the last century, the black taxicab has been one of those quintessentially English icons. But last month, Manganese Bronze, the company that has been making black cabs since 1948, declared bankruptcy. The company, based in Coventry, England, says that the group will continue to operate during the bankruptcy process. But its future remains uncertain.