# Is there a British slang term for a taxi? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920 "2013-09-29T14:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/21 "2013-09-29T20:03:30Z")
Hackneys as distinct to taxis were common here until taxi deregulation sometime in the last 10 or so years. A hackney cab could only be rung and ordered, they couldn’t be flagged down on the street. They also had fixed fares for locations rather than meters. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/22 "2013-09-29T22:06:31Z")
I just heard back from my dad and it seems that Hackney was the term being looked for. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/23 "2013-09-29T22:11:35Z")
Am I being wooshed here? We are aware that “Hackney Carriage” is the proper name for a black cab, right? > **[Hackney carriage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_carriage)** > > A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common sight on the streets of the UK. The hackney carriages carry a roof sign TAXI that can be illuminated at night to indicate their availability for passengers. > In the UK, the name hackney carriage today refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office, l... ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/24 "2013-09-29T22:22:22Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Am I being wooshed here? We are aware that “Hackney Carriage” is the proper name for a black cab, right? > > [Hackney carriage - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_carriage) Yes, we are aware of that. I hardly ever hear people actually refer to them that way, though. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/25 "2013-09-29T22:23:22Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Hackneys as distinct to taxis were common here until taxi deregulation sometime in the last 10 or so years. A hackney cab could only be rung and ordered, they couldn’t be flagged down on the street. They also had fixed fares for locations rather than meters. Funny, it’s most commonly the opposite in the UK - hackney cabs are the ones you flag on the street. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/26 "2013-09-30T06:43:27Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I just heard back from my dad and it seems that Hackney was the term being looked for. Except nobody refers to cabs as ‘hackneys’. Maybe back in the mists of time. Hackney is a borough in East London that used to be well known for making carriages, several hundred years ago. The horse drawn forerunner of today’s black cab was called a Hackney Carriage. The famous black taxi is still officially called a Hackney Carriage. Hackney Carriage = Hackney Cab = (Black) Cab, which is what we actually call them. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/27 "2013-09-30T06:45:02Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Hackneys as distinct to taxis were common here until taxi deregulation sometime in the last 10 or so years. A hackney cab could only be rung and ordered, they couldn’t be flagged down on the street. They also had fixed fares for locations rather than meters. You’ve just described what Londoners would call a Mini Cab - and ordinary private hire car that can’t operate like a black cab. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/28 "2013-09-30T08:20:09Z")
As I say they don’t really exist anymore as far as I can see. Black cabs don’t exist here either. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/29 "2013-09-30T14:59:10Z")
This sense of Hackney lives on in American English in the form of “hack license” which is the most common way of referring to a permit to drive a cab, at least in New York City. Unfortunately, “hack stand” is now pretty much dead. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/30 "2013-09-30T15:32:50Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Except nobody refers to cabs as ‘hackneys’. Maybe back in the mists of time. So it’s a hackneyed expression? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/31 "2013-09-30T18:45:44Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > So it’s a hackneyed expression? Bravo ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/32 "2013-09-30T18:52:09Z")
Jitney. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/33 "2013-10-01T22:45:28Z")
They are, legally, a hackney carriage, and the licence plate on the back says so. But that’s about the only place you will see it used. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920/34 "2013-10-02T02:46:04Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > You’ve just described what Londoners would call a Mini Cab - and ordinary private hire car that can’t operate like a black cab. Anyone going to London should use the mini cabs as they are much cheaper than the regular taxi’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-british-slang-term-for-a-taxi/669920.md?page=1)