The public hackney coach and the smaller cab appeared in England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These cabs were able for public hire and had no fixed routes. The cab was first used in the eastern part of the United States in the nineteenth century. The improvement of roads resulted in a decrease in horseback travel and an increase in carriage and cab traffic. As cities grew larger and more complex, urban transportation problems became more complicated. The result was increased opportunity for cab drivers.
The development of the gasoline engine resulted in the modern taxicab. Company-operated taxi service was an outgrowth of increased private business and adventuresome taxi drivers. The establishment of basic driver requirements and increased labor organization have also contributed to the development of present-day taxi driving.
Driver careers of the taxicabs are an important part of the transportation system in many cities. Taxicab drivers are often required to do more than simply drive people from one place to another. They also help people with their luggage. Sometimes, they pick up and deliver packages. They may also be asked to provide sight-seeing tours for visitors to a community, so it is beneficial if they are familiar with more than one area.
Taxi drivers own their own cabs, rent cabs, or operate company-owned cabs. If they own their own cab or rent one for a long period of time, they are generally expected to clean their cab. Large companies have cleaners to take care of this task.
Taxi drivers get their passengers in several ways. Most cabs have two-way radio systems through which drivers are notified by a dispatcher as to where to pick up passengers. Other drivers pick up passengers at cab stands to which they return after delivering each passenger. There are also telephones at these cab stands that are used to inform drivers that park in front of buildings where there are many prospective passengers. These buildings include theaters, hotels, and railroad stations. Drivers also pick up passengers while returning to their stands or stations.
Part of their logistic jobs, taxi drivers are generally required to keep accurate records of their activities. They record the time and place at which they picked up passengers and record the same kind of information at the completion of the ride. They also have to keep records on the amount of fares they collect daily. Taxi drivers are found in almost every town and city in the country, but most are concentrated in large metropolitan areas.
Individuals who want to become taxi drivers who deal with transportation jobs should have good health, a good driving record, and no criminal record. In general, they should be twenty-one years of age or older. Because drivers do not do heavy repair work on their cars, taxi driving is not physically strenuous. Drivers, however, must have steady nerves. They spend much of their time driving in heavy traffic in all kinds of weather. They must also be able to get along with the many different kinds of people whom they encounter.
Formal education is not generally a requirement for entry into this driver employment, but applicants would do well to have at least an eight-grade education. Such an educational background would help them in record-keeping phases of their work. High-school courses in driver-training and business arithmetic would also prove helpful to taxi drivers. A good trait is for the driver to be courteous. In most large cities, taxi drivers must have a special taxicab operator’s license in addition to a chauffeur’s license. These special licenses are generally issued by police departments, safety departments, or public utilities commissions. To secure these special licenses, taxi drivers must pass rigid examinations including questions on traffic regulations, accident reports, insurance regulations, and street locations. Some companies help their job applicants prepare for these examinations. Other drivers prepare for the examinations by themselves through studying certain reading materials and booklets on the said subject.
In their entire transportation careers, taxi drivers must hold a special license which is renewed annually and costs a small sum in most places. In other cities, like New York, it takes several months to acquire the proper license because of the intensive investigation into the applicant’s background.
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