Talk:Hansom cab

Question
[edit] How exactly does the driver get into and out of his seat? By stepping on a wheel once or twice (hub and rim), or are there ladder steps up the back side of the vehicle?

Question
What did the Hackney carriage look like? --Gbleem 18:52, 19 December 2005 (UTC)
 * AFIK they've come in many shapes over the years - a Hackney carriage is more of a class of vehicle. They are currently the iconic London black cab, but were Hansom cabs in the past - see Hackney carriage. -- Solipsist 19:25, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

trapdoor not port hole
The impression given in the previous edit was that the driver could keep an eye on his passengers through a porthole. I had hearsay evidence that this was contrary to both etiquete and cabbies rules. The cabbie was not to open the trap unless the passengers tapped on it and certainly was not to intrude on the passengers privacy. Traditional taxi cabs (black cabs) are provided with a glass screen between driver and passengers and driver is expected to assume passengers require privacy, unless they indicate otherwise.

Fenton Robb 16:57, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

NYC carriages are not really Hansom cabs.

 * I googled Hansom cabs and got some pictures. Hansom cabs only have two wheels and the driver sits way in back.  They only hold 2 or 3 people.  This is not the cab we see in Central Park.  Check it out.  This article needs a redo.69.122.62.231 (talk) 03:53, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I think whoever edited it meant the historical examples used in NYC, during the early 1900s. If you search for early 20th century photos of Hansom cabs in NYC, they look virtually identical to the British specimens. Contemporary NYC carriage cabs are simply more conventional four-wheeler carriages. Hansoms are probably only seen in city museums, but not in active street service anymore, just like in the UK.--ZemplinTemplar (talk) 15:11, 18 August 2019 (UTC)