Omnibuses and cabs : $b their origin and historyMoore, Henry Charles
History
Omnibuses and cabs : $b their origin and history
Moore, Henry Charles
Cab and omnibus service; Carriages and carts; Horse-drawn omnibuses
_s._ _d._
By distance only. For every fifteen minutes completed,
if hired _within_ the four-mile radius: Four-wheelers 0 6
Two-wheelers 0 8
When hired _outside_ the radius, four- or two-wheelers 0 8
Unless stated to the cabman at the time of hiring that he is engaged
by time, fares must be paid according to distance. A driver can refuse
to be hired by time between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
A cabman hired by distance must, unless prevented by the traffic, drive
at the rate of six miles an hour; if hired by time, four miles an hour.
Should he be requested to drive above the latter speed, he may demand,
in addition to the time fare, for every mile, or any part of one,
exceeding four miles, the fare regulated by distance.
There are no two-horse cabs plying for hire at the present day, but if
there were the fares, according to an Act of Parliament of 1853, not
yet repealed, would be 8_d._ for a mile or less distance, and 2_s._
8_d._ for an hour or any portion of one. During the great snowstorm
of January, 1881, when for several days the roads were impassable
for omnibuses, a large number of cabs appeared with two horses--the
hansoms’ being harnessed tandem fashion. The drivers were well aware of
the Act of 1853, and, in case any passenger should possess a knowledge
of it, they took the precaution, before starting on a journey, to
extract a promise from the rider that he would pay double the usual
fare. That was reasonable, for, apart from the fact that vehicles were
few and travelling difficult, the cabmen, by using two horses, were
only able to be at work for half their customary time.
THE END
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BECCLES.
Transcriber's Notes:
Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.
Perceived typographical errors have been changed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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