Why is the taxi called "Taxi" and why is it yellow
Taxi history.
taxi
In the Holy Roman Empire from 1200 to 1780 there was a single postal service. The post office operated on the territory of modern Europe.
The first postal couriers traveled by carriage. At the same time, an analogue of the first taximeters appeared. An ordinary basin served as a counter, in which a pebble was placed after a certain period of the journey. Payment was made according to the number of stones gathered during the journey.
The creator of the post office and the first postal monopoly was the Taxis family, from which the name of the service came – Taxi. The postal service was in great demand by the ruling families of Europe, which gave it an impetus for development.
In 1451, Roger de Taxis created the first high-speed horse post between Tripoli and Naples. In this direction, the courier with an urgent message moved on a horse without a cart, which was much faster.
In 1490, Franz von Taxis established the first regular postal service between Vienna, Insburg, Mechelen and Brussels. Later, this service in this direction began to bear the name Thurn-i-Taxis.
In 1500, Franz von Taxis was awarded the title of postmaster of Burgundy, and in 1516 by the postmaster of the Netherlands. Then the postal service began to create post stations on permanent routes, where couriers changed horses. The first stations were very modest and contained only one horse, but over time the number of horses at the stations began to increase, which allowed couriers to speed up delivery.
Mail services have also undergone changes. Delivery of letters became available to ordinary citizens, and mail crews were used when sending non-urgent mail. Over time, the post carriages began to turn yellow. This became the hallmark of the Taxis-led Royal Postal Service.
In the Czech lands, the development of the postal service began with the reign of the Habsburg dynasty in these lands in 1526, when one of the representatives of the dynasty sat on the Czech throne. Regular mail and organized delivery of messages on the territory of the modern Czech Republic are associated with the advent of King Ferdinand 1 to the throne of Bohemia.
Another important period in the development of the post office in the Czech Republic came during the reign of Charles 6, when the state administration joined the postal service.
karlovy vary
Ferdinand 1 took advantage of the services and experience of the aristocratic Taxis family, which, from the late 13th century, organized postage in northern Italy and much of Europe. The Taxis family had an almost complete monopoly on postage in these lands.
In 1505, Ferdinand I ordered the establishment of a post in the Empire, and one of the extended family members ordered the postmaster of the High Court, Antonio Taxis, to quickly establish a postal service between Prague and Vienna. The candidate for the Czech throne wanted to receive the latest news on the progress of his election campaign in Prague.
In 1527, the construction of permanent post offices began, where couriers rested and changed horses. The oldest postal route between Prague and Vienna passed through Tabor and further to the village of Kasice, where it split into two branches. The southern direction went to Linz, and the eastern branch passed through Jindrichuv Hradec and Slovonice further to Vienna.
The nephew of the aforementioned Antonio Taxi Ambroz, followed by Krishtov Taxi, became the Prague postmaster. The Taxis family’s postal monopoly in Bohemia continued until the end of the reign of Ferdinand 1. In 1564, Krishtov Taxis was overthrown and imprisoned in the Paris White Tower for debts and organizing riots. After these events, the Czech post office was headed by several other noble families.
During the reign of Maximilian II, the work of the postal service began to change and the post office began to transport private letters, and during the reign of Rudolf II, the postal service began to transport people. Also, a postal service was established with Wroclaw, Venice, Paris, Brussels and London.
Reliable and fast delivery of messages has become of critical strategic importance for the state and its government in times of unrest, war, conflict, natural disaster and crisis.
Over time, the Taxis dynasty claimed the exclusive right to own the postal service within Europe, where regular services were established. In 1695, Emperor Matthias ranked the Taxis dynasty among the princely families.
yellow taxi
Taxis are the forefathers of modern post and taxi services. Then there were postal stagecoaches, they carried mail and people, everything worked – quickly, accurately, cheaply and at any time, no matter what, for centuries, and it was called Taxis Mail. The wagons were yellow, clearly visible from afar. Opinion quickly, cheaply, on time, began to be replaced, give it to Taxis. This is how the name and color of the service (note the service) appeared, taxi. Communications have developed not only in strategic directions, but also between ordinary cities. The yellow carriages carried not only letters, but also passengers who paid a certain fare. This became the prototype of the modern taxi.
The Taxis dynasty has adjusted the work of mail and transportation of people to the ideal. Corre.
2. Modern taxi
The modern Czech taxi was transformed from horse-drawn carriages and carriages, which carried people or goods for a fee. At the beginning of the 20th century, with the advent of cars, horse-drawn carts began to gradually become a thing of the past. The demand for transport was huge, and therefore a large number of cabbies appeared in Prague and other cities of the Czech Republic.
The first taxis did not have a unified dispatching service and any strict organization of transportation, parking, and a tariff regulation system. Free taxis simply drove around the city and took customers from the street or stood with posters: “Tax for travel by agreement.” All transportation was carried out by agreement.
From 20 to 40 years in Prague there were more than 10 companies engaged in the transportation of passengers. Then, on some cars, taximeters of the modern type appeared. The taxi infrastructure was also established: calling a car by telephone, taxi drivers’ parking. Also, the first tariffication was created and a fixed fare for the route was established.
After World War II, taxis in Czechoslovakia were organized into taxi fleets. It was a monopolized state system. In 1962, the Prague taxi was incorporated into the transport companies, which combined the taxi with the car rental service. This organization of work existed until 1989.
In 1989, a global reorganization of the taxi service took place – the national committee of Prague established the state-owned company Taxi Praha. This company did not last long and was liquidated in 1991.
After that, the entire Prague taxi industry was transferred to private hands. From that moment on, the taxi service ceased to be dated from the state budget.
In its modern form, a Prague taxi is a few dozen private companies. In 2006, a city decree was issued defining the rules for the operation of taxi companies. These rules set forth additional conditions that govern the operation of a taxi:
car equipment;
vehicle class;
car color.
For private cabbies, requirements were put forward according to which they can work with taxi companies, conclude contracts with them. Also, special traffic rules for taxi cars were determined.
Since 2014, the companies Uber, Liftago, Taxify and Hopin have entered the Czech market. According to the rules, cars operating on the contact transport system should not be equipped with taximeters and painted in a special color, as is required in a licensed taxi. This has brought some controversy to taxis and fares. Publications began to appear in the press about cases of deception of tourists by Prague taxi drivers on the way from the airport to Prague.
Now, on the Prague taxi market, you should use only trusted carriers with licensed drivers.
