Transport for LondonHistory
| The discarded coaches of aristocratic families, complete with their coats of arms, were among the first hackney carriages to ply for hire. They were the forerunners of the French hackney carriage or cab (cabriolet) which first appeared in London around 1820. The first horseless cab, the Bersey electric powered vehicle, appeared in 1897, followed by the first internal combustion engine cab in 1903. At that time London still had more than 11,000 horse drawn cabs. The last horse drawn cab was removed from service in 1947. There are now over 20,000 licensed vehicles on London's roads. Metropolitan PoliceRegulation of the trade passed to the Metropolitan Police in 1850 and was undertaken by the Public Carriage Office, which was originally located in an annex to New Scotland Yard in Whitehall called 'the Bungalow'. It moved to 109 Lambeth Road in 1919, remaining there until 1966, when it moved to its present home, 15 Penton Street, Islington. On the formation of Transport for London on 3 July 2000 the licensing authority changed, however the day to day licensing function remained with the Public Carriage Office. |
