Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
A Visual History Of NYC Cabs
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 1, 2015
Modified Sep 2, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 17
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 1, 2015
Modified Sep 2, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
With the Taxi of Tomorrow the new normal, let's take a look back at what the Taxis of Yesterday looked like.
Working off of these cute illustrations from the NY Times, click through for old photos of almost every kind of cab to hit the streets of New York City, from the early 1900s (when the first metered cabs started running) to today. The Checker, the Chevrolet Caprice, and the Crown Vic (amongst others) have become yellow icons of the city's streets. Back then they didn't have competition like Uber, but there were a growing number of gypsy cabs around the 1960s.
(via the history of Checker Motors)
Fun fact: Checker cabs were fitted with jump-seats in the 1950s and 1960s, but they were removed in the 1970s because does the above look like a good idea to you?
Tagged
cab
flashback
history
taxi
taxicab
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .