Discover the origin of the taximeter

Discover the origin of the taximeter

Discover the origin of the taximeter

As experts in tele cab Madrid center, we are always curious to learn more about the history of the cab. In this article we have made a small review of the history of the cab that we hope you like.

Cab service is more than two thousand years old. This at least, since the ancient Romans already used rudimentary but effective taximeters. The transportation of both mail and people has been fundamental in all cultures throughout the ages. From the Pony Express, taking turns on horseback, or the Quechua, taking turns on foot, to the Tasso family, amassing a fortune. As you can see, we, the professionals of tele-taxi in Madrid center, love history. But let's go on.

The word cab is a reduction of the word taximeter, from the Greek for "rate" and "measure". Which would be "to measure the rate". The first more or less modern taximeter was installed in a car in 1897 and yet the ancient Romans already used taximeters in their carriages.

In ancient Rome, and with an ingenious system of gears, the cab drivers of the time could know how much to charge: a gear that turned in conjunction with the wagon wheel converted each turn into a small movement of a larger gear. When the larger gear made a complete turn, a small ball was released and fell into a receptacle, so that at the end of the ride all you had to do was count the balls to find out how much the passenger owed.

In Mexico during the 18th century, large clocks were used to count the time of use. The price was 4 reales per hour. Fortunately, modern taximeters no longer measure only time or distance, but by means of algorithms they set the fairest possible price for both parties.

As you can see, we love cab history. We hope to see you soon on Radio Taxi Madrid Airport.