Talk:Hansom cab

Question

What did the Hackney carriage look like? --Gbleem 18:52, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

AFIK they've come in many shapes over the years - a Hackney carriage is more of a class of vehicle. They are currently the iconic London black cab, but were Hansom cabs in the past - see Hackney carriage. -- Solipsist 19:25, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

trapdoor not port hole

The impression given in the previous edit was that the driver could keep an eye on his passengers through a porthole. I had hearsay evidence that this was contrary to both etiquete and cabbies rules. The cabbie was not to open the trap unless the passengers tapped on it and certainly was not to intrude on the passengers privacy. Traditional taxi cabs (black cabs) are provided with a glass screen between driver and passengers and driver is expected to assume passengers require privacy, unless they indicate otherwise.

Fenton Robb 16:57, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

NYC carriages are not really Hansom cabs.

• I googled Hansom cabs and got some pictures. Hansom cabs only have two wheels and the driver sits way in back. They only hold 2 or 3 people. This is not the cab we see in Central Park. Check it out. This article needs a redo.69.122.62.231 (talk) 03:53, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
  • I think whoever edited it meant the historical examples used in NYC, during the early 1900s. If you search for early 20th century photos of Hansom cabs in NYC, they look virtually identical to the British specimens. Contemporary NYC carriage cabs are simply more conventional four-wheeler carriages. Hansoms are probably only seen in city museums, but not in active street service anymore, just like in the UK.--ZemplinTemplar (talk) 15:11, 18 August 2019 (UTC)

Question

How exactly does the driver get into and out of his seat? By stepping on a wheel once or twice (hub and rim), or are there ladder steps up the back side of the vehicle? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.216.15.5 (talk) 15:37, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

Belated reply: The 1877 photo shows a number of what look like suspension elements between the wheels which look suited to serving as makeshift ladder rungs. -- Avocado (talk) 22:17, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

Correct. Some of the images in WikiCommons show deliberate iron foot steps. Though in many horse-drawn vehicles, drivers and passengers have regularly used protruding hubs, springs and any other strong metal elements as footholds for climbing onto vehicles.   ▶ I am Grorp ◀ 23:02, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

Cabs ≠ Hansom cab

Cabs are a "type of use" of carriages, something for hire, and includes both two- and four-wheeled vehicles. Hansom cabs may have become popular and ran up until the motorization of traffic, but not all mentions of horse-drawn cabs means 'hansom'. I have removed all but one of the entries in the "In popular culture" section because either they weren't specifically about hansom cabs, but just about 'cabs' in general, or because they really were no more significant mention than a transport vehicle in the story. The last remaining book in the section at least mentions 'hansom cabs' and 'hansom cabmen' multiple times (50 times in this Project Gutenberg edition).   ▶ I am Grorp ◀ 05:13, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

Parlour hansom vs. Parlour's hansom

Not having access to the cited source, I'm curious whether it was named "Parlour" after a person or was a "parlour hansom" due to the passengers facing one another as they might in a social setting? -- Avocado (talk) 23:31, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

The source is available even without logging in to Open Library, and the link is in the citation. Lower case "parlour hansom" is in the source's text, and capitalized-and-possessive "PARLOUR'S HANSOM" is an image caption. It was patented by Mr. Joseph Parlour. I suspect the variable usage is no different than calling a vehicle "Hansom's cab" or "a hansom cab".   ▶ I am Grorp ◀ 01:00, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Thank you! -- Avocado (talk) 12:17, 2 February 2026 (UTC)