When Black Cabs Were Pulled by Horses: London’s Changing Transport Story
From horse-drawn carriages to contactless cards, here's how London kept moving
Today, we hail a black cab with a tap, hop on the Tube without a second thought, and can cycle across the city using just an app. But go back a little more than 100 years, and London’s streets looked — and smelled — very different.
Let’s rewind to a time when the clatter of hooves echoed through cobbled streets, and a cab meant a carriage pulled by a horse.
The Original Black Cabs Were Horses
Long before the motorised taxis we know today, London had hackney carriages — horse-drawn vehicles licensed to pick up passengers. The word "hackney" itself comes from the French haquenée, meaning a gentle riding horse.
By the 17th century, these carriages were everywhere. In fact, the first official taxi rank in the world was set up in 1634 at the Maypole in The Strand. Just like today, they had fixed fares and licenses. The horse-drawn cabs were painted dark colours — often black — and could carry two or four passengers depending on the model.
The Hansom Cab: London’s First ‘Fast’ Taxi
In the 1830s, Joseph Hansom (yes, the same one behind Hansom architecture!) designed the Hansom cab — a lighter, faster carriage pulled by a single horse. It was cheaper to run, more manoeuvrable in London’s narrow streets, and quickly became the dominant cab design. By the 1860s, there were thousands of Hansom cabs whizzing around the city.
Drivers were called cabmen, and their job was no joke. They needed to navigate rough streets, unpredictable horses, and dodgy weather — all while making sure their customers stayed dry and dignified.
Enter the Horse-Drawn Omnibus
As London’s population exploded in the Victorian era, so did the need for mass transport. Enter the horse-drawn omnibus: large, boxy carriages that seated up to 16 people, running fixed routes through the city. Think of them as early buses — slow, cramped, and often smelly, but better than walking.
By the 1880s, there were over 1,000 horse-drawn buses in operation in London — pulled by more than 50,000 horses.
The “Horse Crisis” You’ve Never Heard Of
With all these horses came... manure. And lots of it. In fact, by the late 1800s, London’s streets were buried under nearly 1,000 tonnes of horse manure a day. The city also struggled with horse-related illnesses, dead animals in the streets, and the cost of feeding and stabling tens of thousands of horses.
People feared that cities like London would drown in waste — a problem that seemed unsolvable.
The Rise of the Motor Cab
Then came a game-changer: the motorised taxi. The first petrol-powered cab appeared on London’s streets in 1903. They were nicknamed “taxicabs” — from the word taximeter, the device that measured the fare.
By 1907, the first motor cab rank opened near Oxford Street. Drivers had to pass a knowledge test and wear uniforms. Horse-drawn cabs started to decline rapidly, and by the 1920s, they had virtually disappeared.
But something remained — the distinctive shape of the black cab, which evolved from the hansom design into the boxy, upright London taxis we still recognise today.
Meanwhile, Underground...
While London’s cab culture evolved above ground, something even more revolutionary was happening below: the world’s first underground railway opened in 1863. Steam trains puffed through tunnels between Paddington and Farringdon — a world first.
It wasn’t until 1890 that the first electric Tube line, the City & South London Railway, arrived. Over the decades, this would expand into the London Underground we know today.
From Horses to Hire Bikes
Fast forward to 2025, and Londoners now travel using e-bikes, double-decker buses, overground trains, Ubers, and even cable cars. You can glide across the Thames on a riverboat, zip down the Elizabeth line, or rent a Santander Cycle using your phone. But the black cab remains — modern, iconic, and rooted in tradition.
Some even argue it’s still the best way to see London.
Final Thoughts
London’s transport story is one of constant reinvention. From manure-filled roads to contactless travel, every era has brought its own solutions — and challenges. But through it all, one thing remains the same: Londoners always find a way to keep moving.
So next time you hop in a black cab, just remember: that vehicle is the result of nearly 400 years of innovation — and a few million horses.