Even the name has a history of its own. Taxi cab stands for taximeter cabriolet, where cabriolet is the name of a kind of horse drawn carriage used earlier to ferry passenger. The term was coined by Harry Nathaniel Allen of the New York Taxi Cab Co. in 1907.
Love it, like it or resent it, but taxis can't be ignored. They have evolved from luxury items for those few, who need to travel distances on a regular basis and yet cannot afford to spend on a car of their own, to a necessity of modern city commute.

4 distinct forms of the 'taxi cab' are identified by differing terms in most countries:

• Hackney Carriage or Public Hire: They are hailed or street taxis. They can be availed on hire at an affordable rate
• Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) or Minicabs: They are available only on pre-booking. They are not available legally to hail on the streets
• Taxibuses or Jitneys: They operate on preset routes to hire and reward. They are typified by several stops.
• Limousines: They are specialized vehicles, which are licensed to operate on pre-booking.

Different vehicles have been used as taxi cab at different times and in different countries. This variety can range from until recently green and white, VW beetles of Mexico, to the swanky Mercedes-Benz in western Europe, and parts of Australia. Many of these fleets of taxi cabs have even done their share towards disabled and environment by introducing wheelchair accessible taxis and solar powered ones as well. Even then the primary motivation for the choice of vehicles has always been dictated by, prices, warranty available and prevailing government regulations.

Taxi cab has been criticized to create pollution and hailed as one of the environmentally responsible alternatives for private cars. Typical taxis always cruise on the streets in a city, either driving the passenger or on the look out for new fares. Individual taxi cabs do see the high levels when it comes to their usage. Taxi cabs, which use fossil fuel, can be one of the significant sources of pollution. At the same time, having taxis, which are readily available in the city, can help residents to forget about ownership of the car altogether. This is important mainly for the cities having several modes of transports for public. Hong Kong has gone on to convert their taxi cabs and are using compressed natural gases as a fuel. Arlington, Virginia has developed taxi stands on the street for drivers, so that there is no need of cruising the streets for finding the passengers.

So, the taxis have constantly evolved and will keep changing to reflect the society's current commitments.