Thread: Taxi

How do you call these white (yellow) and black squares drawn on taxi cabs?

In Russian we call them "шашечки". (I think it's because they resemble a checkers (chess) board). Does anyone know, why had they become the international taxi symbol? And why?

P.S. Oh, and why a customary color for taxi cabs is yellow almost universally?

Originally Posted by Ramil

How do you call these white (yellow) and black squares drawn on taxi cabs?

In Russian we call them "шашечки". (I think it's because they resemble a checkers (chess) board). Does anyone know, why had they become the international taxi symbol? And why?

P.S. Oh, and why a customary color for taxi cabs is yellow almost universally?

Originally Posted by Ramil

What do you call these white (yellow) and black squares drawn on taxi cabs?

I think, I would call it a checkered stripe

Originally Posted by Ramil

In Russian we call them "шашечки". (I think it's because they resemble a checkers (chess) board). Does anyone know, why have they become the international taxi symbol? And why?

P.S. Oh, and why is yellow an almost universally customary color for taxi cabs ?

And I think the answer to both these questions is because the yellow colour is used for taxis in America, and we all see them through Hollywood films and American TV - although there is probably a more detailed explaination

My guess would be that yellow stands out, and is unusual as a colour for private cars as few people want to drive a yellow car anyway.

(You might argue that no-one wants to drive a yellow car precisely because it would look like a cab, but there are few yellow cars in Britian, where cabs are black).

Originally Posted by scotcher

My guess would be that yellow stands out, and is unusual as a colour for private cars as few people want to drive a yellow car anyway.

Aren't you confusing the cause and the consequence. I think a few people would want to drive a yellow car (unless it was Lamborgini) just exactly because yellow is a common color for taxi cabs

(You might argue that no-one wants to drive a yellow car precisely because it would look like a cab, but there are few yellow cars in Britian, where cabs are black).

I know that you have black taxis in Britain, are they checkered also?

I just want to know, where the tradition of checkered markings came from originally. I know also that police uniform hats bear checkered design sometimes. I wonder if these traditions are somehow related.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Aren't you confusing the cause and the consequence. I think a few people would want to drive a yellow car (unless it was Lamborgini) just exactly because yellow is a common color for taxi cabs

Smartarse

Originally Posted by Ramil

I know that you have black taxis in Britain, are they checkered also?

Nope, unadorned black (or, less often, dark red, dark grey etc). Nowadays they also tend to carry advertising space.

Originally Posted by Ramil

I just want to know, where the tradition of checkered markings came from originally. I know also that police uniform hats bear checkered design sometimes. I wonder if these traditions are somehow related.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Cab ... lor_yellow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_Taxi

Seems the checker markings were originally a specific company's branding.

On cabs that is. I doubt they made British police uniforms