Really - have you not seen folk getting into taxies outside train stations in the UK ? They speak through the passenger side window to the driver and then get in the back - only taking the passenger seat if the back is full and they’ve asked the driver.
Really - have you not seen folk getting into taxies outside train stations in the UK ? They speak through the passenger side window to the driver and then get in the back - only taking the passenger seat if the back is full and they’ve asked the driver.
I don't notice much what other people are doing in those situations.
As I've said, it depends whether the taxi is a car or a cab. If a cab, then getting in the front would be unusual (plus it's usually where the driver has stowed any bits and pieces).
As I've said, it depends whether the taxi is a car or a cab. If a cab, then getting in the front would be unusual (plus it's usually where the driver has stowed any bits and pieces).
IME outside the UK taxi = car.
And in the US taxi and cab mean the same thing, while a cab/car distinction doesn’t exist, at least in my experience.
The words 'taxi' and 'cab' may be interchangeable, but I'm saying they can refer to different types of vehicle. Is there anywhere outside of Britain which has black cabs?
Nubar Gulbenkian was an aficionado of the London taxi, he frequently stated that "It turns on a sixpence, whatever that is".
The words 'taxi' and 'cab' may be interchangeable, but I'm saying they can refer to different types of vehicle. Is there anywhere outside of Britain which has black cabs?
Yes, my point was simply that where I am, they don’t refer to different kinds of vehicles.
When we talk about a “yellow taxi” or a “checkered cab” here, that simply means the car is painted yellow or checkered so as to stand as out as being for hire. I’ve heard of “black cabs” for as long as I can remember, but I must admit it never occurred to me that it meant anything other than a taxi/cab painted black. I had no idea “cab” refers to the style of the vehicle.
<snip>I’ve heard of “black cabs” for as long as I can remember, but I must admit it never occurred to me that it meant anything other than a taxi/cab painted black. I had no idea “cab” refers to the style of the vehicle.
If I hear someone talking about a ‘cab’ or a ‘taxi cab’ I’d expect something like this where you certainly would not get in the front. A plain ‘taxi’ could refer to one of those, or to a car being used for private hire purposes.
<snip>I’ve heard of “black cabs” for as long as I can remember, but I must admit it never occurred to me that it meant anything other than a taxi/cab painted black. I had no idea “cab” refers to the style of the vehicle.
If I hear someone talking about a ‘cab’ or a ‘taxi cab’ I’d expect something like this where you certainly would not get in the front. A plain ‘taxi’ could refer to one of those, or to a car being used for private hire purposes.
Yes, that's the point I was making. But it's evident that outwith the UK cab/taxi seems always to be a car.
Because the traditional London-style cab doesn't have a front passenger seat, the space is used for luggage instead. The passenger compartment is behind, separated from the driver by a glass screen (with a sliding window).
Because the traditional London-style cab doesn't have a front passenger seat, the space is used for luggage instead. The passenger compartment is behind, separated from the driver by a glass screen (with a sliding window).
Ah, thanks. Is that lack of a front passage seat also what leads to it not being considered a car?
The design has recognisably evolved since the 1920s. Until the late 1950s London taxis didn't even have a door on the front "passengers'" side - I remember these from my childhood as they were ubiquitous: https://tinyurl.com/mj7peksu
Yes, I get that. But here, those differences wouldn’t exclude it from the broader category of “car.” It might be considered a specialized sort of car, but still a car.
Apparently (I’ve just looked it up) the etymology of “cab“ is from “Cabriolet“. I think you’re right, Nick, that a cab is a kind of car, but, in the UK at least, I think it almost always refers to a specialised vehicle(or to the driver‘s compartment of a goods vehicle).
Apparently (I’ve just looked it up) the etymology of “cab“ is from “Cabriolet“. I think you’re right, Nick, that a cab is a kind of car, but, in the UK at least, I think it almost always refers to a specialised vehicle(or to the driver‘s compartment of a goods vehicle).
Fair enough. What I think I’ve been stuck on is this from above:
As I've said, it depends whether the taxi is a car or a cab.
Perhaps I read too much into the “or” in “a car or a cab.”
FWIW, along with the meaning of “taxi,” “cab” here can refer to the part of a truck where the driver and any passengers sit. That latter usage perhaps corresponds more closely to UK usage.
I wasn't excluding cabs from the general category of car, just distinguishing it from the four-door sedan/saloon model. As far as my experience goes, every taxi I've been in (not having ridden in a rickshaw) has one or the other.
Uber describes the kind of hire it is, not the vehicle that will be used. The kind of standard cars used by Uber drivers are the same as those used by many non-Uber local taxi firms.
Uber describes the kind of hire it is, not the vehicle that will be used. The kind of standard cars used by Uber drivers are the same as those used by many non-Uber local taxi firms.
Mostly Toyota Corollas
The word 'cab' originated with Hansome Cabs. ( As @Nick Tamen said 'cabriolet' - French, from diminutive of cabriole - caper, alteration of Middle French capriole.)
"Hackney Carriage licenses were issued in London from 1662. Hansom cabs were patented in 1834 by York architect Joseph Hansom. They were two-wheeled carriages drawn by horses and were much lighter and faster than the Hackney carriages. They were also cheaper to ride in."
To be pernickety, and regardless of the type of vehicle, in Britain there is a difference between a "taxi", which may be hailed by someone standing on the pavement (or may be pre-booked), and a "private hire vehicle" (eg an Uber) which has to be booked by phone or app. If a taxi has its roof sign illuminated, that means it is available and is legally obliged to stop and pick up.
'Legally obliged' they may be, but I've had empty taxis with lit signs sail past me. I presume they're on their way to collect a fare, but annoying all the same. With Mr F's (lack of) mobility we use them a lot. There are two principal fleets in Embra. We always used one until they installed an automatic booking app - you remember the sketch about the two Scotsmen in the voice recognition lift? Not dissimilar. Even the drivers hate it.
This sounds awfully like you're encouraging tipped workers to commit tax fraud I'm sure you don't mean to suggest that waitstaff shouldn't report their whole income, including tips, when they file their taxes...
No. It is just the way the federal income tax is structured. I think it is because most waitstaff is being paid at federal minimum wage which is way below needed living wage and a way to make up for it is to allow for cash tips to be taxed at very low rate.
Regards riding in front of taxi or ride share. It depends on state law, company policy, personal preference, capacity of vehicle and capabilities of passengers.
I drive a senior citizen ride share part time. Washington State law allows for front seat passengers. The company has no restrictions nor does its insurance. There's slightly more room in the front seat than in the back seats. It is much easier for some older people to get in the front seat. And it is easier to converse for the passenger and me,
There are a few passengers who prefer back seats most appreciate the front seat though.
... most waitstaff is being paid at federal minimum wage which is way below needed living wage and a way to make up for it is to allow for cash tips to be taxed at very low rate.
This varies widely by state. In California waitstaff get the state minimum wage, $16.50/hour, unless the local minimum wage is higher. There is no separate tipped minimum wage.
When over 25 states are red states you can rest assured the waitstaff there are getting no much more than federal minimum wage. Besides if California minimum wage is $16.50 that is still below living wage of $28.50 for an individual with no children
This sounds awfully like you're encouraging tipped workers to commit tax fraud I'm sure you don't mean to suggest that waitstaff shouldn't report their whole income, including tips, when they file their taxes...
No. It is just the way the federal income tax is structured. I think it is because most waitstaff is being paid at federal minimum wage which is way below needed living wage and a way to make up for it is to allow for cash tips to be taxed at very low rate.
That's not how the law works. IRS publication 531 may be of assistance.
All tips received by a tipped worker are taxable income, and are taxed as income, at the normal rates. Mr Trump proposed that tips should not be subject to tax, but hasn't done anything about that.
The thing you're mentioning with regard to cash tips is I think "allocated tips". Waitstaff are required to report the tips they receive to their employer, so they can withhold enough tax on them. If you don't report tips equal to some fraction of total sales, your employer is required to assume that you've received at least so much in tips, and then you will be required to pay tax on that amount unless you have good records that demonstrate that your tip income is less than that. You are legally required to report and pay taxes on all your tip income, regardless of whether is is greater than your "allocated tips".
In general, the IRS does not have the staff to investigate small-time tax fraud by waitstaff who don't report all their cash tips, and such an investigation would likely cost more than it would recover in unpaid tax and fines. The "allocated tips" thing is a way of reducing the effect of the fraud.
OK, my experience is obviously limited. But if I was on my own, I'd feel that I was invading the driver's personal space if I got in the front, so it would never occur to me to do so.
Back in the merry days of The Troubles the corporation withdrew business services in certain areas of Belfast on account of the popularity of setting them on fire as barricades. The resultant transport vacuum was filled by taxis plying up and down the Shankill/Falls with a set fare.
OK, my experience is obviously limited. But if I was on my own, I'd feel that I was invading the driver's personal space if I got in the front, so it would never occur to me to do so.
In my youth, I acquired the impression that to sit oneself in the back of a taxi was to proclaim oneself as superior to the driver, whereas sharing the front seat was take up a position as equals.
In my youth, I acquired the impression that to sit oneself in the back of a taxi was to proclaim oneself as superior to the driver, whereas sharing the front seat was take up a position as equals.
Interesting. In my youth, I was instructed never to sit in the front seat, as that opened the possibility of nonconsensual groping by the cab driver. Identified gender, as well as country, probably makes a difference in terms of socialization.
In truth, the front passenger seat is the most dangerous seat in the car. It has been called the suicide seat. However with restraints and air bags its safety is improved. Still, it is unlawful to put minors under a certain age or height in the front passenger seat.
Comments
I don't notice much what other people are doing in those situations.
IME outside the UK taxi = car.
Nubar Gulbenkian was an aficionado of the London taxi, he frequently stated that "It turns on a sixpence, whatever that is".
When we talk about a “yellow taxi” or a “checkered cab” here, that simply means the car is painted yellow or checkered so as to stand as out as being for hire. I’ve heard of “black cabs” for as long as I can remember, but I must admit it never occurred to me that it meant anything other than a taxi/cab painted black. I had no idea “cab” refers to the style of the vehicle.
If I hear someone talking about a ‘cab’ or a ‘taxi cab’ I’d expect something like this where you certainly would not get in the front. A plain ‘taxi’ could refer to one of those, or to a car being used for private hire purposes.
Yes, that's the point I was making. But it's evident that outwith the UK cab/taxi seems always to be a car.
And why you would never get in the front seat of a “cab,” but could get in the front seat of a “car”?
Perhaps I read too much into the “or” in “a car or a cab.”
FWIW, along with the meaning of “taxi,” “cab” here can refer to the part of a truck where the driver and any passengers sit. That latter usage perhaps corresponds more closely to UK usage.
A cab is a subset of cars, so all cabs are cars but all cars are not cabs. We do not have a term for non-cabs.
Mostly Toyota Corollas
The word 'cab' originated with Hansome Cabs. ( As @Nick Tamen said 'cabriolet' - French, from diminutive of cabriole - caper, alteration of Middle French capriole.)
"Hackney Carriage licenses were issued in London from 1662. Hansom cabs were patented in 1834 by York architect Joseph Hansom. They were two-wheeled carriages drawn by horses and were much lighter and faster than the Hackney carriages. They were also cheaper to ride in."
From - https://tinyurl.com/2h43xx9w
No. It is just the way the federal income tax is structured. I think it is because most waitstaff is being paid at federal minimum wage which is way below needed living wage and a way to make up for it is to allow for cash tips to be taxed at very low rate.
Regards riding in front of taxi or ride share. It depends on state law, company policy, personal preference, capacity of vehicle and capabilities of passengers.
I drive a senior citizen ride share part time. Washington State law allows for front seat passengers. The company has no restrictions nor does its insurance. There's slightly more room in the front seat than in the back seats. It is much easier for some older people to get in the front seat. And it is easier to converse for the passenger and me,
There are a few passengers who prefer back seats most appreciate the front seat though.
This varies widely by state. In California waitstaff get the state minimum wage, $16.50/hour, unless the local minimum wage is higher. There is no separate tipped minimum wage.
That's not how the law works. IRS publication 531 may be of assistance.
All tips received by a tipped worker are taxable income, and are taxed as income, at the normal rates. Mr Trump proposed that tips should not be subject to tax, but hasn't done anything about that.
The thing you're mentioning with regard to cash tips is I think "allocated tips". Waitstaff are required to report the tips they receive to their employer, so they can withhold enough tax on them. If you don't report tips equal to some fraction of total sales, your employer is required to assume that you've received at least so much in tips, and then you will be required to pay tax on that amount unless you have good records that demonstrate that your tip income is less than that. You are legally required to report and pay taxes on all your tip income, regardless of whether is is greater than your "allocated tips".
In general, the IRS does not have the staff to investigate small-time tax fraud by waitstaff who don't report all their cash tips, and such an investigation would likely cost more than it would recover in unpaid tax and fines. The "allocated tips" thing is a way of reducing the effect of the fraud.
If you're by yourself, it's usual here.
In my youth, I acquired the impression that to sit oneself in the back of a taxi was to proclaim oneself as superior to the driver, whereas sharing the front seat was take up a position as equals.
Interesting. In my youth, I was instructed never to sit in the front seat, as that opened the possibility of nonconsensual groping by the cab driver. Identified gender, as well as country, probably makes a difference in terms of socialization.