Why is a cab called a cab? The word comes from cabriolet, a light horse-drawn carriage that could be hired in a city. People shortened it to cab, and the short form stayed when taxis became motorized.
Early use of the word
The material behind this guide traces the term to England, with accounts placing it in the 17th century or in the early 19th century. In the 1600s and 1700s a cab was a small, enclosed carriage hired for short trips within a city, which went along with the growth of urban centres such as London. By the 19th century hackney carriage services made the idea more formal.
One account links the name to the French cabrioler, meaning to leap or jump, which fits the sudden movements of horse-drawn carriages. Early drivers used cab to set private carriages apart from public coaches, which gave it the sense of a more personal, direct way to travel.
How it reached Canada
As similar services appeared in Canada, the word crossed the Atlantic. From London it spread to North American cities such as New York, and later Vancouver. In Canada it gained ground with urban growth and the spread of taxi services, reflecting British English while adapting to local speech.
Around Vancouver in the late 1800s, horse-drawn taxis began to serve a growing city, and cab appeared regularly in transport talk. The shift to motorized taxis in the early 20th century, and the move to gasoline-powered vehicles, did not change the word.
Cab and taxi today
Through the middle of the 20th century, cab sat alongside taxi. In Vancouver, cab remained the dominant word in informal conversation, while official services used taxi. Regional accents shaped pronunciation a little, but the term stayed recognizable.
Ride-sharing apps added new vocabulary, yet cab still turns up in everyday speech, especially in traditional settings and casual talk. In Vancouver and other Canadian cities it carries a link to the horse-drawn vehicles and describes a modern service as well.