lillb
05-13-2008, 01:58 PM
1930s - Medallion System Introduced
During the Great Depression New York had as many as 30,000 cab drivers. With more cab drivers than passengers cab drivers were working longer hours and there were concerns about the maintenance of the vehicles. In considering how to handle the situation, the city considered creating a taxi monopoly. The plan was abandoned after Mayor Jimmy Walker was accused of accepting a bribe from the Parmelee Company, the largest taxi company.
In 1937 Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia signed the Haas Act, which introduced official taxi licenses and the medallion system that remains in place today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_New_York_ City