A cabriolet is a light
horse-drawn vehicle
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have m ...
, with two wheels and a single
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
. The
carriage
A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...
has a folding hood that can cover its two occupants, one of whom is the driver. It has a large rigid apron, upward-curving shafts, and usually a rear platform between the C springs for a
groom. The design was developed in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in the eighteenth century and quickly replaced the heavier
hackney carriage
A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common ...
as the
vehicle for hire
A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing private transport or shared transport for a fee, in which passengers are generally free to choose their points or approximate points of origin and destination, unlike public transport, and which th ...
of choice in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
The ''cab'' of
taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
-
cab or "
hansom cab
The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, ...
" is a shortening of ''cabriolet''.
Other horse-drawn cabs include:
*''
Araba'' or ''aroba'': used in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and neighboring countries
*''Araña'': Mexican, two-wheeled
*''Bounder'': four-wheeled
*''
Gharry
A gharry or gharri is a horse-drawn cab used especially in India. A palkee gharry is shaped like a palanquin. A gharry driver is a gharry- wallah.
See also
* Carriage
A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most c ...
'' or ''gharri'': used especially in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
*''
Kalesa
A kalesa or calesa is a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines. It is commonly vividly painted and decorated. It was a primary mode of public and private transportation during the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines, though i ...
'' or ''calesa'' (sometimes called a ''karitela''): used in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
*''
Dorożka A droshky or drosky (russian: дрожки (plural); pl, dorożka (singular); et, troska (singular) ) is a term used for several types of carriage, including:
* A low, four-wheeled open carriage used especially in Russia. It consists of a long be ...
in eastern Europe
*''Minibus'': light carriage, usually with a rear door and seats for four passengers; formerly used as a cab
*''Two-wheeler'': two-wheeled cab or hansom
One who drives a horse-drawn cab for hire is a ''cabdriver''.
[{{Cite web , url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/32/C0003200.html , title=Cabdriver. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. , access-date=2008-01-07 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050421142853/http://bartleby.com/61/32/C0003200.html , archive-date=2005-04-21 , url-status=dead ]
See also
*
Hansom cab
The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, ...
*
Cabriolet (automobile)
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving exp ...
*
Types of carriages
References
Carriages
Animal-powered vehicles