ABSTRACT
In my last letter I described the earnings and condition of the drivers and conductors of the London omnibusses, and I now proceed, in due order, to treat of the Metropolitan Hackney-coach and Cabmen. In offtcial language an omnibus is a "metropolitan stage carriage," and a "cab" a "metropolitan hackney" one; the legal distinction being that the stage carriages pursue a given route, and the passengers are mixed, while the fare is fiXed by the proprietor; whereas the hackney carriage plies for hire at an appointed "stand," carries no one but the party hiring it, and the fare for so doing is regulated by law. It is an offence for the omnibus to stand still and ply for hire, whereas the driver of the cab is liable to be punished if he ply for hire while his vehicle is moving.
