Illegal taxi operation

In mainland China, illegal cabs are referred to as black taxis or black cars (黑车), or alternatively blue-plate cars (蓝牌车), referring to the colour of the licence plates for private vehicles, rather than yellow for public service vehicles.

[7] In Hong Kong, illegal cabs are usually referred to as white card, due to the different licence plate appearance between commercial and non-commercial vehicles.

[citation needed] In Malaysia, illegal taxicabs are called prebet sapu (sweep privates) while illegal taxicab drivers who provide on-the-spot taxi service are called ulat teksi (taxi worms)[8] In the Philippines, illegal taxis operating as Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) without proper franchise are called colorums.

[12] In the Netherlands they are called snorders; the term derives from the Yiddish verb snorren, to scrounge, cadge.

[15] Unlicensed cabs may be found cruising the residential streets of a city, typically in the working-class neighborhoods.

However, outside of the core Manhattan business district, livery cabs are ubiquitous and will respond to street hails.

In some places, providing a ride in a personal vehicle as a part of another job, such as caregiving, may be legal, sometimes with regulation of certain factors, such as insurance coverage.

In some major US cities, there is significant anecdotal evidence that unlicensed cabs are mostly found in working-class neighborhoods.

This practice continues today, but hacking has evolved to the point where people nowadays just wag a finger toward the street, and wait for anyone to stop.

In Pittsburgh, jitneys are unlicensed cabs that specialize in areas underserved by traditional taxis and public transport, particularly the historically Black Hill District.

This is the inspiration for August Wilson's play Jitney, which is set at a Hill District car service office.

[citation needed] Old Order Amish do not drive, but will hire a van or taxi for trips for which they cannot use their traditional horse and buggy transportation.

[24][25] Many governments and taxi companies have protested against Uber, alleging that its use of unlicensed, crowd-sourced drivers was unsafe and illegal.