Ben Smith was appointed as its first organiser, and he proved successful, membership reaching 6,850 by 1896, although it then began falling.
A combination of extensions to the London Underground and bus routes, and increased traffic congestion, was reducing demand for horse-drawn cabs.
In response, the union undertook a strike in 1904 in order to get employers to agree to reduce hire charges, in the hope of increasing business.
This succeed after only five days, and prompted many other cab drivers to join, membership rebounding to 6,121 by the end of the year.
[1] The membership boom proved short-lived, and by 1908, it had fallen to a new low of only 1,632, as members began facing competition from the first motorised cabs.