Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word taxicab is a compound contraction of the terms taximeter and cabriolet. The meter component traces back to the German word Taxameter which derives from the Ancient Greek word taxis meaning to place in order. The second part cabriolet originates from French cabrioler meaning to leap or caper.
Paris equipped its first vehicles with meters on the 9th of March 1898. These early machines were originally named taxamètres before renaming them taximètres on the 17th of October 1904. Harry Nathaniel Allen imported 600 gas-powered New York City taxicabs from France in 1907.
Within twenty-four hours approximately six thousand soldiers and officers moved to the front line using taxis gathered by Military Governor Joseph Gallieni. Each taxi transported five soldiers with four seated in the back and one next to the driver. The French treasury reimbursed the total fare of 70,012 francs for this operation.
Cities like London and Tokyo have implemented specific regulations dictating size and fuel efficiency. London's Conditions of Fitness set standards far stricter than private vehicle requirements. LEVC TX and Toyota JPN Taxi exemplify these successful adaptations meeting modern emissions and accessibility requirements.
Before radio dispatch innovation arrived in the 1950s drivers used callboxes at taxi stands. Two-way radios first appeared in taxicabs during late 1940s enabling efficient communication. Computer assisted dispatching emerged in the 1980s improving fleet management further.