The reliable small cab
05/28/2023
It was in 1954 that a group of cab owners in the city of Bern introduced reliable and cheap small cabs. It was a small revolution, as cab operators normally used large limousines, often American, as vehicles for their passenger services. But there was obviously a need for cheaper solutions. And the Fiat cab with the call number 9 11 11 was cheaper. The basic fare was just one franc and the price per kilometer was set at 0.50 francs if there was only one passenger. With two or three passengers, it cost 0.60 francs per kilometer, with four passengers 0.80 francs. You couldn't fit any more in the Fiat.
So a two-kilometer trip from the main station in Bern to the Hotel Bellevue Palace in a cheap cab cost only 2.60 francs for four people. You couldn't complain, today the journey would even be more expensive in your own Dacia Logan.
Ah, yes, in 1954 Juan Emanuel Fangio became Formula 1 world champion and SBB abolished third class. What's more, "the miracle of Bern" happened that year, but the cab innovation was not meant by that.
And where do you find out such things? For example, at the O-iO classic car meeting in Sarnen/Obwalden, where the yellow and red cab could be photographed. Incidentally, the O-iO is still going into its second round today. We will of course also publish a review of the event.
