125th Anniversary of the Electric Taxi: Bersey Electrical Cabs

If you were under the impression that electric taxis were a relatively new invention, think again. They are actually over a century old! London had its first experience of an electric cab 125 years ago today on August 19th, 1897. 

These were known as Bersey Electrical Cabs. 

What’s in a name 

The Bersey cabs got their name from the man that developed them, Walter Bersey. A London native, born in 1860, Bersey trained to become an electrical engineer and dedicated much of his early career to developing electric vehicles.  

Bersey developed a new kind of dry battery, which enabled him to first power an electric bus in 1888. This led to an electric panel van in 1894 and eventually to the Bersey Cabs, which hit the streets in 1897. 

The Bersey Electrical Cab

The Bersey Cabs were first exhibited at a motor show in Kensington and then took part in the inaugural London to Brighton Emancipation race.  

Image Source: The Graphic, 18 December 1897

This race (now known as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run) was held to celebrate the passing of the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896, which removed the strict rules the UK had for motor vehicles.  

The Bersey Cabs batteries were made up of 40 cells driving a mighty 3.5 horsepower motor. These batteries gave the cabs a range of around 30 miles, with an eye-watering top speed of 9mph! They became known as ‘hummingbirds’ due to the hum of the motor and their bright yellow and black livery.

Unsurprisingly, they were a huge novelty when they were first introduced. August 1897 saw a batch of 12 cabs first released on to London’s roads. This swiftly grew to an expanded fleet of 75 vehicles. They were likely the first motor vehicles for hire ever seen on roads in Great Britain.

However, it wasn’t to last for long 

Downfall 

Despite their initial popularity, there was a combination of factors that led to the downfall of the Bersey Cabs. First being cost. 

The weight of the batteries caused a significant amount of wear and tear on the tyres. Due to the high volume of repairs and replacements to keep the cab fleet running, Bersey’s company lost £6,200 in the first year of operation.  

Adjusting for inflation, this would equate to around £885,511 today. A staggering loss for any business to make in their first year of running. 

This led to the company charging drivers more to rent the cabs. The rate was put up from six shillings to twelve shillings and tuppence-farthing, which cost double what it would to rent a horse-drawn hansom cab. 

There were also two high-profile events that helped damage the reputation of the cabs. The first being a drunk driving incident. Bersey cab driver George Smith was fined £1 for being drunk whilst driving his cab down Bond Street.  

The second incident involved a 9-year-old boy getting his coat caught in the driving chain and being crushed. Stephen Kempton became the first child to be killed by a motor vehicle in the UK. 

All this combined led to the ultimate withdrawal of the Bersey Cab in August 1899, 2 years after they were first introduced. 

Bersey’s Legacy

None of Bersey’s vehicles are known to have survived to the present day.  

In his later career, Bersey changed mediums and begin designing and producing internal combustion engines. He even had a stint selling cars for the Automobile Manufacturing Company of Long Acre, London.  During WWI he served as an equipment officer in the RAF.

Maybe if Bersey had been born today, the world might have been able to better accommodate his ideas.