What color were NYC taxis before they were yellow?
The first metered taxis introduced to New York City were primarily painted red and green. This initial fleet of gasoline-powered cabs was imported from France in 1907 by businessman Harry Allen, who also brought the first taximeters to the city. However, in the early days, competition was fierce, and different cab companies used a variety of colors to distinguish their fleets, including brown and white, black, red, and checkered patterns.
The yellow color became popular through early company branding, notably the Yellow Taxicab Company established by Albert Rockwell, who adopted the color around 1909. While yellow was common by the 1960s, it only became the mandated color for all official, licensed (medallioned) cabs in New York City by law in 1968. This law was passed to help passengers easily distinguish regulated, legal taxis from the growing number of unregulated private livery cabs operating in the city.
Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qifIdWqKdYs
https://www.threads.com/@beliproduk.official/post/DRzUCtkEoJ-