Taxi

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Cab, Taxi Stop, Taxis

Category

Transportation, Transport Facilities, Transport Modes, Travel, Public Facilities, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate the location of taxis

	Source	Description
	PMP RI	Front view of taxi cab with word TAKSI below
	Eco-Mo Foundation	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI above
	EJP	Front view of car with word TAXI above
	Tern	Front view of car with word TAXI above
	Slovenia 2015	Front view of car with word TAXI above
	SVI	Front view of car with word TAXI on yellow background above
	ÖBB 2007	Front view of car with word TAXI above
	Düsseldorf Airport	Front view of car with word TAXI above
	DB	Front view of car with word TAXI above
	GSR Portugal	Front view of taxi cab with word TÁXI inside outline rectangle on top
	RTA Algarve	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI inside outline rectangle on top
	UIC 413	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI inside outline rectangle on top
	BS 8501:2002	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	Schiphol	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	Wikipedia	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	ONCE	Front view of taxi cab showing several details including driver, word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	ÖNORM A 3011	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	ISO 7001	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	Erco	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	ADV	Front view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	AIGA	Front view of taxi cab
	Transantiago	Front view of taxi cab
	Transport for London	Front view of taxi cab
	D'source	Front view of taxi cab
	Museu Blau	Front view of taxi cab in outline
	Bolivia	Front view of taxi cab on checkered surface
	Swiss Post	Side view of taxi cab with word TAXI above
	SWISSTRAFFIC	Side view of taxi cab in outline with word Taxi above
	Zurich Airport	Side view of taxi cab with word Taxi above
	ZRH 1978	Side view of taxi cab with word Taxi above
	UIC 413 b	Side view of taxi cab with word TAXI incorporated into the symbol
	NS 1980	Side view of taxi cab with word Taxi incorporated into the symbol
	Noun Project	Side view of taxi cab with checkered stripe
	S/TA	Side view of taxi cab
	Expo 70	Side view of taxi cab
	TA	Side view of taxi cab
	WO'72	Side view of car
	ASR	Letter T

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The collection shown above is only a small selection of the wide variety of pictograms used all over the world to signify Taxi, and especially many older versions have been left out. In many countries road signs related to taxis do not show an image of a taxi, but just the word TAXI in capital letters.

The AIGA Signs and Symbol Committee already mentioned that 'a front view of a taxi is slightly clearer than a side view because the distinctive taxi lamp on top of the car is clearly visible' (AIGA, 1993). This insight becomes apparent looking at the variants of the table above. While the AIGA Committee designed a pictogram without any lettering, many designers advocate the use of the word TAXI on top of the car. The Comprehension Test results of the year 1975 illustrate the beneficial impact of this approach (Easterby & Zwaga, 1976), where a pictogram variant similar to ISO 7001 public information symbol PI TF 008 elicited 92 % correct responses, compared to 63 % for a corresponding variant without text.

Data from research conducted many years later confirm this positive effect: In a Japanese study to propose domestically unified graphical symbols based on scientific methods, the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation in the table above reached a comprehension score of 99.3 (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001), an unsurpassed value, even though the primarily used writing system in Japan is completely different, based on logographic kanji and syllabic kana.

Fiori (2008) examined a Taxi map symbol without any text, similar to the AIGA symbol sign shown above. 80.2 % of the responses were classified as correct. Wrong answers were for example Police, Ambulance, and Car.

Recommendation

Taxi

We recommend showing a front view of a taxi with the word TAXI incorporated into the symbol on top of the car as in public information symbol No 25 of ÖNORM A 3011 part 2.

Tests of pictograms of referent Taxi

Easterby, R.S. & Zwaga, H.J.G. (1976): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols, ISO Tests: 1975 Series. AP Report 60, Department of Applied Psychology, University of Aston, Birmingham, March 1976.

Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.

Zwaga, H.J. & Boersema, T. (1983): Evaluation of a set of graphic symbols. Applied Ergonomics, 14, 1, 43-54.