Share taxi vehicles that follow a rough service route, but can go slightly out of their way to pick up and drop off passengers. In many US cities (e.g. Pittsburgh and Detroit), the term "jitney" refers to an unlicensed taxi cab. The name comes from an archaic, colloquial term for a five-cent piece in the US (the nickel). The common fare for the service when it first came into use was five cents, so the "five-cent cab" or "jitney cab" came to be known for the price charged. In Rhode Island a jitney license plate is used for all public passenger buses,
London and Provincial Union of Licensed Vehicle Workers London and Provincial Union of Licensed Vehicle Workers The London and Provincial Union of Licensed Vehicle Workers (LPU) was a trade union representing taxi drivers in and around London. It was regarded as one of the most militant unions in the country. In 1890, the Metropolitan Cab Drivers' Trade Union was founded by John Burns and John Beasley. The following year, the London Cab Company raised the charges it made to cab drivers, but the union led a successful strike, and the company instead agreed to lower its charges. Membership peaked at 4,000, but had fallen to only 300 by