London's 20,000 bubble-shaped black cabs with their amber "taxi" beacon, however, could be a dying breed.
The Public Carriage Office, responsible for licensing cabs, is reviewing whether to open the market to different vehicles - which could mean people carriers replacing the cab as we know it.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) wants drivers to be given a choice. "It's a monopoly and at £30,000 for a cab, it's getting ridiculous," said Bob Oddy, of LTDA. "What you see coming towards you would still be the same thing - still black with a yellow taxi light on top."
But Joe Kerr, of the Royal College of Art (RCA), said the black cab is still as much a symbol of London as it is a vehicle. "It is utterly recognisable. It's like a British telephone box. You cannot separate a black cab from people's identity of London."
