bjgreen
When you called for a taxi, you might get a 16-year-old driver! (Image: Santa Barbara Morning Press, March 17, 1919)
By Betsy J. Green
WAY BACK WHEN in Santa Barbara, taxi drivers could be as young as 16. Yikes! In February, 1919, however, that became a thing of the past. “It is declared that the boy taxi driver is usually … irresponsible, having no sense of being careful.”
Well, duh! The new minimum age would be 20. But there was still no driving test required. Car owners had to have a license to drive their vehicle, but they did not have to prove that they knew how to drive.
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1918 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the fifth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at
Well, I guess the upside is at least kids were working.