How did cab drivers obtain their cabs, how many hours did they work, and what did they sometimes do to mitigate their long hours?

About 40 percent of the cabdrivers owned the horse-drawn cabs or carriages they drove, while the remainder rented the cab on a daily basis. They worked brutally long shifts, driving constantly anywhere from 11 to 22 hours per day. Because of the length of the shifts, many employed "bucks" or unlicensed cabdrivers for a portion of the day, although the practice was not legal.