Cabbers

Cabbers is a colloquial term used to refer to people who operate taxis, especially in informal speech and in some regional varieties of English. The form is derived from cab, a short form of taxi, with the agentive suffix -ber, and is typically pluralized as cabbers. In formal writing and standard dictionaries, taxi driver or cab driver are the preferred terms; cabber and cabbers are encountered mainly in casual conversation, local slang, or fictional depictions of urban settings.

Regional variation: The term appears more commonly in some American and British urban vernaculars, where it can carry a light, friendly connotation when addressing or referring to taxi drivers. In other regions, it may be unfamiliar or considered dated. The exact usage can vary by community and generation, and cabbers may appear in street-level dialogue, entertainment media, or online forums to evoke a particular voice or atmosphere.

Etymology and usage notes: Cabbers derives from cab plus the agentive suffix -ber, a formation that mirrors other occupations in slang (such as “cabber” for a taxi driver). Because it is informal, cabbers is best avoided in formal writing. When clarity is needed, taxi driver or cab driver remains the recommended term.

See also: taxi driver, cabby, cab driver.