They were originally called "depot hacks" because they worked around train depots as hacks (short for hackney carriage, as taxicabs were then known).
كانت تُسمى أساسًا "depot hacks" لأنها كانت تعمل حول محطات القطار كسيارات أجرة (باختصار سيارات الأجرة واسم قديم لسيارات الأجرة).