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The article discusses the rivalry between the horse drawn and mechanical vehicles in public transport, which took place in warsaw, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. Sobechowicz starts with a comparison with london, where during the decade between 1900 and 1911, horses were completely eliminated from municipal public transport, and where at the outbreak of the First world war only 6% of all vehicles destined for transporting people were horse drawn. The situation in warsaw is described by comparing the horse and electric trams and horse and automobile taxi cabs. The comparison showed that electric street cars had the advantage of speed and superior power: a single train could carry up to 260% more passengers. In the case of individual wheel transport, rivalry between the automobile taxi and the horse cab was still present during the interwar period -- no doubt the result of technological underdevelopment. Only during the mid nineteen--twenties did the automobile become more popular in warsaw. Final victory of mechanical transportation was postponed by the Great Depression. Popularization of automobile taxi cabs was also assisted by the municipal authorities: according to the new tariffs, introduced in mid nineteen--thirties, taxi fares were lower than those of horse vehicles. The same applied to the road taxes imposed on operators of horse drawn vehicles, which were constantly increased. Thus, the revolution in public transport, which in london was closed prior to 1914, in warsaw was prolonged to 1939. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]