By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Reported by Chen Guanxin
For globetrotting travelers, aside from accommodation and flights, the quality of local taxi services is also a key concern. Hotels.com, a global online hotel service provider, released its latest 2013 global taxi service survey, which revealed that London’s iconic black cabs secured nearly a quarter of the votes from respondents worldwide, claiming the top spot as the world’s best taxi service for the sixth consecutive year with a 22% vote share. New York and Tokyo followed closely with 10% and 9% of the votes respectively, while Berlin’s taxis made a comeback in the top five, ranking fourth with 5%. Tied for fifth place were Madrid, Mexico City, and Amsterdam, each receiving 4% of the votes. Taipei’s taxi services also earned high praise from many travelers, ranking 18th this year.
London’s taxi services have claimed the world No.1 title six times. (Image source / from http://www.telegraph.co.uk)
This survey gathered opinions from over 2,683 respondents across 30 countries. London’s taxis topped five out of seven evaluation categories, including cleanliness (23%), drivers’ familiarity with local streets (27%), and driving quality (30%). London taxis were also voted the friendliest (23%), though interestingly, “friendliness” was also the service aspect least valued by passengers. Nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) cited safety as their top priority, and London taxis ranked first in this category as well.
New York’s taxi services ranked second in the world. (Image source / from http://blogs.automotive.com)
In terms of price, respondents considered taxis in New York and Bangkok to be the most affordable, each receiving 20% of the votes. However, Bangkok did not make it into the top five for best taxi services. Additionally, New York’s yellow taxis ranked first in terms of prevalence (23%).
Taipei’s taxi services tied with Shanghai and others for 18th place. (Photo provided by Vico Chang)
The survey also revealed the activities passengers most often engage in while riding taxis. Nearly one-fifth (19%) said they sent or received messages or emails, while sleeping came in second as the most favorite activity (15%), followed by eating (10%) and kissing (9%). Among the most “passionate” passengers, 14% of British respondents admitted to engaging in intimate behavior in the backseat of a taxi, which is 10% higher than the global average of 4%.
Top 20 Best Taxi Services in the World:
|
Rank
|
City
|
Vote Share
|
Rank
|
City
|
Vote Share
|
|
1
|
London
|
22%
|
10
|
Las Vegas
|
3%
|
|
2
|
New York
|
10%
|
10
|
Singapore
|
3%
|
|
3
|
Tokyo
|
9%
|
10
|
Vancouver
|
3%
|
|
4
|
Berlin
|
5%
|
15
|
Hong Kong
|
2%
|
|
5
|
Amsterdam
|
4%
|
15
|
Copenhagen
|
2%
|
|
5
|
Madrid
|
4%
|
15
|
Dublin
|
2%
|
|
5
|
Mexico City
|
4%
|
18
|
Taipei
|
2%
|
|
8
|
Bangkok
|
3%
|
18
|
Shanghai
|
2%
|
|
8
|
Mumbai
|
3%
|
18
|
Buenos Aires
|
2%
|
|
10
|
São Paulo
|
3%
|
18
|
Helsinki
|
2%
|
|
10
|
Bogotá
|
3%
|
|
|
|
● Further reading:
2014 Taipei 101 fireworks show: 218 seconds, the second longest in history
http://goo.gl/wL5zgF