Hong Kong taxis voted by global travellers as the best in Asia for “Knowledge of the Area”.
HONG KONG – London cabs have been voted the best taxis in the world for the fifth year in a row, according to the annual global taxi survey from Hotels.com. London claimed 11% of the votes, followed by New York with 6.4% and Tokyo with 5.6%.
The world’s best taxis:
|
Rank |
City |
% of votes |
|
1 |
London |
11% |
|
2 |
New York |
6.4% |
|
3 |
Tokyo |
5.6% |
|
4 |
Shanghai |
4.8% |
|
5 |
Bangkok |
4.3% |
|
6 |
Berlin |
3.9% |
|
7 |
Taipei |
3.4% |
|
8 |
Hong Kong |
2.9% |
|
9 |
Buenos Aires |
2.8% |
|
10 |
Melbourne |
2.7% |
Travellers voted according to seven categories, of which London’s iconic black cabs headed up five – friendliness, knowledge of the area, cleanliness, safety and quality of driving – while simultaneously being voted worst for value. New York pipped London to the post as the best city for availability with their famous yellow cabs, while Bangkok topped the list for best value.
Despite London and New York holding onto first and second place, taxis in Asia Pacific countries are rising in popularity, with Tokyo, Shanghai and Bangkok all qualifying for coveted spots in the top five.
Hong Kong taxis ranked the first in “knowledge of the area” among all Asian countries and the fourth globally. The top three cities globally were London, New York and Berlin.
Best according to category:
|
Category |
Best |
% of votes |
|
Cleanliness |
London |
13% |
|
Knowledge of the area |
London |
14% |
|
Quality of driving |
London |
16% |
|
Friendliness |
London |
10% |
|
Safety |
London |
12% |
|
Availability |
New York |
11% |
|
Value |
Bangkok |
10% |
The Hotels.com taxi survey also revealed some of the unconventional activities that travellers from around the world get up to on their taxi journeys. Over half of all respondents (56%) have fallen asleep in a taxi, while almost a fifth (19%) said they use the journey to touch up their hair and makeup. An additional quarter (26%) of those surveyed admit to having kissed in the backseat of the taxi in the past. The survey also revealed some of the strange items left behind in cabs including a single shoe and a raw fish!
Other findings:
- 15% of respondents claimed they would never tip their taxi driver, while 39% only round up to the next whole number
- Safety was voted as the quality most valued in the a taxi, followed by knowledge of area and value
- The world’s biggest spenders on taxis are Australia, while Italy splash out on this mode of transport the least
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
