A new survey from Hotels.com has revealed that London’s taxis are the most friendly, comfortable, and safe in the world. The survey and complete report asked users to contribute their experiences in taxis around the world, pointing out how safe they felt and how comfortable the ride was. Britain’s capital took the top spot, closely followed by other major European cities such as Madrid.
Surprisingly, it was taxi capital New York City that came in last place for ‘taxi quality’, with users suggesting that despite the city’s large fleet of go-anywhere transportation, the surly and abrasive nature of many taxi drivers made it a poor place to hail a cab. Paris also achieved a low ranking, with its taxi fleet being judged as the rudest of any major global city.
While London cabs are far from cheap, they offered a level of safety that few other cities can match, the survey claims. Travellers ranked the demeanour of London’s drivers positively, while saying that the city’s drivers tend to take direct routes to destinations without wasting time or driving fare prices upwards. Rome received the lowest ‘driver quality’ ranking due to reckless driving habits.
However, one Italian city – Milan – managed to feature in the report’s top rankings. Other surprising additions include Bangkok, which took fifth place, and Sydney, which saw its drivers feature as the least navigationally competent. European cities topped the poll for service quality and ride comfort while simultaneously falling into the poll’s bottom ranks for affordability and value.
The news has been well received by London’s large collection of taxi drivers. The city is frequently thought of as one of the most tourist-friendly in the world, and the confirmation of its taxi quality is another point of pride. For the millions of tourists expected to arrive in London throughout the rest of the year, the results are a comforting, if expensive, reminder that they’ll never be completely lost.
