LONDON VOTED THE TAXI PARADISE OF THE WORLD

Getting a taxi is surrounded by problems irrespective of the city, as long as you do not know it well. Almost all experienced travellers have, at some time, encountered problems with being overcharged by shark-like taxi drivers or being scared by unfamiliarly busy roads. One thing is for sure: that taxis often involve the first experience in a foreign city. London has been voted the best for the second year running. It seems that the English reputation for politeness is not merely a myth. London taxis have been voted the best for the second year running, according to a survey by hotels.com. Taxis are an extremely important part of the tourism sector anywhere as first impressions count the most. Despite being the most expensive, London taxis ended up with the gold medal on the basis of the quality of the driving, the friendliness of the drivers and their knowledge of the area. New York ended up with silver, Berlin with the bronze and Madrid and Copenhagen made up the top 5.The London tourist board sees this vote as an important step in firmly establishing London as an attractive tourist haven. The weakening pound, plummeting prices and further availability of hotels have now been aided by the taxi factor. On a negative note, the survey threw up some interesting results. Athens taxis were voted the filthiest, often disappointing those travelling to the ancient city. 11% of those questioned said that Paris could be proud of having the rudest drivers and 10% said that waiting for a taxi was annoying in the French capital. The worst driving award went to the taxi drivers of New York. Bias, naturally, plays a role, yet the surveys show that many of the world’s taxi drivers need to book their ideas up.