26th May 2009 Acrobat (pdf, 69 KB)
London’s taxis have been voted the best in the world for the second year running, a Hotels.com poll of international travellers has shown.* A third (33%) of the travellers surveyed said that London’s black cabs were the best in the world.
Despite being named the most expensive city for cabs, London’s taxi drivers pulled in the most votes for a number of different categories including friendliness of drivers, quality of driving and knowledge of area.
The capital’s taxis beat off competition from New York (favourite amongst 17% of travellers) and Berlin (which came in third place with 6% of the vote.) The Hotels.com survey found that the Spanish city of Madrid and the Danish capital of Copenhagen completed the top five. Bangkok, famed for its tuk tuk taxis, was a surprise entry into the top ten, beating both Dublin and Paris to the number seven slot.
| Rank | City | % of votes cast for top 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 33% |
| 2 | New York | 17% |
| 3 | Berlin | 6% |
| 4 | Madrid | 5% |
| 5 | Copenhagen | 4% |
| 6 | Stockholm | 3% |
| 7 | Bangkok | 3% |
| 8 | Las Vegas | 3% |
| 9 | Dublin | 2% |
| 10 | Paris | 2% |
Taxis are one of the first experiences that many travellers have on arrival in a new city, so it is significant that London’s taxis are making such a good impression on visitors to the capital. In fact, the research found that cabs are by far the most popular method of travel from airport to hotel. More than two thirds (69%) of travellers said that they regularly take a cab to their hotel when arriving in a city, as opposed to 17% who tend to use a private car, and 16% who prefer to use the train.
The European poll also looked at the top taxi destinations for cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and availability. These findings include:
Alison Couper, Director of Communications, Hotels.com, comments “It’s great to hear that London has won the best taxi vote for the second year running. The journey to their hotel is often a traveller’s first experience of the destination they are visiting and so a friendly, knowledgeable taxi driver can help form a positive first impression. With the weak pound, falling hotel prices and now this award, London is becoming an increasingly attractive and affordable destination for visitors.”
John Thomas, Chairman of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, comments “I am pleased to hear that London has been recognised as having the best taxi service in the world. London’s taxi drivers must dedicate three years to completing the knowledge training to qualify as a London taxi driver and that commitment is vital to offering the very best customer service. This is what makes London’s taxi service stand out from New York, Paris and every other major city.”
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Notes to editors
* Research was conducted amongst 1,400 travellers from the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark in May 2009.
Hotels.com website is the most visited in the 'Hotels/Accommodation provider' category, according to comScore Media Metrix (Dec-Jan 2007).
Operating in all major markets with dedicated staff, www.hotels.com offers more than 80,000 quality hotels worldwide, and promises a price guarantee in 40,000 of these properties: if a customer can find the same deal for less, Hotels.com will match it. www.hotels.com also has one of the largest independent hotel teams in the industry, meaning that users get an honest review of the properties. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of our multi-lingual call centres on +44 (0)20 7492 0979
For further information visit www.hotels.com or call +44 (0)20 7492 0979
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