The taxi cab is a car we often take for granted. It's there when we need it, and when we don't, not a second thought is given to taxi cabs, taxi drivers, or taxi services. Once upon a time, taxis used to be extraordinarily popular, but in recent years, especially in America, this popularity has been waning. This can primarily be attributed to the genesis of alternative services, like Uber and Lyft. While taxis are a long way from being extinct, the fleet taxicab is on the decline.
In other parts of the world, though, the taxi cab is still quite popular, and the main means of transportation for those who do not own a car, or do not wish to take their own or drive themselves. What a taxi service provides to the community cannot be underestimated, they play a key role in the daily lives of many people, both for the drivers, who gain employment from it, and the riders, whose day to day life can be greatly improved.
Not all taxi cabs are made the same, though, in fact there are some just plain terrible taxi drivers. If you live in a big city or have used taxis before, you know that not every taxi fleet is the same, and not every taxi driver is the same. With that in mind, let's take a look at 13 taxi cabs from around the globe we'd ride in without a second thought, and 12 we wouldn't dare set foot in.
25 Any Day: Morocco
The tan old Mercedes is a staple of Morocco, and you'll see these in every city and town across the country. There are a lot of factors that can affect your taxi ride for the worse in Morocco. But, with a fair amount of discernment and bartering on your part, you can find yourself with one of the nicest taxi drivers on the planet, who will play chauffeur, tour guide, or even friend.
Having spent my fair share of time in Moroccan taxis, I can tell you that these old Mercedes are incredible to ride in, not just because of the character and the fact that they have insane amounts of miles on them, but also because of who's driving them.
24 Any Day: Moscow Tesla
Yandex is a company who runs a fleet of taxis in the city of Moscow. This isn't just any fleet of taxis, though, no. That's because this entire fleet of taxis is made up of only one type of car: fully electric Teslas. Motor1.com explains,
"Yandex Taxi is a site and a mobile app that allows customers to book a taxi online and watch where the vehicle is through a map. Recently the company bought several brand new Tesla Model S all-electric cars. A couple of them were spotted on the street of Moscow."
This company is fast growing, too, having recently partnered with Über. They're even developing self-driving taxis.
23 Any Day: Tokyo
If you are interested in feeling like royalty while being transported between places, the taxis in Tokyo might just be what you're looking for.
Thrillist.com says of the taxi service: "Japanese drivers wear chauffeur's hats, freshly pressed shirts, and white gloves. Even better, they have a weird hand crank device with which they can pop open the back door." It really is all about specialized service with these cab drivers, so don't expect to have to do anything at all, not even open the doors. Sounds really nice to me, actually.
22 Any Day: Mumbai
It only makes sense that in one of the most lively and colorful places in the world, India, that you would find taxis that are not only brightly colored, but also entirely individualized.
Yes, the taxis in Mumbai are special because their interiors are richly decorated with any number of various designs and art from local artists or even the taxi drivers themselves.
As the pictures show, almost every surface of the interior is decorated with art. Not a single one is alike. How cool is that? Honestly, when I go to India riding in one of these taxis will be top of the list.
21 Any Day: Thailand
This is a Tuk Tuk, from Thailand. They are just about as iconic as anything else you'll see in Thailand. Yes, like many cities around the world, the taxis are just as iconic and part of the city as any other part of it.
That is especially true of these Tuk Tuks, as there are ways to get around the city that don't involve what is essentially just a rickshaw with wheels and a motor. But the Tuk Tuks are just so beloved, these days mostly by tourists, that they're sticking around. The city wouldn't be the same without them.
20 Any Day: London
Perhaps the most recognizable of all taxis, the Hackney cabs of London provide some of the best taxi service in the world, wrapped in a kind of elegance and class only characteristic of Britain, and a taxi service that has held the monopoly for over a century. While some people find the Hackney cab drivers insufferable, there is no denying that they give you an incredible experience while in their care.
They are also much more expensive than several other options, but then again, why choose anything but the very best?
19 Any Day: Greece
Taxis come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and so do the drivers. They're one of the things that are truly a global service, and they vary from culture to culture just as much as the food does. Yet, they all serve the same purpose: to take people from one place to the next for a fee. The variance is marvelous, really, from the craziest to the most tame, from the best to the worst. Amongst all these variants, we'd ride in a taxi from Greece any day. Why?
Because taxi drivers from Greece are said to be the friendliest in the world.
With their laid-back lifestyle, diet, and surroundings, it makes sense, really.
18 Any Day: Munich
Living in Germany no doubt has some pretty good perks: beer, Oktoberfest, mountains, cheese, and fancy German cars as the norm. So much are these German cars normal, average, daily drivers, that all the taxi drivers drive around some of the nicest fleets of vehicles around. You name your favorite luxury car, and you can hail it down from the streets. Especially is this true in the city of Munich, where these kinds of fancy cars can be found everywhere.
I think I'd like to ride in a Mercedes cab, that would be really nice.
17 Any Day: Havana
For quite a very long time, importing new cars was never really an option for Cuba, so they got really good at restoring the cars they had. And I mean, really good.
Some of these cars have been running for a century now. And they're not collector cars that have never been used, or garage cars that have been completely restored, no these cars have been actively in use the entire time.
Truly incredible, and you can ride in one yourself, as these cars are taxis, ancient Chevys and Fords, kept alive all these years.
16 Any Day: Moscow
We're featuring Moscow again because it's one of the most fascinating cities for taxi service (amongst other things, of course). Apart from Yandex electrifying and perhaps even autonomising their fleets, there are other taxi options. As Moscow has quickly become the billionaire capital of the world, it's not a surprise to flag down one of these when you hail a taxi.
Yes, that's right, it's commonplace to find a Porsche Carrera as a taxi. In fact, some of the fanciest models of taxis can be found in Moscow. True luxury cars.
15 Any Day: Yokohama
Yokohama is home to one of the more strange taxi services in the world. While not a requirement, these Japanese turtle taxis provide their riders with a very interesting service, in the form of a button that you can press on the backside of the front seat. Once this button is pressed, the driver is notified that they can start driving really slow. Not just to run up fairs, of course, but for eco-friendly, calm driving.
It's quite a popular service, surprisingly, as it no doubt provides much-needed respite from the chaos of the city.
14 Any Day: Mexico City
These iconic green VW Beetles are a dying species, as the majority of them have been retired from service in Mexico City, Mexico. While you can still find a number of them, at one time, they populated the streets, providing taxi service to city natives and tourists alike. While they have faced a rough phase in recent years due to negative reports of cab drivers swindling tourists, if you are discerning, as is expected of any traveler, these kinds of scenarios are easily avoided.
For the vast majority, the drivers are friendly and fun, polite and helpful.
13 Any Day: Singapore
While Singapore hasn't always had a good taxi service within the city, things have been changing over the past few years. In fact, according to a recent report from economist.com, things are just the opposite.
It states of the Singapore taxis: "They are everywhere, clean, spacious, polite, and know their way around well."
It seems that this is one of the easiest to use taxi services there is. Pair that with the fact that these cabs are reasonably priced and relatively affordable, and the taxis of Singapore are ones that we would use to take us to where we need to go any day.
12 Not Even For Free: New York City
While it's no doubt always worth it to ride in an iconic NYC yellow cab at least once, the fact of the matter is that they are some of the worst taxis in the world, with drivers who are disinterested, lackluster, and careless. That and no matter how short your drive is, you'll be fearing for your life as they speed faster than seems possible and safe. Of course, that to some, if not most, tourists is the entire appeal, to get a taste of the bedlam that is NYC.
As for an everyday thing or as a service, though, these aren't even close to the best taxis to ride in.
11 Not Even For Free: Los Angeles
In one of the most congested and overpopulated cities in the world, holding almost every record for the worst roads to drive on, it seems that it would be a welcome relief to not have to drive through the traffic jams and chaos, it seems that it would just make sense to take a taxi.
And while there isn't a whole lot necessarily wrong with the cars or with the overall service, LA taxis are known to be quite discriminatory against who they pick up and who they provide services for. Which, frankly, is not okay, on any level. We'll be avoiding these taxis like the plague.
10 Not Even For Free: Italy
These next few entries will help to highlight some of the negative sides of excessive tourism in cities where that is the case. It tends to put quite the strain on the locals at times, and that translates in a lot of ways.
Throughout a lot of Italy, the taxi drivers are just plain rude.
If you enjoy a ride where you don't feel like an imposition for even merely paying to sit in the driver's back seat, this might prove to be a bit more difficult in Italy, as a lot of taxi drivers are just not that happy to serve you.
9 Not Even For Free: Paris
While Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world that I've visited thus far, I haven't had any experience with the taxi services, as they are, generally speaking, less efficient, more expensive, and not as easy as any number of other modes of transportation. The roads throughout Paris are really a bit of a nightmare, though the chaos seems to congeal and move in concert, despite the congestion.
The taxis, apart from being pricey, are driven by taxi drivers who are just plain rude. It isn't just a French thing, as many European tourist cities are just worn out dealing with the annoyances of cultures that aren't their own. We'll just take La Métro instead.
8 Not Even For Free: Mayer Taxi
This taxi service from Germany, apart from their first biggest mistake (using PT Cruisers in their fleet) has proven itself to be just the kind of taxi that we wouldn't set foot in even for free. With a one star rating on Yelp, amongst common consensus just the same, this taxi service falls short of the mark in more ways than one.
The styling on the body should be enough alone to dissuade you from stepping foot in this car. The eyelashes, strange characters, and designs make this one of the strangest taxis on our list.
7 Not Even For Free: Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the biggest cities in the world, and the taxi service throughout the city isn't the greatest. While an integral part of the culture and no doubt a fairly passable option if you need a taxi, they just aren't up to par with what they could be, and what many other taxi services around the globe are like.
According to CNN, one of the biggest shortcomings of the taxi services is that "Hong Kong taxi drivers can be mean and whiny if you're not going far or stuck in a lucrative traffic jam."
This is a common problem around the world, too, not just in Hong Kong.
6 Not Even For Free: Rome
Rome in the past century has really exploded into one of the top-most worldwide tourist destinations, with Rome being the twelfth most visited city in the world. This has led, understandably, to some seriously frustrated locals. The taxi service, naturally, has taken a lot of the brunt of that, as they shuttle ungrateful, annoying tourists day in and day out without relent.
On top of the need to remain competitive, the taxi drivers have lost their way a little bit. According to thecoverage.my, Rome taxis have adopted "extravagant rates and harsh regard for customer satisfaction."