London Taxis Top New York, Tokyo With Superior Service, Prices
London cabbie Lee Rogers weaves through a dozen back streets to reach King's Cross Station in the heart of the city.
"It doesn't take much to snarl the roads up,'' said Rogers, 38, who took 4.5 years to qualify for driving one of London's iconic black cabs. "That's when the `Knowledge,' ducking and diving along the back roads, kicks in.''
The "Knowledge,'' or required familiarity with the city's streets, helps makes London's taxi service better than those in other major financial centres, according to business travellers interviewed by Bloomberg. Superiority comes at a price, as London fares are about double those of New York and Tokyo.
Cab services enable executives to make business meetings, theatregoers to travel home at night and shoppers to transport purchases. They also are key to forming a visitor's image of a city, said Graham Hodges, a former cabbie and author of the book "Taxi! A Social History of the New York City Cabdriver.''
"Cab rides to and from airports, offices and all around town leave a lasting impression,'' said Hodges, now a professor of history at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.
Charging about £9 ($17.9) for a 2-mile trip, London's cabbies drive vehicles that cost £35,000 -- and do come in colours other than black.
"They're polite, their vehicles are good, they know their way about,'' said Howard Wheeldon, an analyst at BGC Partners, a London brokerage. "The trouble is, they're far too expensive.''
More Room
In Bloomberg comparisons, London's cabs, now built only by U.K.-based Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc in Shanghai, China, and Coventry, England, came out on top for back-seat legroom, passenger capacity, driver knowledge, safety and fuel-efficiency.
New York, which like London has a smoke-free fleet, bettered the two other cities in terms of having the cheapest fares and providing the most rides per week. Tokyo has more cabs for each 1,000 residents and the most credit-card swipes.
In September and October, New York cab drivers staged three days of strikes to protest a city order to install card readers and satellite navigation systems. Taxis were still available using a flat-rate zone-fare system instead of the normal meter fares based on time and distance.
Though finishing behind London in the comparison table, cabbies in Tokyo and New York do have their own fans.
In New York, "I've been able to speak Hindi with one driver and Cantonese with another,'' said Rajesh Varma, who helps manage 10 billion euros ($14.7 billion) at Carmignac Gestion in Paris. "It's probably the only city where I can get a free ride because I speak the language.''
White Gloves
In Tokyo, white-gloved drivers usher passengers to and from their vehicles with umbrellas when it rains. Many use white covers on seats and headrests.
"The most polite drivers are in Tokyo,'' said Ed Rogers, head of Tokyo-based Rogers Investment Advisors, who has lived in Japan for a decade.
Some Tokyo cabbies don't display the reserved demeanour that foreigners may expect. One is known to welcome clients with hot hand towels and offer them candies. And, if the passenger wishes, the driver pulls over to play folk music on a bamboo flute.
Others lack familiarity with Tokyo's streets, Rogers said. With Japan's rural economy weak, "you're getting more and more people from the countryside, so they may not know the city very well,'' he said.
In London, where most cabbies are locals, drivers study an average of 40 months to attain the level of proficiency required for a license.
Professional Pride
That sets them apart from cabbies in other cities, said Bob Oddy, a driver for 25 years who is now general secretary of the 8,000-member Licensed Taxi Drivers Association. Candidates prepare for a written test and a series of interviews with current and retired drivers by memorizing 320 routes covering 37,000 streets.
"In London, it is a profession,'' Oddy said. "In many other countries, it's seen as something you do while looking for a better job.''
In Tokyo, cabbies must pass a one-hour geography examination. In New York, they are tested on their English comprehension and ability to find addresses on a map of the city's five boroughs.
Once qualified, London cabbies earn more and work less. They report taking home £30,000 to £55,000 a year. A survey published in 2004 showed their average work week was a little less than 40 hours. Most own their cabs.
21-Hour Day
Tokyo taxi drivers earned an average of 3.28 million yen (£15,580, $30,780) in 2006, according to the country's Health, labour and Welfare Ministry. They work as long as 21 hours every other day, for a monthly maximum of 299 hours.
In New York, most cab drivers pay a daily fee of $100 to $130 (£50 to £65) to taxi fleet owners for the right to use the vehicle and its license. Including gasoline, weekly expenses are about $1,000 (£500) for six 12-hour shifts.
"Drivers have to work incredibly hard just to earn their first dollar each day,'' Hodges said. Taking in about $300 (£150) in fares and tips on a typical day, according to Hodges, their annual income would be about $40,000 (£20,280).
30 Jan 2008 - Bloomberg
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