Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011 | 12:44 p.m.
Did you know?
• Taxis are the second most popular mode of transportation behind buses for passengers traveling from an airport to a hotel. • Six percent of American taxi passengers choose not to tip their drivers. Almost 40 percent give drivers a 10 percent tip, while a more generous 17 percent tip 20 percent.
• Travelers said their biggest pet peeve is a driver who smokes. Passengers also reported that drivers who are distracted or “too smelly” were also annoying.
• Fifty-five percent of travelers said they’d be willing to share a taxi with a stranger, providing they split the cost.
• Passengers’ top concern was safety. Value for money ranked second, with knowledge of an area trailing in third.
The image of a person standing on a street corner hailing a taxi usually conjures up thoughts of New York City. But Las Vegas for a second time outpaced its eastern rival to earn the honor of best U.S. destination to snag a cab.
A survey of almost 5,000 international travelers by Hotels.com ranked Las Vegas first in the nation for taxi service. Cabs were judged in seven categories: cleanliness, value, quality of driving, driver’s knowledge of area, driver’s friendliness, safety and availability.
Las Vegas beat out New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco to earn the top honor for cleanliness, quality of driving, best value and friendliest drivers. New York cabbies were found to be the most knowledgeable and most available (no surprise given the glut of yellow constantly clogging that city’s streets), but passengers also rated them the least friendly and the worst drivers.
London’s black cabs won the title of best taxis in the world, but the service comes at a price. They were the most expensive.
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