BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, November 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Global travellers vote London taxis as top cabbies in the world
London taxis have been voted the best taxis in the world for the sixth year in a row, according to the annual global taxi survey from Hotels.com. London secured 22% of the votes, a clear runaway winner followed by New York with 10% and Tokyo with 9% in second and third place.
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London's iconic black cabs won nearly a quarter of the vote in the survey*, which also saw Berlin reclaim its position in the top five list, in fourth place with 5% and Madrid, Mexico City and Amsterdam in joint fifth with 4%. Melbourne was left off the top ten list of world's best taxis this year.
The world's best taxis:
Rank City % of votes 1 London 22% 2 New York 10% 3 Tokyo 9% 4 Berlin 5% 5= Amsterdam 4% 5= Madrid 4% 5= Mexico City 4%
Of the 30 countries surveyed, London topped the list across five of the seven categories, including cleanliness (23%), knowledge of the area (27%) and quality of driving (30%). While London cabs were also voted top for friendliness (23%) it was this category that was deemed the least important to travellers, meaning London's friendly cabbies could be seen to put some punters off. Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) voted safety their number one priority when travelling by taxi, which London's cabs also ranked highest on.
New York and Bangkok taxis came joint first in terms of value for money (20%); interestingly the latter didn't quite make the overall top five this year. New York's recognisable yellow taxis grabbed the top spot when it came to availability (23%).
London's taxis also scored votes from Aussie travellers across almost all of the categories but lost out to Hong Kong when it came to value.
Categories ranked in order of preference:
Rank Category % of votes 1 Safety 23% 2 Value 20% 3 Knowledge of Area 17% 4 Availability 14% 5 Quality of Driving 11% 6 Cleanliness 8% 7 Friendliness 7%
The global Hotels.com taxi survey also revealed the world's more obscure objects that travellers have admitted to leaving behind, which included:
Globally the survey found that people tend to text or email whilst in cab (19%), while sleeping was the second most popular activity (15%), followed by eating (10%) and kissing (9%). When asked which nation was the most amorous in the back of a cab, Brits came out with 14% admitting to displaying passionate behaviour- 10% higher than the global average of 4%.
Aussie cab riders proved they're multitaskers with two in five (40%) admitting they do their hair or make-up while catching a cab and one third getting on their laptops while en route in a taxi. One in five even admitted to breaking into song when riding in a cab.
Other global findings include:
Alison Couper, Senior Director of Communications of the Hotels.com brand said, "Six years running and London cabs are still leading the pack when it comes to travel - it's great to see! Our iconic black Hackney Carriages and their well-informed cabbies can pride themselves on being globally recognised for their expert knowledge and quality of driving, maybe next year we can top the list for all categories!"
Notes to Editors:
*2,683 respondents across 30 countries.
About Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a leading online accommodation booking website with almost 220,000 properties worldwide, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favourites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry, negotiating the best rates for its customers, and offers frequent sales, special deals and promotions. Regular customer e-newsletters provide exclusive offers and advance warning of upcoming sales. There are over 7 million guest reviews on the site from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers can make an informed choice when booking. Through its industry-leading loyalty program Welcome Rewards, customers can earn a free night for every 10 nights stayed at more than 85,000 hotels. Under its Price Match Guarantee, if a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will refund the difference. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded at http://www.hotels.com/deals/mobile_nz/ enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals. For the last eight years, Hotels.com has published an award-winning twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, which is now produced in 31 individual country editions. Follow Hotels.com on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Hotels.comNZ, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hotels_com_ANZ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/HotelsANZ. Hotels.com is part of Expedia Inc., the largest online travel company in the world with an extensive portfolio that includes some of the world's best-known brands.
Hotels.com and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP, in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2002-2012 Hotels.com, LP.
Issued on behalf of Hotels.com by Sefiani Communications Group
For further information, please contact:
Kelly Santos / Sara Brown
Sefiani Communications Group
Tel. +61-2-8920-0700
Email: ksantos@sefiani.com.au / sbrown@sefiani.com.au
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