Interesting facts about taxis and taxi drivers

Millions of people around the world use taxi services every day. This is a visible and fast type of transport. Taxi drivers play a big role in how your trip will go. They can make your trip both pleasant and extremely unpleasant. However, passengers are not far behind in this.

To Taxi driver’s day we will offer you a selection of interesting facts about taxis and taxi drivers.

• The emergence of the taxi driver profession is associated with the appearance of private drivers for horse-drawn carriages “Fiacre” in Paris, who transported passengers to their destination.
• It is believed that modern taxi drivers appeared for the first time in the capital of Great Britain on March 22, 1907 – this is the date chosen for the celebration of International Taxi Driver Day. But, according to other information, the first taxis in the world were seen in London back in 1903.
• In 1914, when German troops broke through the defenses of France and marched on Paris, it was necessary to advance reserve troops to meet them, but there were not enough vehicles. Thus, a decision was made to mobilize the taxi service, thanks to which 1,200 taxi drivers were able to deliver 6,500 soldiers to the border in just one night. As a result, the enemy’s troops were stopped, and a proverb appeared among the people: “Geese saved Rome, and Paris was saved by taxis.”
• In France, there is a rule: passengers ride only in the back seat. No one will punish you for the violation, but they will make remarks. Only dogs are allowed to ride with the driver.
• The largest taxi fleet in the world is located in Mexico City. There are more than sixty thousand taxis.
• In Venice, you can order a water taxi. The average “trip” time is about 10 minutes, and you will have to pay about €15.
• For a trip in an unlicensed taxi in Italy, you risk paying a fine of €500-800.
• The most exotic type of taxi operates in Vietnam. Passengers can use the elephant ride service. By the way, such a taxi arouses incredible interest among tourists.
• In the UAE, women are only allowed to ride in the back seat. There are also special taxis that can transport only women and children. The drivers of such taxis are also women.
• Since August 2016, self-driving taxis have been operating in Singapore. Currently, they drive around the territory of the business center, but soon it is planned to replace the entire fleet with drones.
• In Greece, taxi drivers can pick up other passengers without asking for permission. Moreover, the price of the trip will not decrease because of this: everyone will pay at the meter.
• Taxi drivers often find their customers’ belongings in their cars. In 2004, when Greece hosted the Olympic Games, a taxi driver picked up an athlete from Holland who had just won a silver medal for his country. The athlete was so distracted that he forgot his award in the car. But he was lucky with a driver who showed honesty and returned the lost award to the Dutchman. And once an American taxi driver returned a bag with diamonds to a passenger. As a sign of gratitude, the forgetful customer, who turned out to be a jeweler, gave the taxi driver $10,000.
• One of the most expensive taxi trips was made by two Finnish travelers. They ordered a taxi to Spain through all of Scandinavia and back. This pleasure cost them fifteen thousand dollars, which is a world record.
• If you don’t take into account the hot Finnish guys, then the highest prices in the world for taxi services exist in England – these are their famous London cabs. Italy is in second place, and Germany is in third place.
• The mayor of Prague decided to independently verify the information that the capital’s taxi drivers are seriously overcharging tourists. For this, he disguised himself as an Italian, putting on a mustache and beard. After stopping the taxi driver, he politely asked for a ride to a popular tourist spot. The trip was not long, but the driver, not having guessed who he was driving, asked the mayor for an amount five times higher than usual. After that, the unfortunate taxi driver was seriously fined.
• London taxi drivers are recognized as the best in the world by many indicators. And Tokyo representatives of this profession are considered the most polite.
• This profession is considered one of the most dangerous and difficult. And the stress level of its representatives is no less than that of policemen and rescuers.
• Australian taxi drivers are required to carry some hay with them. The fact is that in those days when carters worked, an animal protection group obliged everyone to carry a bundle of hay with them, which was eventually passed as a law. The law has not been reviewed since then, and those who do not comply can lose their licenses.
• There is one taxi driver in India who drives exclusively in reverse gear. The fact is that once the lever on the reverse gear got stuck at this taxi driver, and he did not want to repair it. Since then, this taxi driver has driven more than 12,000 kilometers and every day a whole queue of people who want to ride gathers to him.
• We have already mentioned the most expensive taxi in the world. But if we talk about the cheapest options, then China is out of competition here. For example, a trip across the city is unlikely to cost you more than ten dollars. Interestingly, there is a high probability that you will be served by a lady, because almost half of taxi drivers in China are women.