subject: Airport Transfer Cabs And Why They're Extremely Useful When You're Flying Out Of The Country [print this page] Given the right city and provided the passenger is familiar with said city, airport taxis usually offer a nice enough experience. Otherwise, it's not so hard for the welcome to turn into a nightmare. There's still many ways to make sure the ride is smooth enough.
It wouldn't hurt to do some research on the destination, its taxi drivers and taxi system. London's back taxis, for instance, have been rated as the best in the world by multiple surveys. London's cabbies are also the friendliest among all major cities in the world. A taxi ride from or to Heathrow and Gatwick is comparatively incident-free.
Not so the case for New York. The Big Apple's yellow cabs are just as good as London's taxis, and passengers will have a smooth ride in from JFK, La Guardia or Newark, provided the driver is friendly. This is where New York differs, because NYC cabbies are renowned for their brusque manner.
Bottomline is that each destination has different rules, meter charge rates, and ways of getting taxis at airports. Most airports will have official taxis queued up awaiting passengers, and these are all quite safe and have a minimum common standard. For passengers who skip these queues and hail the first cab they see, things might turn out slightly different.
Airport taxis in all major cities usually have established rates for getting from the airport to the downtown area. It might be a good idea to be aware of these rates beforehand. Taxi drivers are adept at figuring out how to slap on a few extra bucks with a lengthy route, in case a passenger is not familiar with the destination.
Best way to make sure nothing untoward happens is to book a taxi in advance. This means there won't be trouble finding a cab, and the question of rates doesn't arise. Also, in case there are unforeseen problems like crime or theft or luggage forgotten in the cab, the passenger doesn't have to figure out how to track down the cab.
As a final note, try to find green airport taxis whenever possible. Environmentally friendly travel is all the rage these days, and it's not so hard to get a green taxi in any major city. Every taxi company has at least a few hybrids or electric vehicles in its fleet and one of these can be made available, provided there is sufficient advance notice.
