Survey: taxi fares lowest in Beijing, and highest in Tokyo

A man takes a taxi near Beijing Railway Station, June 6, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

Passengers in Tokyo are paying the most expensive taxi fares in the world, while Beijing offers the cheapest among international cities, according to a survey that taxi web portal rechner.de conducted for Germany Economic Weekly, according to the Global Times.

In Tokyo, a 10 kilometer taxi ride can set passengers back around 25.39 euros ($32.6), more than three euros higher than London, the second most expensive city. A same-distance taxi ride in New York cost 13.98 euros and in Paris 12.2 euros.

In Germany, the most expensive city for a taxi is Hamburg, where a 10 kilometer taxi ride costs 22.6 euros. The country does not seem cheap for taxis anywhere else, with a 10 kilometer taxi ride costing 18.1 euros in Dortmund, which ranks No. 10.

Compared with other major cities, taxi fares in Beijing are significantly lower. A 10 kilometer taxi ride costs as low as 3.78 euros, only 15 percent of that in Tokyo.

Last June, Beijing taxis increased the flag down fare from 10 ($1.62) to 14 yuan, and each added kilometer after the base charge increased from 2 to 2.3 yuan. Still, Beijing’s taxis are still considered cheap in China, compared with that of Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Wang Limei, secretary general with China Road Transport Association, feels that most people in many western countries only use taxis for emergencies and special occasions, while many Chinese take one on a regular base. Besides that, she believes that a sudden price increase will be hard for locals to accept, since Beijing has a history of low taxi fares.