ICONIC TAXIS BANGKOK - TukTuk
Auto-rickshaws aren’t unique to Bangkok and weren’t invented here, but like smiles, noxious energy drinks and Ping-Pong tricks, Thailand claims them as its own. Rivalry from safer four-wheel cabs has threatened their trade, but like cockroaches, tuk-tuks would probably survive a nuclear Armageddon. In the back: Alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout (before his arrest). Tip factor: If the driver gets you there without detouring to a tem- ple, fake gem store or tailors.
INDIA - The Ambassador
Another survivor, the Ambassador has been rolling off production lines and into taxi ranks since 1948. Resistant to streamlining, the Amby’s vintage curves and turban-friendly headroom have en- deared it to generations of Indian passengers. Indeed Top Gear re- cently organised a world taxi shootout where the Ambassador ranked 1st amongst its competitors. In the back: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Tip factor: If you tipped someone to hail the cab and someone else to load in your luggage, you’ll be relieved to hear Indian taxi drivers don’t expect tips.
HAVANA - Jalopies
Starved of car imports, resourceful Cubans have cannibalized wash- ing machines to keep their vintage Buicks and Cadillacs living as long as Fidel Castro. Most of these taxis are unofficial and liable to overcharge, but unless you’re a fan of cola, rum and lime, ain’t nothing libre in Cuba these days. In the back: Ernest Hemingway, clutching a manuscript of lost novel: “The Fare also Rises.” Tip factor: If nothing falls off.
NEW YORK - Yellow Cab
With a mighty V8 engine under the hood, it’s no wonder that New York cabbies drive their Crown Vics like they’re being pursued by tax collec- tors. Not for much longer though. The Yellow Cabs don't so much guzzle gas as binge-drink it, so they’re being replaced by eco-friendly Nissans. They’ll still be as yellow as the cheese on a Manhattan deli’s ham and Swiss, but will they keep that strange New York cab smell? In the back: Robert De Niro, muttering, “Are you looking at me?” Tip factor: If you can find a cab to pick you up north of Central Park, tip big.
Officially dubbed hackney carriages, London's black cabs are piloted by a sterling breed of polymaths. In fact, scientists say cabbies’ knowledge of London’s tangled web of 25,000 streets gives them bigger
brains.Luckily there’s room in these nippy black leviathans -- as much a part of London as fish and chips, Buckingham Palace and Australian bar staff -- to accommodate five passengers and their suitcases, with enough space left over for the driver’s enlarged hippocampus. In the back: Prince William and Kate, their bodyguards and enough luggage for two weeks in the Seychelles. Tip factor: If you get from A to B without hearing your driver’s views on life.
LONDON - Black Cab AUGUST 2013 PHTM PAGE 51
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