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As many as THREE taxi drivers per licensed cab in some major cities shows new UITP research
There are as many as three taxi drivers per licensed taxi vehicle in some major cities around the world according to new research.
According to a new benchmarking brief from UITP in the form of the “Global Taxi Benchmarking Study 2019”, the ratio between vehicles and drivers in Hong Kong and Seattle is as high as three drivers per a licensed vehicle.
In the research, which details the differences between taxi markets in various cities around the world, the average ratio recorded across all cities was 1.5 drivers per vehicle available to drive.
The data collected took a comparative look at taxi performance on different criteria to identify similarities and differences among cities. The data compiled focused on 16 different locations including; Barcelona, Budapest, Calgary, Chicago, Hong Kong, Lagos, Milan, Montreal, Moscow, Oslo, Prague, Seattle, Shenzhen, Singapore, and Toronto.
Taxi drivers from European cities are less likely to share cabs than the rest of the world according to the data. However, drivers in Oslo bucked that trend with a ratio of 1.8 drivers per vehicle.
Whilst no cities in the UK were included in UITP brief, current data from Transport for London (TFL) provides some comparison. According to TfL, 21,415 London cabbies share a rapidly declining 14,906 licensed vehicles. That’s a ratio of 1.4 drivers per black cab licensed in the capital.
In the Statistics Brief, the UITP report looks at several key parameters, providing an overview of the different regulatory regimes, economic efficiency, and performance of taxi services as well as fare regulation of transport network companies in respective cities.
Joe Ma, Deputy General Manager at Shenzhen Bus Group Co. Ltd, Taxi and Ride-Hailing Committee Chair, said: “The profile of the taxi sector within UITP, and the growing interest in taxi-focused publications, is testament to the expert research being carried out worldwide. The global taxi benchmarking study is a regular exercise, and the 2019 edition also provides a base to track changes in time.
“I hope that the data, insight and conclusions drawn are of interest to the audience as we consider the next stages for the international taxi sector.”
Next month, UITP brings together both the taxi sector and the ride-hailing industry for the only event of its kind to discuss the future of both sectors. The Taxi and Ride-Hailing Digital Conference takes place online on 2-3 December.
