THE PERSONAL TOUCH: How manners still matter in the taxi trade, especially as the autonomous age arrives

As ride-hailing apps and autonomous vehicles attempt to reshape urban transport, the everyday courtesies of the traditional taxi remain one of the sector’s few durable competitive advantages.

For much of its history, the taxi trade has sold more than a journey from A to B. It has sold reassurance, local knowledge and, at its best, a human interaction that makes the experience feel personal rather than transactional. That value is easy to overlook in an era dominated by app-based rides, automated pricing and, increasingly, the prospect of driverless vehicles. Yet it may be precisely this personal touch that keeps licensed taxis relevant in a market growing colder by design.

Passengers rarely articulate it in policy submissions or transport reviews, but the difference is still very much noticed. A driver who helps with bags without being asked. A friendly greeting rather than silence broken only by an app notification. A calm explanation when traffic snarls, or a shortcut suggested by someone who actually knows the streets rather than a map algorithm. These are small moments, but they accumulate into trust and loyalty over time.

App-based platforms have trained customers to expect efficiency first and interaction second. That model has scale on its side, but it also strips out nuance. The driver is rated, timed and priced down to the minute. Conversation becomes a risk rather than a benefit. Say the wrong thing and it could affect your rating. Politeness is encouraged, but only insofar as it avoids complaint. In many cases, the safest option is the minimum.

Licensed taxis have never operated that way. The relationship between driver and passenger has traditionally been more balanced. The meter is transparent, the route is accountable, and the driver is visible as a professional rather than a gig worker passing through. That visibility creates space for personality, for judgement, and for the informal service touches that no app can standardise.

Local knowledge remains a practical advantage, not a nostalgic one. Seasoned cabbies still know which hotel entrance is actually open, which venue has moved its pick-up point, or which street is gridlocked every Friday evening despite what the navigation says. For visitors, that knowledge often comes bundled with something else: a sense of being welcomed to a city by someone who knows it. A recommendation for a restaurant, a warning about a confusing junction, or simply reassurance that they are going the right way.

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Assistance with bags or mobility needs is another area where the human element matters. While regulations set minimum standards, the quality of help varies widely. A driver who takes a moment to wait and ensure a lone customer makes their way safely to their front door, or who patiently helps locate an unfamiliar address, reinforces the idea that taxis are a public service as much as a commercial one. That perception still carries weight, particularly among passengers who value reliability and care over marginal price differences.

The coming wave of autonomous taxis sharpens this contrast. Driverless vehicles promise consistency and cost efficiency, but they also formalise impersonality. There will be no conversation, no discretion, no ability to adapt service in real time beyond pre-programmed parameters. For some journeys, that bare minimum will be acceptable. For others, especially those involving vulnerability, unfamiliarity or stress, it will feel lacking.

This puts the onus back on today’s drivers. Courtesy is not an optional extra or an old-fashioned habit. It is part of the product. In a crowded market, where licensed taxis face pressure from private hire and emerging technologies, maintaining high standards of politeness and personal service is one of the few levers drivers still fully control.

That does not mean forced conversation or performative friendliness. Many passengers prefer a quiet ride, and respecting that preference is itself a form of good service. The point is attentiveness: reading the situation, responding appropriately, and remembering that each passenger is more than a fare.

There is also a message here for passengers. The convenience of tapping a screen has dulled expectations of what a journey can be. When passengers choose a licensed taxi, they are choosing a service built around a human professional. Acknowledging that with basic courtesy in return helps sustain the culture that makes taxis different in the first place.

As the industry looks ahead, technology will continue to reshape how journeys are booked and priced. What it cannot replicate easily is the quiet value of human connection. Politeness, local insight and small acts of care are not relics of a fading trade. They are assets. In the years ahead, they may prove to be the very things that keep traditional taxis competitive in a transport system racing towards automation.