Two of the world’s great cities could not be more different when it comes to their taxis

　　世界两大重要城市，出租车服务截然不同

　　Nearly everyone, it seems, has a story about a particularly awful taxi ride. Many drivers act like they’re in training to fly jet airplanes, and a safe arrival at one’s destination often seems like a miracle. One joke says that God loves taxi drivers because they inspire so many people to pray.

　　While passengers love to complain about taxi drivers, the drivers of New York are in a league of their own. New York’s taxis carry over 250 million passengers a year, but those passengers don’t always end up where they want to be. A few years ago, a man from Finland flew into New York and asked a taxi driver to take him downtown. The trip took them through downtown Philadelphia and Newark and, when the man finally ended up where he wanted to be, the fare was over $500.

　　Passengers even have problems with the honest cab drivers. Many of the drivers are recent immigrants from South Asia, so some of them don’t know English, and some aren’t that familiar with the city, either. This can lead to problems and New York is probably unique in that it has a Taxi Court, with 52 full-time judges, hearing complaints from passengers.

　　So what city has the best taxi drivers? Opinions differ, but there’s a consensus that Tokyo taxi drivers are among the most polite and skilled anywhere. Not only are the cars spotlessly clean, so are the drivers – always wearing white gloves, a suit and a tie. Tokyo cab drivers consider themselves professionals, and take pride in their work.

　　Of course, that kind of service and professionalism doesn’t come cheap: a typical taxi ride in Tokyo is 300% more expensive than a ride of equal distance in New York. But for those who want to save their prayers, it’s a small price to pay.

　　似乎每个人都有特别糟糕的搭乘出租车的经验，很多司机的表现像是在接受驾驶喷气机训练，平安抵达目的地经常像是个奇迹。有个笑话说，上帝爱出租车司机是因为他们激励很多人祈祷。

　　虽然乘客爱抱怨出租车司机，但纽约的司机们可以说是独具一格。纽约的出租车每年乘载超过2.5亿名乘客，但这些乘客并非每次都去了自己想去的地方。几年前，一位从芬兰飞到纽约的先生，请一位出租车司机载他进城。这趟旅程让他穿越了费城和纽瓦克，而当这位先生终于到达他想去的地方时，车费已经超过500美元。

　　就连诚实的出租车司机也给乘客带来麻烦。许多司机是刚从南亚来的新移民，他们当中有些人不懂英文，有些对这个城市也不熟悉。这可能会导致问题出现，纽约在这方面可能也很独特，它有个出租车法庭，有52位全职法官聆听乘客的抱怨。

　　那么哪个城市的出租车司机最好呢？大家的意见有分歧，但有个共识是，东京的出租车司机跟任何地方比较起来，都属于最有礼貌和技术最好的。不仅车子相当干净、一尘不染，司机们也是一样——总是戴白手套、穿西装、打领带。东京的出租车司机认为自己是专业人士，并且对他们的工作感到自豪。

　　当然了，那样的服务和专业精神并不便宜：在东京的一趟典型的出租车之旅，和在纽约搭乘同样距离相比要贵300%。但是对那些不想祈祷顺利平安的人来说，实在是个很小的代价。