London is an expensive city and for visitors the cost of airport transfers can make a sizeable hole in the holiday budget.

For this Guest Post Ezekiel Ayonrinde who works on behalf of AAA2B Cars writes that the City’s Black Cabs and reputable private hire are modestly priced compared with many other cities.

Here he compares London with some of those cities around the world.

The Most Expensive Taxi Fares in the World
[W]e’ve all questioned the price of a taxi fare from time to time, usually to be met by a remark of “just going by what the meter says” from our amiable friend the cabbie. When it comes to airport transfers e.g. from Horsham to Heathrow airport, most of us prefer to travel by taxi – it’s easy to organise and takes a little bit of the stress out of travelling, and it also guarantees that we’ll arrive directly at our destination on time.
So how do the average UK taxi fares compare with those around the world? Whilst we’ve all had a grumble at what we perceive to be a particularly steep price for a taxi ride, it’s small change compared to some destinations around the world, so spare a thought for anyone travelling to and from these destinations:

Munich (Airport to City Centre): £44
With the airport situated nearly twenty miles away from the heart of the city, hailing a cab into Munich can be a very costly affair indeed. A one-way journey will set you back well over 50 Euros, working out at just over £2 per mile.

Brussels (Airport to City Centre): £30
Despite being in close proximity to the city, the 7.5 mile journey routinely sets travellers back to the equivalent of £30, working out at just under £4 per mile, in keeping with many other European destinations. For travellers willing to use buses and trains, the public transport network in Brussels is thankfully well-maintained.

Malpensa to Milan: £72
Planning some time in Milan? Flights booked? Be prepared to fork out to actually get there from the airport. At just under thirty miles away, it’s reasonable to expect to have to pay to get to the heart of the city. The fare works out at just over £2.50 per mile, which doesn’t seem to extortionate when compared to Brussels’ prices. The good news is that the journey is reasonably picturesque, which helps to take the sting out of the taxi fare a bit.

Gardermoen to Oslo: £73
Gardermoen Airport is a similar distance away from Oslo as Malpensa is to Milan, with similar prices to boot. Many of the nationally licensed taxis (Norgestaxi) will offer fixed prices on journeys. Although it might set you back a bit, it at least means not having to worry about what the meter says. Like most European cities, it’s worthwhile budgeting for travel costs in and around the city. Per mile, the average taxi costs just over £2.50.

Tokyo (Airport to City Centre): £195
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a taxi from Narita Airport into Tokyo city centre is a complete and utter rip-off. In actual fact, the rates (overwhelming as they are) start to make at least a little more sense given the distance travelled. At over 40 miles away, the average taxi ride works out £4.70 per mile. The good news for travellers at the moment is that a weakening Japanese economy means that the journey costs almost 10% less than it did just over a year ago. Despite this, it’s still an expensive taxi ride by any stretch of the imagination.

When these fares are put into perspective, it gives you an idea of how much you should be budgeting if you use taxis as your main means of transport; especially on holiday within these locations. Typically, you’ll be travelling by foot to most destinations and purchasing all that takes your fancy, but remember to keep enough in reserve – you never know what situation might creep up to shock you. And if you take the taxi to work in these locations – that’s another discussion in itself!

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