Madplanet

Taxis and the bleeding obvious

Much rending of garments is going on about the fact that last year’s 7% hike in Japan’s taxi fares has resulted in five straight months of declines for income per vehicle. Admittedly, the generally sluggish economy is also a big contributor. Taxi companies also complain that delays to approval for the fare increase meant that its introduction coincided with the economic downturn.

However, it’s worth considering that the cause of the delays was a rare show of sense by some MPs, who noted that if industry deregulation was leading to price rises then something was very amiss.

And ultimately, the issue is that Japan’s taxis are crushingly expensive for what they offer. Even before the price hike they compared badly with many other countries. Their drivers lead the world in their ignorance of geography, frequently pilot their vehicles in ways that range from entertaining to life-threatening, and often are no more polite or friendly than their counterparts in London, New York or Hong Kong.

Paying more for something generally acknowledged to be substandard rankles. If the taxi companies had thought to devote some time to educating their drivers in car, map and people skills—timed nicely to accompany the price hike, perhaps—they might have got away with it. Failing that, they could have offered a discount to passengers who are forced to navigate for a clueless driver. Which would also have been an incentive for said drivers to study their maps a bit harder before setting out.