We’ve all been there, stood in the taxi queue after a night out waiting in the cold for what seems to be hours clutching our takeaway and hoping to be next in the queue soon. Not being able to get a taxi is generally worse on an evening but day in day out, people struggle to catch a lift throughout the UK. Research by Cab Direct has found that some places in the UK it can be more difficult than others, here’s an overview of the worst places to catch a ride:
Swansea
Coming out worst in the polls was Swansea, where the ratio of people per taxi was significantly low. The Welsh town is the second largest city in Wales, so should have a much higher ratio than the shocking 439 people per taxi that is available. It looks like if you’re heading to Swansea this weekend you need to be prepared to hop on the bus or stay somewhere in walking distance of the city.
Darlington
If you’re needing a taxi in the North East, you’ll be waiting a while. Disabled travellers needing a wheelchair accessible cab in the Darlington area were found having to wait the longest for a vehicle with there only being 1 taxi available for every 11,694 people, making the odds of people being able to catch a cab when they want one significantly low. However, for people wanting to catch a standard taxi the chance of hopping in a cab when you need one are much higher with a ratio of 229 people per taxi.
York
The charming cobbles of York are walked far more often than residents would like thanks to a ratio of only 1 taxi per 349 residents, making jumping in a taxi a rarity. In such a popular tourist destination, this is quite surprising considering how many people visit the popular city year upon year, there’s clearly an opening for potential taxi firms with so many tourists and students in heading into the city.
Unsurprisingly, the places that came up trumps were the UKs biggest cities where the ratio of taxis to people was much more even with London leading the way. Closely behind were the northern cities of Manchester, Newcastle, and Liverpool where taxis arrived much more often meaning that residents and visitors alike had a good chance of getting both a wheelchair friendly taxi and a standard taxi exactly when they wanted one.
Getting a Cab in the UK