What, London *England*?

Residents of, and commuters to London will no doubt be astonished to hear that a poll by US-based TripAdvisor™ has voted their transport system the best in the world.

TripAdvisor™ surveyed more than 2,000 travellers globally, and showed London a clear leader in three categories: the best public transportation system, the best taxis in the world, and the most overpriced public transportation system in the world. Respondents rated New York City the best public transportation system in the U.S., and second worldwide, but rated the Big Apple's taxis the worst in the world. The honour of the cleanest and safest public transport goes to Washington, D.C., and the booby prize for the worst goes to Los Angeles.

Seventy-one percent of travellers said they use public transportation while vacationing in a city away from home, and 19 percent said they use it to commute to work. Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents said a city's public transportation system is a consideration when determining where to visit.

When asked if a taxi driver has ever taken them on a longer or incorrect route to increase the cab fare, 58% say Yes (casting some doubt on the wisdom of my local taxi firm's marketing strapline 'we go that extra mile' – Ed.. Fuel costs and security worries are affecting only small minorities: 14% of travellers said that the recent rise in fuel prices has inspired them to use public transportation more often, while only 9% said they avoid using public transit because of recent concerns about terrorist threats.

Michele Perry, Director of Communications for TripAdvisor™, said the result was 'intriguing' and added 'The fact that nearly 75 percent of travelers take public transit into consideration when planning their trips suggests that a quality system is of great importance to a city's tourism industry, not just its commuters.'

Paris came third overall behind London and New York, with Washington, D.C. fourth and Hong Kong fifth.

TripAdvisor (www.TripAdvisor.com ) bills itself as 'the largest travel community in the world, with more than 5 million unbiased reviews and opinions, covering 220,000+ hotels and attractions'. It is an operating company of Expedia, Inc.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.