Motorcycles, Autos, and More!

Japanese cars have the honor of being able known as a luxury cars and a compact taxi. This used to be something reserved for top European car brands which are known to be reliable, comfortable, and modern. Of course, for taxi cabs, the Japanese car manufacturers have dictated which models can be used for commercial cabs.

The usual Japanese cars used as taxis in Japan are the Toyota Crown Comfort, the Toyota Crown sedan, Nissan Cedric, and the Nissan Crew.  Just a few years ago, some companies began to use the Toyota Crown S170 and S180 to add more pizzazz to the taxi interior. 

In other countries like Oman, taxis are either Nissan or Toyotas. They have such a thing called “engaged taxis” which is a meter-less cab where the price is negotiated between driver and passenger before a trip. They also have “shared taxis” which is like car-pooling in a sense except you are all strangers going to the same destination. Shared taxis which are usually vans are about 8 times cheaper than an engaged taxi.

In the Philippines, taxis are white and mostly Toyota Corollas, Mitsubishi Lancers, and Nissan Sentra. Some models are forbidden to be used as taxis like the Honda Civic. Singapore uses the Nissan Cedric and Toyota Crown diesel for their taxis. They also have Mercedes Benz as luxury limousine service. Many cabs in Singapore have converted to LPG fuel because of a massive government campaign for fuel efficiency.

In Taiwan, taxis are color yellow and most often are Toyota Corollas, the Camry, Civic, and Nissan Sentra. There is also Ford Focus and the Mitsubishi Grunder which is like the Galant in the US.  In Bangkok, one would see the Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer, Innova, and Nissan Sunny as the preferred taxi choices.

Obviously, the choice remains mostly Japanese cars because spare parts are cheaper and readily available.