Vinasun and other taxi cabs on the street of Saigon. Photo by VnExpress/Duy Tran.

A report by Taxi2Airport, a Netherlands-headquartered online reservation and booking system for airport transfers worldwide, said that a five-kilometer (three miles) taxi ride in Vietnam costs $2.8 on average, five to ten times cheaper than in Japan and European countries.

The report compares taxi fares for a five-km journey, a distance considered suitable for hailing a taxi, especially if passengers are with luggage or kids, in 130 countries and territories.

The difference in fares were partly explained by the fact that taxis have become a popular means of transport in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian neighbors, while metro systems as well as other efficient means of public transport were available and favored by passengers in Japan and Europe, the report said.

The country with the cheapest taxi fares in the world was Egypt, at just $0.9 for a 5-km ride, followed by India ($1.4), Thailand ($1.6), and Indonesia and Malaysia ($1.9). Mexico was close behind at $2.

The report also listed the most expensive taxis fares in the world. Switzerland led the list at $25.7 for a five-km ride, followed by Japan with $17.7 and Germany with $13.8.

Other countries on the high-fares list were mostly from Europe, with rates ranging from $11 to $17.5, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, the U.K., France, Sweden and New Zealand.

In 2017, Hanoi was listed among top 10 places with cheapest taxi services in the world by the Taxi Price Index compiled Carspring, a UK-based online car sales website.

In Vietnam, Mai Linh and Vinasun used to be the most popular taxi firms, but they have been hit hard by ride-hailing services like Grab and Go-Viet. With falling revenues and repeated losses, thousands of taxi drivers have reportedly quit their jobs.

VNF ( Vnexpress )