+1.
Australia is very much a front seat country. If you’re a male and travelling alone sitting in the back seat would probably make the cabbie think you’re a bit odd.
Sexist as it may be, the same doesn’t apply to women travelling alone, sit in the back seat by all means.
Oh heck! I hope that’s not always the case. I usually sit in the back seat - somehow this is more normal for lone women - and I have never got the impression that the driver was annoyed. Usually a little merry chat (blah blah, the weather, blah) if the driver is the jolly and friendly sort, and soon we get to destination. I really would not like to think I am being offensive. It’s hardly as though one stomps into the car and commands “home, James”. In ordinary cars, there’s no barrier to dim the sound of my giving directions, and in the black dedicated “hackney” taxis, sitting in the front isn’t an option anyway.
Also, it’s possible that the driver could be using the front passenger seat as a shelf for his newspaper or book or I don’t know what. Or, come to think of it, a small pet dog on one occasion, which I thought quite charming, though no doubt against some sort of taxi licence rule.
Whenever I travel alone and I have to take a cab in Germany, I take the front seat next to the driver. I always assumed this was common practise way all over the world until I took a cab one day at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. I tried to open the front door on the passenger side, but it was closed and the driver just wouldn’t let me in. I finally understood that I was supposed to take my seat in the rear of the vehicle.
I aim for the front seat unless the cabbie has books/paper/lunch blocking the way.
The only times I’ve rid in the front seat have been:
Otherwise, it’s in the back. Among other things, this means the cabbie doesn’t need to move his Stuff; in many locations, the cab is partitioned and inviting yourself to sit up front, in what’s for all purposes the cabbie’s private space, would be akin to bursting into somebody’s house and running for the bathroom.
Here’s another weird thing I thought of. Every time I have been in a cab and the cab’s been too full to let everyone sit in the back seat, it has never even been considered that, I, the woman, sit in the front seat. It’s always been one of the men who graciously sat in the front seat. I say graciously because it was clear they thought it was chivalrous and appropriate that they do it and not me.
This is such an automatic habit on their part and on mine that I never even examined it until now.
Upon reflection, I don’t think I have ever sat in the front seat of a cab. In my life.
99% of the cabs I have taken were in NYC. Always in the back behind the armored wall with celebrities reminding me to buckle up.
I always sit in the back. I’ve had way too many unsavory experiences with presumptuous cab drivers.
It never stops me from chatting.
I’ve only been in a taxi twice that I recall, both times in the same city (US west coast). On the first occasion, I was visiting a friend and my hostess headed for the back seat, so I did too. On the other, I was traveling by myself at night (I’m a shortish female, was in my mid-thirties at the time, and wear glasses). Male driver opened the front passenger door, so that was where I sat. Nice fellow, had a pleasant conversation during the trip.
But why stop there? Lap; that’s the way to go.
This is like an international guide to taxi-sitting; it’s good to know where not to do what.
I’ll start collating results and present some interactive graphics!
Hmm. I’m glad to hear it’s not as weird as suggested.
Yay! I must travel to Australia and sit in the front seat and feel at peace with the world.
This is the only thing I’ve felt a bit awkward about - the driver had to pick up a couple of magazines from the seat, and because I was already committed to the back, it would have been a bit weird to suddenly change my mind and go to the back.
See, this is what I like most - the pleasant chats. Makes otherwise boring journeys much more interesting.
Another Aussie. Front seat always.
The only time I get in the back is if I’m jumping into a cab on the street with a heap of bags or a suitcase that won’t fit in the front seat with me, and there’s no time to put things in the boot. But I always feel awkward, like I’m Lord Muck looking down on the help and trying to keep myself separate from his filthy, common presence.
I have a friend in DC married to an Aussie, he’s always trying to jump in the front seat, which makes the drivers here uncomfortable. Most of the time they have a bunch of stuff on the seat.
Small town US, front seat.
It seems like all the cabs I’ve been in lately have been minivans. I throw my luggage on the floor just inside the sliding door and sit in the front.
I’m glad I’m stuck behind bullet proof glass in the back. I have no interest in talking to the driver.
I really want to meet the 6 people who use taxis as a preferred place to party. Or, on second thoughts, perhaps I don’t. I must admit I was expecting fewer front-sitters overall (being told I was weird didn’t dissuade me, but rather made me curious) but I’m pleased to note that I can travel to Australia, Germany, and at least one small town in the US without being considered entirely bonkers. A pleasing result.
I drive a cab in the UK (not London) and I find it a bit weird when people ask me if they can sit in the front. Normally I just smile and tell them they’re paying for the whole car so they can sit wherever they are most comfortable.
If people want to chat I prefer to have them in front with me. It makes it much easier to have a conversation.
Just to confuse the issue, I hate it when people sit behind me then start chatting. I can’t see you, even in the mirror and it feels strange to have someone talking at the back of my head. Of course this may be just my own preference.
I’m not at all offended if people want to ride in the back. A lot of my fares are business people who often spend time on their phone or laptop during the journey.
The one time I rode in a taxi, I had to ride in front, as there were too many of us to fit in the back.
I was less than enthused at the situation though, as when I tried to fasten my seatbelt, the cabbie started yelling at me “you no need! is taxi! no need seatbelt in taxi!” I still wanted to wear it, but he wouldn’t stop yelling at me and we weren’t going far and his yelling was making it hard for me to work the seatbelt.
This was in Canada, ~20 years ago.
We take taxis every day. They are cheap in Thailand. Back seat only. For me, taxi time is reading time, and I like to bury myself in a book. Drivers here tend to be super nosy about you, and sitting up front would just encourage the probing questions. In fact, there are “You Know You’ve Been in Thailand Too Long When …” lists, and always mentioned is you ask the taxi driver how much money he makes and how many children he has.
I’ll occasionally see a Thai sitting in the front, but the norm even among Thais is in the back seat too.
I took a cab with some people in Changchun, China once. One guy had to sit up front, and he used the seatbelt. When we got out at our destination, his white shirt was all dirty and marked with the seatbelt’s pattern, it had been so long since it had actually been used.
New Yorker here. I try to avoid taking cabs because they’re expensive but sometimes I don’t want to deal with the train. Honestly, the train is almost always faster (during weekdays at least), but sometimes I’d rather sit in a comparable quiet and comfortable space and get home ten minutes later.
I always sit in the back if I’m alone. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t sit in the back when they ride alone. I do it as sort of a treat to myself so I want to feel taken care of, and I feel that more enjoying the full back seat than sitting next to the driver. I also do not want to talk to the driver if I’m in a mood that makes the subway seem terrible.
I ALWAYS sit in the front seat if I’m with three other people, because no one ever wants to and I don’t mind that much.
I’ve taken a cab maybe a dozen times in the last four years.The first time I did, I started to get in the back and the driver said that I could sit up front if I wanted. His tone indicated that was expected. Since then, I’ve usually automatically sat up front and haven’t seen so much of raised eyebrow from the drivers. This is in a borderline urban/suburban area not to far from Atlanta, Georgia.
Peace - DESK