There’s plenty of cheap—and electric—cars roaming the streets in and around Paris these days, but now there’s a new type of public transportation arriving in the City of Lights. Tuk-Tuk taxis are most common over in Southeast Asia, but a fleet of free-to-use vehicles are now available to tourists and locals alike.

An optimistic entrepreneur has brought 20 or so of the vehicles into town, and there’s like 150 different places to jump aboard around the city. The operation is newly up and running, and the taxis are scheduled to do their thing each and every day of the week. ]]> kjb 2011-12-28T08:27:04-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/11/27/213044/47

Have you ever been to Hong Kong? If your answer is "yes," HIGH FIVE! If your answer is "not yet," then that's one place that should be moved toward the top of your list for 2012. We can't say enough good things about it, but perhaps one of the best is that, while the US is in the blustery throes of winter, Hong Kong is usually sitting pretty with 72-degree weather and sunshine.

And when that sun isn't shining, it's all about the dining and nightlife. the energy of which is captured by a new AFP time-lapse video, following a Hong Kong taxi driver on a typical graveyard shift.

Their YouTube settings don't allow for us to post it here, so you'll have to watch the brilliant video over at YouTube, but trust us that it's worth it. Just try to stay away from checking out flight deals to HKG after it.]]> JetSetCD 2011-11-28T14:19:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/2/3/105348/2847

This may be a long shot, but for those whom it touches, it could be a lifesaver:

The maker of one of our favorite favorite iPhone Travel Apps (Tokyo Teleport), is offering their newest app, Cairo Taxi Guide, for FREE right now in order to aid any foreigners in Egypt who are perhaps not so well-versed in Arabic.

The premise is simple; search a glossary of landmarks, museums, and really everything else in Cairo in order to discover how to say that you'd like to go there, in Arabic. The app provides clear taxi cards to show to your driver, so that you aren't literally just taken for a ride. They've also released similar Taxi Guide apps, priced between $5.99 and $9.99 each, for Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-02-03T10:53:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/4/30/73310/9477

Delta is sponsoring free rides to Mets and Yankees games this season, but they’re not doing it with their airplanes. The airline is teaming up with New York Water Taxi to offer complimentary transportation to Citi Field and Yankee Stadium for all home games. The Delta Baseball Water Taxi started this week, and it will run throughout the season.

The taxi leaves from Pier 11 at Wall Street at different times depending on when the games begins, and they even guarantee an on-time arrival 30 minutes before the opening pitch. However, that does mean you’ll probably miss batting practice. Baseball fans are welcome to overindulge on snacks and beer on the top deck of the taxi, and Delta is also stocking the boat with “Fly Ball” cocktails. ]]> kjb 2010-04-30T08:41:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/21/132554/94

I've never taken a pedicab in my life, but it seems I'm in the minority, as the number of the pedal-powered bicycle taxis has risen dramatically since their introduction to New York in 1995. Pedicabs have become so popular, in fact, that they're now regulated by the city, which requires vehicles to be insured, inspected, and fitted with seat belts, headlights, and hydraulic brakes. A story in The New York Times explains that the new regulations legitimize an industry that began as something of a fringe group, attracting actors, artists, and various downtown weirdos to a unique profession that could net them up to $1,000 a week and help them stay skinny and hot. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-11-21T13:25:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/11/11437/055

It's one of the oldest airport debates: whether or not to suck it up and take a taxi into town, or risk public transportation. For us, it depends on how large our party is and how much baggage we're dragging, but taxis are just so darn tempting.

Thankfully, Virgin Atlantic knows this and echoes our sentiments when they say: "we think it's crazy that people often wait in line and then get one taxi each. Most people go from the airport in a similar direction, so it's a great waste." Hallelujah, go tell it on the mountain, Virgin Atlantic! And since they're a giant company and all, they've decided to do something about this shared taxi conundrum by creating Taxi2, a social networking way to link up with other from your flight and share a ride with them into the city, cutting down on ride cost and maybe even making you a new friend. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-11T13:19:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/7/43646/2770

The 2008 Oktoberfest in Munich finished up over the weekend, and one English man was extremely glad to be there. We're thinking he needs a few travel tips because to get to Munich from Portsmouth, England, he decided to catch a taxi.

To be fair, he did try to catch a plane first but missed his flight. Not wanting to miss the beer (and his buddy's buck's night), he persuaded a local cab driver to get him all the way to Munich for a fare of £1,700 (almost $3,000). And he paid in cash.

We're not recommending using this method of travel across Europe, but perhaps some of the European low-cost airlines could consider it as a back-up plan when their flights have some of those all-too-regular delays?

Related Stories:
· No Taxi Ride Too Long to Keep Man From Friends, Beer [Deutsche Welle]
· Beer Travel: Bavarian Premier Says Drinking Heaps is OK [Jaunted]
· Oktoberfest coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: smif]]]> amandak 2008-10-07T09:00:52-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/