Why do Taxi drivers in the UK and Europe drive cars with predominantly manual gearboxes

Question

If I was driving 8-10 hours per day I’d want an auto… I know manuals used to be cheaper and are still a little cheaper, but I’d have thought the reduced effort would be appealing.

In: 176

Answer 1

Taxis use whatever car they can afford, which is often manual base model. In richer parts of EU taxis are often D or E class used or new sedans from premium manufacturers, I’d assume that such cars are mostly automatic. Fuel economy probably plays a big role. For example in past years taxists in my country have adopted used Nissan Leafs because electric cars are so much cheaper for such use.