BAKU/Azerbaijan, SEPT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) –  — People hailing a taxi Baku, Azerbaijan’s increasingly glitzy capital, will be forgiven for not realising the link with Coventry, an industrial city in the middle of England.

Coventry is the headquarters of the London Taxi Company which makes the world famous London black cabs. Azerbaijan ordered 1,000 of the cabs ahead of Eurovision song contest in 2012. Today, the purple, rather than black cabs, can be seen lining Baku’s smarter streets.

In a country where corruption is rife, the London cabs — which run on a reliable meter just like in the UK — are proving popular.

Transparent clear pricing is key in a market where unlicensed cabs charge on a whim. Baku Taxi Company who look after the taxis, is also obtaining advice on driver training.

Outside Baku’s new luxury hotels, these purple — this was apparently Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev’s colour choice — cabs line up for custom, nearly all of them carrying the flame and wing emblem of Baku’s 2015 European Games on their sides.

The inaugural European Games is another ploy by the Azerbaijani authorities to rebrand and attract international attention for the right reasons.

Whereas locals know how to barter with local, unlicensed cabs, visitors and international guests staying in the more upmarket hotels don’t, or at least they prefer not to.

Instead the familiar surroundings of the London cabs suits them better. For locals with the cash, there is prestige in hailing a cab and arriving in these smart novelty taxis.

Others, though, are sceptical. The bellboy at the JW Marriott hotel implied it was simply tokenism that appealed most.

“They are unique here and are just not something that have ever been offered in Baku before,” he said. Perhaps, but they still appear both popular and here to stay.

ENDS

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(News report from Issue No. 199, published on Sept. 10 2014)