Incredible India! The Ministry of Tourism spends crores of rupees on advertisements highlighting the exotic nature of the country to woo foreign tourists. The nation boasts of a rich heritage and ethnic luxury and is now growing at a brisk pace in almost every sector be it technology or corporate business. It’s leading the world on almost all fronts. These factors make it a hotspot for foreign nationals who make trips to India sits either at regular intervals or at least once in their lifetimes.

The rise of the IT industry and the corresponding BPO/KPO boom has warranted a great influx of foreign delegates to attend conferences, trade shows, and to discuss business proposals. Their transport requirements are of a different level and need to be met with higher standards. It is here that hotels and attached travel agencies have gone an extra mile with services such as luxury taxis and renting cars.

The changing scenario has revolutionized the concept of taxi service in the country where mostly Ambassadors and Premier Padminis plied our roads about a decade ago. Now, big car brands have waltzed in and world class luxury cars are doing the job of our “erstwhile taxis”.

It’s exciting to watch Mercedes-Benz S320s, E220s, and even the new S500s & Viano Vans ploughing Indian roads with yellow-coloured number plates. The long list of Indian limousines also includes cars from BMW, Audi, Porsche, and others. Also, businesses and institutions with lower budgets have settled for lower luxury with cars such as the Toyota Camry, Nissan Teana, Skoda Laura & Superb, and Honda Accord to name a few. Also, our usual taxi-walas have had to upgrade their skills to fit into this newly formed business of luxury taxi-cabs in India. English-speaking chauffeurs are a worthy mention in every travel catalogue offered to foreign tourists.

The trend of luxury taxis was until recently limited only to the better developed countries in the world. As such, it’s truly a treat to watch India taxiing in luxury.