What country has white taxis?

Italy. In Italy, taxicabs are white (previously they were yellow, in the 1950s and 1960s they were green-black or red), with a small illuminated TAXI white (previously red) sign on a black background on the roof of the car. There are 25,186 taxis in the country (1 for every 2,412 people).



Several countries are famous for their white taxis, but in 2026, Italy and Vietnam are the most prominent examples. In Italy, almost all official, licensed city taxis are required by law to be white; they feature a "Taxi" sign on the roof and a license emblem on the door. This uniform color helps tourists distinguish them from unauthorized private cars. In Vietnam, specifically in the capital of Hanoi, 2026 marks the culmination of a multi-year plan to standardize taxi colors, with white being one of the primary approved "official" colors for the city's 19,000+ cabs to improve urban aesthetics and regulatory control. Additionally, Peru (particularly Lima) and parts of the United Arab Emirates utilize white as a base color for their taxi fleets. In 2026, travelers are always reminded to look for the "white car" with a meter and official signage in these regions to ensure they are using a regulated service with fixed, government-approved pricing structures.

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Tokyo's taxis are distinguished by the color of their license plates and lights. Licensed taxis use green license plates while privately owned cars use white and yellow plates. Vacant cabs display the characters “kuusha”, or “empty car” in red LEDs in the front window.

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Greek taxis are different colors in different cities, so noticing what color they are when you first arrive is a good idea for when you need to find one later. Most taxis in Athens are yellow, in Thessaloniki they're dark blue with a white top, while in other places they may be crimson, red, and in many cases grey.

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Cyan, yellow, white, green, blue, red, dark blue and dark red are the main colors of the taxis in Shanghai and the colors denote different taxi companies. Dark blue and dark red are the colors for the city's hundreds of small and medium taxi companies. Real taxis have a logo light on the top of the car.

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Though there has never been law requiring London's taxis to be black, they were, since the end of the Second World War, sold in a standard colour of black. This, in the 1970s gave rise within the minicab trade to the nickname 'black cab' and it has become common currency.

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In Seoul, general taxis are orange, while in other urban areas are silver. But usually, general taxis are generally either white, silver, or orange. The general taxis are the cheapest and the most commonly found taxis. Most of the times, the general taxi drivers only speak Korean.

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Though there has never been law requiring London's taxis to be black, they were, since the end of the Second World War, sold in a standard colour of black. This, in the 1970s gave rise within the minicab trade to the nickname 'black cab' and it has become common currency.

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Not all cabs are yellow — London's iconic ones are decidedly black — but the distinctive color is a classic for taxicabs. In New York City, taxis are yellow because of regulations first enacted in the late 1960s, but the process that got the first yellow cab onto the streets had begun much earlier.

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Official taxis in Costa Rica are red with the yellow triangle and light like the one shown below. You will immediately be able to tell the difference between a pirate and real taxi. Official taxis have newer cars, plates and the badge to signify they are official taxis.

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Like most other US cities, Miami sports bright yellow taxis.

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The official taxis in Barcelona are black and yellow. They have a taxi sign at the front of the taxi roof, which also shows a green light if the taxi is free. You will notice the following elements inside an official Barcelona taxi: The taximeter that displays the rate applied, the supplements and the total amount.

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