Quality Taxi Driver Award promotes taxi service quality
Taxi passengers may now show their recognition of services rendered by taxi drivers and encourage them to continue the delivery of quality services through the newly launched Quality Taxi Driver Award 2000.
The award scheme is jointly organised by the Ad hoc Quality Taxi Services Steering Committee, Transport Department as well as taxi associations.
Passengers, including tourists, are welcome to nominate taxi drivers to compete for the award during the nomination period between January 26 and February 26.
Kicking off the launching ceremony of the award scheme today (Wednesday), Chairman of the Steering Committee, Mr Jeffrey Lam, said the campaign was the first large-scale election activity in the Millennium.
He said: "Taxis provide a personal, convenient and door-to-door service, which is different from services provided by other public transport modes.
"As passengers, we simply request for a safe and comfortable ride.
"Taxi services also contribute to the international image of Hong Kong. Taxi drivers are one of those frontline staff whom tourists contact first when arriving Hong Kong. The quality of taxi services will definitely affect tourists' impression on Hong Kong," he added.
The award scheme, Mr Lam believed, would give taxi drivers incentives to keep up the provision of professional taxi services and to brush up taxi service quality.
Under the award scheme, taxi drivers will be assessed in accordance to the following criteria:
|
reliability and safety (that is, the degree of concentration when driving, driving behavior/manner, as well as smooth and safe ride) | |
|
customer service (that is, politeness, collecting exact fares, neat appearance, and familiarity with routeing) | |
|
car compartment (that is, internal cleanliness) | |
Passengers who wish to commend taxi drivers may just fill in a simple nomination form which can be obtained from the department, district offices and selected taxi stands.
The form is also available for download at the department's home page (http://www.info.gov.hk/td).
Completed nomination forms, together with relevant taxi fare receipts, should be returned to the department by mail or by fax (no. 2824 2176) on or before February 26.
The organisers will, after the close of the nomination period, select 888 Quality Taxi Drivers, including 10 Outstanding Quality Taxi Drivers and 20 Hong Kong Tourist Association's Quality Taxi Drivers from the viewpoint of tourists.
They will be presented with Quality Taxi Driver Certificates and Identity Cards, as well as prizes and oil coupons at a prize presentation ceremony to be held in March this year.
Moreover, the organisers will present souvenirs to 200 nominators selected by a lucky draw to express appreciation to their support of the campaign.
At today's ceremony, the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Robert Footman, and Mr Jeffrey Lam unveiled the inaugural issue of the quarterly newsletter "Taxi 2000".
The newsletter carries articles from taxi associations and drivers, information on traffic matters, as well as news about good taxi drivers and good deeds.
Mr Lam said: "I hope the quarterly newsletter will become a forum of exchange among taxi associations, individual taxi drivers and the Transport Department, and lead us to strive towards the aim of providing quality taxi services."
Wednesday, January 26, 2000