Service & City Guide Training for Local Taxi Drivers
The taxi industry is an important component of Taidong’s tourism development. Alliance has assisted in the training and certification of taxi drivers who have formed a Taidong Goodwill Taxi Service Team. The goal of the team is to provide high quality personal transportation service for visitors.
Due to its mountainous terrain, Taidong County lacks the convenience and coverage of public bus service. In 2010, Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau launched a shuttle bus program that connects major sightseeing points in Taidong. While it added much convenience for travelers, it negatively impacted the local taxi industry. To address this issue, Alliance joined forces with the Taidong County government in providing training courses that will enhance the quality of taxi service and help promote taxis as a means of personal transportation.
The taxi training courses were taught by Professor Patrick Su from Alliance in December 2010. The courses focused on tour services, communication skills, etiquette, and simple English and Japanese conversation. Professor Su then assisted the Taidong County government develop assessment standards for certifying drivers for the Goodwill Taxi Service Team. Drivers were evaluated on “software”, i.e. attitude, driving skills and tour knowledge and “hardware”, i.e. vehicle safety and cleanliness. 14 taxi drivers were certified as Goodwill Taxi Drivers in May 2011. Certified drivers are identified by their uniform and the "Goodwill Taxi Driver” label on their taxi’s side door .Taidong County’s tourism website also provides the license plate numbers of the vehicles and the driver’s contact information to facilitate passenger tour planning.
With fewer than 400 taxis, Taidong County does not have the economy of scale to set up a satellite guidance system and service call center. Professor Hou Sheng- zong of Taiwan’s National Science Council is in the process of developing a “cloud dispatch system” for taxis. He has agreed to bring this application to the Taidong taxi industry once the system is developed. Alliance has begun to train taxi drivers to use the Internet for promoting their service. Drivers are trained to use the PC Tablet to create a personal blog that will include photographs and travel logs. The ability to interact with visitors online will enhance their tour guide capabilities and personalize their service to visitors and others who need personal transport.
The taxi training courses were taught by Professor Patrick Su from Alliance in December 2010. The courses focused on tour services, communication skills, etiquette, and simple English and Japanese conversation. Professor Su then assisted the Taidong County government develop assessment standards for certifying drivers for the Goodwill Taxi Service Team. Drivers were evaluated on “software”, i.e. attitude, driving skills and tour knowledge and “hardware”, i.e. vehicle safety and cleanliness. 14 taxi drivers were certified as Goodwill Taxi Drivers in May 2011. Certified drivers are identified by their uniform and the "Goodwill Taxi Driver” label on their taxi’s side door .Taidong County’s tourism website also provides the license plate numbers of the vehicles and the driver’s contact information to facilitate passenger tour planning.
With fewer than 400 taxis, Taidong County does not have the economy of scale to set up a satellite guidance system and service call center. Professor Hou Sheng- zong of Taiwan’s National Science Council is in the process of developing a “cloud dispatch system” for taxis. He has agreed to bring this application to the Taidong taxi industry once the system is developed. Alliance has begun to train taxi drivers to use the Internet for promoting their service. Drivers are trained to use the PC Tablet to create a personal blog that will include photographs and travel logs. The ability to interact with visitors online will enhance their tour guide capabilities and personalize their service to visitors and others who need personal transport.