Dear Editor,
Almost daily, we see articles in the news “Uber is bad for Canada,” “Make good Money and Drive for Uber,” or protests around the world by the taxi industry.
I own a successful B & B here in Richmond and hundreds of my guests arrive here by taxi from the Vancouver Airport.
May I make a few suggestions to the taxi industry from my point of view as to why Uber is becoming so attractive to tourists, travellers and just plain folk going from point A to B:
1. Don’t show your immediate disappointment when you find out your customers are “only” going to somewhere in Richmond and not Whistler or Horseshoe Bay after you have sat at the airport waiting;
2. Do not give your customers the knowledge of what you had for dinner as soon as they enter your taxi due to the smell. This also applies to your choice of music;
3. Keep your taxi clean and your appearance clean;
4. Know a few English phrases when your customers get into your taxi, such as “Welcome to Canada,” instead of saying absolutely nothing the entire trip. I have met very few travellers from any country in the world that do not speak some English and if they don’t — we have an “app for that” and you can get it free. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, this app will translate it into English and back again into their language or the language you prefer.
5. Use your GPS once in awhile;
6. Get out of your taxi to retrieve luggage and preferably walk the customer to the door if the luggage is difficult to handle for the customer, instead of dumping their stuff on the road and drive-way;
7. Drop the customer off at the right address. I have had guests call from down the block asking why I won’t answer the door. They were left at the wrong address.
8. Perhaps know a few restaurants or places of interest to go while driving in the car in case you are asked. If you are from the same country as your customers or a different culture or ethnicity, then recommend those places where you go and where you eat. Those are the places people want to hear about.
9. A tip is for a service. A tip is not for doing absolutely nothing but driving a car.
10. You provide the service and you won’t have to worry about the competition.
We now refuse to use one taxi service here in Richmond, but when we switched to a different taxi service in Richmond, we found an entirely different service; they obviously knew the market and the service has been exceptional.
We promote Richmond first every day.
Our guests are surprised at all the things to see and do here, which means they also spend their money here, which is what we all want them to do.
But we also want them to leave Richmond with great memories to tell their family and friends.
The taxi industry is usually the first impression of what our city, our province or our country represents.
You are all ambassadors for our city, our province and our country.
Linda Cooper
Richmond
