Dubai cabbies won't be fired for poor English

Dubai - RTA clarifies it recommends basic English communication training for taxi drivers

Taxi drivers who cannot speak English should get lessons and it is not a ground to fire taxi drivers, the Roads and Transport Authority said on Tuesday.
The RTA will recommend taxi franchise companies to give their drivers basic English communication training to reduce customer complaints arising due to language barriers, the CEO of RTA Public Transport Agency told Khaleej Times on Tuesday.
"If we receive complaints from customers saying they encounter problems with taxi drivers and the main cause of the problem is poor communication skills, then we will inform the particular taxi company to give their driver a lesson in English to improve customer service," Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of RTA Public Transport Agency, said.
"But this recommendation is non-mandatory (on the part of the taxi company)," added Al Ali.
The clarification follows the recent announcement by RTA that potential taxi drivers (at the recruitment stage) must pass basic English language test, in addition to psychological and behavioural tests, before they can undergo training at the RTA and obtain professional driving permits.
Meanwhile, taxi drivers welcomed the RTA's move to recommend to taxi companies to give drivers basic lessons in English.
Assad Ali Khan, a 30-year-old Paksitani driver, who received a bachelor's degree from a local community college in Peshawar, said: "English is a requirement because we encounter people of various nationalities everyday. How can we talk to our customers if we don't know how to speak English?
"Some drivers did not finish school and could not speak English. We cannot blame them - it could be because of economic problems back home. However, being able to communicate in simple English is very important in a multi-cultural city like Dubai.
"All tests by the RTA are also in English. So why not some lessons in basic English," added Ali Khan, who has been working for National Taxi for almost three years.
Dubai resident Mau Arevalo, who occasionally takes a cab going to work in Dubai Marina, said: "Complaints against taxi drivers usually arise because of lack of communication skills. I've been into several arguments with taxi drivers because they cannot understand where I want to go."
Besides the English language test, new taxi drivers must pass psychometric evaluation based on service standards, resilience, problem-solving and self-management before they can be declared road worthy to drive, according to the latest decision by the RTA.
The RTA has already entered into a deal with British Council to make cabbies more efficient by improving their basic language and other behavioural skills.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai