Cabbies to be trained as 'ambassadors' in new drive to promote city

Taxi drivers will be trained to sing the city's praises when tourists or business visitors get in the back of their cabs.

The course will teach them a bit more about Bradford's history and its attractions so they are ready to tell their customers all about what the city has to offer.

And cabbies will also be taught how to answer questions about the city's regeneration, such as when Westfield's under-construction shopping centre will open or how plans to redevelop the Odeon are progressing.

Drivers who pass a test at the end of the half-day course will be able to wear a special ambassador badge and display a sticker on their vehicle.

The pilot scheme, called CAB (City Ambassadors Bradford), is being run and paid for by networking group Bradford Breakthrough.

Bradford Breakthrough chief executive Colin Philpott said the idea had originally been put forward by the now-defunct campaign group Positive Bradford.

He said it would encourage cabbies to talk positively about the city's progress and help them be more confident when answering tourists' questions.

He said: "If somebody gets in the back of a cab and says, 'This is the first time I have been in Bradford, where are the restaurants and what is there to do?', hopefully the cab drivers will be more confident about being more positive about the place."

Mr Philpott said he had been struck by the enthusiasm of taxi drivers in places like New York, and wanted to replicate that positivity.

He said: "Often that is the first human contact somebody will have, a cabbie may well be the first person they speak to in a place.

"It is all about first impressions, which do matter, don't they?"

Mr Philpott said the courses also made business sense for the taxi drivers, as happy customers would be more likely to re-book with them.

Initially 24 city-centre hackney carriage drivers will be invited to take the course free-of-charge in November. If the pilot proves a success, it could be rolled out to cabbies across the district, including those from private hire firms.

Bradford Council is backing the new initiative, saying it should provide a boost to the city.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, executive member for employment, skills and culture, said: "We are a welcoming city and we all know that first impressions really count. I'm therefore pleased that Bradford Breakthrough is organising these training sessions.

"The district's cab drivers are at the front line of our tourism offer as well as playing a valued role in relation to business."

Jane Vincent, who helped to found Positive Bradford, said: "I am really pleased that Bradford Breakthrough is taking on the idea of training our cabbies.

"This can make so much difference to the experience people get when they arrive in our city and district."

FACTFILE

ONLY drivers who fully comply with all Bradford Council’s licensing rules will be eligible to take the course. Taxi drivers already have to agree to keep their cabs clean, treat customers with courtesy and have a basic command of English to be granted a licence from Bradford Council.

For example, hackney carriage drivers must:

• Be over 21;
• Have held a full UK or EU driving licence for three years;
• Pass the Council's driver training programme;
• Keep their vehicle safe, tidy and clean;
• Not sound their horn outside a building when picking up passengers;
• Help people with their luggage if asked;
• And take customers by the shortest and most reasonable available route.
• Alternatively, private hire drivers must, among other things:
• Have held a full UK or EU driving licence for three years;
• Make sure their vehicle is roadworthy and clean;
• Be polite, considerate and orderly at all times;
• Have a basic understanding of written and spoken English;
• Present themselves in a clean and reasonable state of appearance and dress;
• Not sound their horn outside a building when picking up passengers;
• And carefully search their vehicle immediately after any hiring to check for property left behind.