Driving to make Expo 2010 better

Zhou Jie leads the way for a new breed of Shanghai taxi drivers

After 11 years driving a taxi in Shanghai, Zhou Jie, 31, has only received two complaints from passengers. This fine record has earned him a five-star rating and leadership of a team teaching English to young drivers.

After taking a language and service-quality test, Zhou, who works for Shanghai Qiangsheng Holding Co, was selected as an Expo taxi driver for the Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Zhou said it's a lot easier driving one of the gleaming new Expo taxis now prowling Shanghai's streets.

Expo taxi drivers have been selected from the five major taxi companies in Shanghai and all have at least a three-star rating.

"Safety first is my motto," said Zhou. "I think it's good if taxi drivers put passengers first."

During training as an Expo taxi driver, Zhou said drivers took two courses to improve their language abilities and service quality.

"We were also given English-language handouts for our daily reference. I hope there is more of this kind of training," he said.

Zhou has some advice for local authorities hoping to provide better service to visitors. "I think the authorities should give us, the Expo taxi drivers, a map of the Expo Garden. Few of us have been to there and we have no idea how to get to the passengers' destination in the shortest time. We are totally dependent on our own sense of direction," he said.

Zhou is also concerned with the fate of the taxis after the Expo.

"It's unclear now, but I would like to continue driving this car," he said.

Because of his outstanding service to the company, Zhou was given free tickets to the Expo.

"I will definitely go there," he said. "The Expo Garden is so big. So I will have to plan my visit carefully."

China Daily

(China Daily 05/07/2010 page37)