I support the decision by Royal Holdings to improve the appearance of taxi drivers and raise the level of service that is provided (South China Morning Post, June 19).
The drivers will wear uniforms and they will be sacked if they are rude or overcharge.
Of all the places I have visited, the taxi drivers of Hong Kong have the worst manners I have experienced. They are rude and show no consideration for their passengers.
They often chat with other taxi drivers over the wireless radio and frequently use foul language. My uncle and aunt from Toronto visited Hong Kong last month and had a bad experience with a cabbie, who complained all the way from Causeway Bay to Happy Valley. He said he had been waiting in the taxi rank for a long time and this was too short a trip. My uncle was horrified by this man's attitude.
Such behaviour creates a bad impression with our visitors, at a time when Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and the Hong Kong Tourism Board are trying so hard to promote our image.
I have come across courteous taxi drivers, but only on rare occasions. Maybe with this move by Royal Holdings, things will improve.
