English-speaking, honest cabbies are city's top promoters

The city's good cabbies can be the best public relations assets.

This is the standard against which Toufic Mitri, General Manager of a Dubai-based National Taxi, seeks to measure his company, as it recently obtained an international quality stamp.

"Cabbies directly interact with people. They are the face of the city among tourists. It's no secret that drivers who are honest, tidy, speak conversational English and drive clean units help promote a destination to the world," said Mitri.

Sheikh Suhail Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, National Taxi's Chairman, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Faisal Al Qasimi, its Vice Chairman, received the certificate from Lars Erik Luthman, Middle Eastern Finance and Administration Manager for Management System Certification Services of Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

The ISO 9001:2000 certification was obtained last month after an eight-month evaluation process with DNV. Areas that are quality certified include human resources, management and operations, including its 24-hour hotline. "At the end of the day, we exist to satisfy our customers."

He said the company uses an effective system of returning items left by customers in the taxi. But when there is no claim from customers, it turns over the items to Dubai Police. The police wait for claimants or auction the items off after a certain period.

Mitri said the certification represents a stamp of quality for their commitment to the values and focus on quality of services they offer to the riding public.

"With this quality stamp, customers can be more confident when they ride with us. We try to improve constantly because that's what a quality exercise is all about."

The company uses a Global Positioning System (GPS)-ready satellite tracking system compatible with the digital mapping system and street directory set to be installed in the city.

The company is meanwhile in the process of implementing a six-month re-fleeting programme, using the latest mid-sized models from the world's three leading car makers.

National Taxi, a franchised business of Dubai Transport Corp, was established in 2000. It has 829 drivers and about 100 support staff, but subcontracts its mechanical and accident repair services to a third party company.

"We don't do repairs ourselves. We leave these things to the experts, but use a strict criteria for evaluating our subcontractors. Our core business is to drive people from point A to B in comfort."