Taxi Driver Online

THEIR talent for patter is well-known and loved ... by those who can understand it. But when it comes to communicating with overseas visitors, Glasgow taxi drivers think they could do better.

Now, if one MSP gets her way, the city's army of cabbies will be given lessons in conversing with foreigners. Glasgow Nationalist MSP Sandra White has written to Tourism Minister Frank McAveety after being contacted by some city taxi drivers who believe they could provide a better service to tourists if they spoke a little Spanish or Italian.

Ms White has suggested possible partnerships between the Scottish Executive, VisitScotland, local authorities and colleges to offer subsidised foreign language lessons to drivers. She said: "This would be of great benefit to international tourists and would help to show Scotland in a positive light, enhancing the Scottish reputation for friendliness and of valuing our visitors."

Ms White said some drivers often felt embarrassed at not being able to understand tourists or help them with even basic directions or advice. She said: "Glasgow's tourist industry is booming and anything that can make the city even more attractive to visitors is worth considering. "Drivers who have spoken to me want to do more to help their customers, and an initiative like this is a golden opportunity to help both them and the people who come to Glasgow."

Ms White regularly visits Barcelona, where her son lives, and she said many taxi drivers there had at least a smattering of English.

Bill McIntosh, secretary of Glasgow Taxis, welcomed the idea. He said: "As a city which is always looking to expand its tourism, it's good if drivers can communicate with foreign customers."

Taxi driver Margaret O'Callaghan said learning a new language would be a good idea but it wouldn't make much difference to business. She said: "Over the summer we pick up a few tourists but most of them can speak English. "I've never had anyone in my cab who I haven't managed to talk to. "But I think it would be good for us to learn a new language. I would like to learn French."

Alex Thomson, 60, a cabbie for 25 years, thinks any scheme would be a waste of money. He said: "You can usually manage to get someone to understand you by speaking slower, and most people we pick up can speak English. "The few who don't speak English usually have something written down to show where they want to go."

We find a language would help too.

we have a big demand to speak punjabi, but no local colleges will do the subject.

now I will wrongly be accused of being racist, but I am certainly not local women in particular only have this language it is a serious problem.

italian is another language that will help and polish

English is the native tougue of 1/4 of the worlds population. most europeans learn a bit of it at school. i've been to plenty of other countries far and wide over the years and have always found the locals speak reasonable english. so without sounding cocky, why should i bother to learn another langauge?

and why one in particular? you could spend month learning french or spanish and never use it. you could learn german or italian and only ever see french toursits. MS white seems to be another on of those middle class MSP's with nothing better to do than dream up ways of wasting us tax payes money.

that last guest, well done.

I could have have put it better myself.

Everyone speaks english, and very well.

I have been in the Taxi industry all my life and have only come accross one person who did not speak english, she had her son with her, he spoke the language perfectly.

It should be the drivers we have that can not speak english who should be taught the native tounge.

If that is racist, well sorry, but that is a reality here now, and will continue to be until the governmant do something about it.

Just more evidence that MSPs have lost the plot, assuming they were ever even aware of it.

Support for devolution is at an all time low, but they seem to think that monstrous new building will reverse things - different packaging, but same old sh** inside.

Wonder if the Fraser enquiry will be as big a whitewash as the Hutton one?

I bet Donald Dewar gets most of the blame, cos he's dead!!!

But back to the topic, even if it did happen, the chances of it reaching the status of anything other than Mickey Mouse gimmick seem slim.

How many would go for it, how many languages would each driver learn, and how often would he use it?

If the cabbies in Glasgow are anything like those elsewhere, then any money would probably be better spent on a few driving lessons.

Anyway, the problem with many of these guys is probably not the visitor's lack of English, but the driver's!

it might be but not a quarter of Halifax,
and I doubt a quarter of Glasgow.

you always get one that misses the point.