Taxi drivers are told: 'Dress like the West'
Published: 17/03/2011 08:36 - Updated: 17/03/2011 08:43
Taxi bosses have made a U-turn on a controversial ban on drivers wearing “non-Western” clothes.
Muslims criticised the rule after it was issued to drivers of Panther Taxis.
As a reward for adhering to the new dress code, company bosses said they would give the smartest drivers a “good vehicle” but warned they could also be punished for failing to comply.
The company told drivers to wear black shoes, formal skirts or trousers and non-patterned shirts but banned “non-Western attire”.
But, after the News contacted the company, bosses ditched that part of the policy.
Ahsan Mohammed, a Newmarket Muslim leader, said: “I think the drivers should be able to wear their traditional dress. It could be in the same colours as the other drivers."
“We are not talking about airline pilots who need to wear a particular branding. Where do you stop? It’s totally ridiculous.”
The edict issued to the company’s 600 drivers was sent on March 12 and leaked to the News.
It bans trainers, Doc Martin boots, tracksuit bottoms, three quarter length bottoms, jeans, corduroys or shorts and hats or headgear of any type.
It says spot checks will be made on drivers in the streets and rewards dished out to the “smartest”.
The message to drivers, of which around 18 per cent are Asian, says if they meet the requirements of a checklist and “attain 10 out of 10, three times” they will receive either a free shift or free jobs for a week”.
But if a driver gets marked down on three occasions they will be “required to attend our offices every Monday for four weeks, to prove he can adhere to the rules”.
It goes on to say: “If a driver continues to not meet the standards required they will be removed from the fleet.”
A spokesman for the company said: “We have decided to implement a dress-code for our 500 vehicle fleet later this year, as a way of promoting our brand and improving the image of the trade in the Cambridge area.
“The wording in our policy statement that refers to non-Western attire was merely included for clarity purposes for all our drivers, and we have not received any complaints about its inclusion, however, we have now withdrawn it from the policy statement.”
Source; http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Ta ... e-West.htm
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