To be fair, you can't understand the locals either.
As for the OP, New York seems to have survived with cab drivers whose lack of English is legendary. I care a lot more about them being security checked than on their language skills.
M
is it reasonable to expect a taxi/minicab driver to speak english?
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To be fair, you can't understand the locals either.
As for the OP, New York seems to have survived with cab drivers whose lack of English is legendary. I care a lot more about them being security checked than on their language skills.
M
Man of Honour
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And you say you've got in a taxi with a Glaswegian?
Sorry, too obvious not to make a comment.Provided the taxi driver can get me to my destination then their level of English ability is largely irrelevant to me, in fact I'd probably prefer most taxi drivers to speak less rather than more.
As long as they understand where to go, at times it can be a blessed relief being able to sit in silence rather than listen to a cabbies' inane babble
A good point, well made. Cab drivers are second only to barbers in talking utter *****.
This. Not unreasonable in the slightest.
As long as they understand where to go, at times it can be a blessed relief being able to sit in silence rather than listen to a cabbies' inane babble
please remember the poor cabby may not have had intellegent life in the back of his cab for a few hours,
having a passenger that can string more than 3 words together is a blessing from St Fiacre himself. normally its a case of passengers moaning how their social worker/drug dealer/benefits officer has done them over
I can always get a cab driver who speaks english in Korea so why you shouldnt be able to in the UK is beyond me.
Even if i dont take a "foreigner" taxi the odds are good they will speak some english and if they dont theres a free phone service where they call a translator and they explain to the cab driver what you want.
Hardest thing is my inability to say some of the harder place names. which often leads to much laughter on their part about how much I suck at korean pronunciation
Even if i dont take a "foreigner" taxi the odds are good they will speak some english and if they dont theres a free phone service where they call a translator and they explain to the cab driver what you want.
Hardest thing is my inability to say some of the harder place names. which often leads to much laughter on their part about how much I suck at korean pronunciation
I think its completely reasonable for anyone working in any country to speak said country's national language.
I also think that foreign call centres should be populated with people who can speak understandably in the correct language, and actually taught what they're providing support for, rather than given a script.
/rant
I also think that foreign call centres should be populated with people who can speak understandably in the correct language, and actually taught what they're providing support for, rather than given a script.
/rant
Deleted member 651465
Deleted member 651465
I have the perfect counter for the hair dresser's babble.
I sit down, they ask "you out the weekend?", I usually respond with a "not sure, maybe".. they move on to the refreshing topic of vocation. Usually a "so, what is it you do for a living?"
"Health & Safety"
...........
profit
Last time I caught a taxi in the UK I had a driver who was from Pakistan and hated the UK (which I thought was ironic because he moved there!).
He was going on about how 9/11 was a conspiracy so that the UK and the USA could invade Iraq illegally and wage war against the Muslims but they will have the last laugh when they reclaim the holy land and take over europe in the next 20 years.
I just sat there quietly thinking WTF and was tempted to ask him to stop the car and let me out as it made me feel uncomfortable. In that case I wish he didn't know how to talk english so I could have just been driven to my desination without being lectured about how the Muslim nations will rise up against the UK!! I felt a little shaken up about it all afterwards.
He was going on about how 9/11 was a conspiracy so that the UK and the USA could invade Iraq illegally and wage war against the Muslims but they will have the last laugh when they reclaim the holy land and take over europe in the next 20 years.
I just sat there quietly thinking WTF and was tempted to ask him to stop the car and let me out as it made me feel uncomfortable. In that case I wish he didn't know how to talk english so I could have just been driven to my desination without being lectured about how the Muslim nations will rise up against the UK!! I felt a little shaken up about it all afterwards.
Soldato
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Well... if you insist on a minimum bar (of any sort) on taxi drivers, you must expect fares to go up.
Or just allow the market to define a minimum acceptable standard for the price.
Or just allow the market to define a minimum acceptable standard for the price.
Indeed
Some of us are highly professional people who take pride in their vehicles, pride in their driving - iam etc others are complete cowboys in death trap cars who got their driving licence out of a lucky bag
To expand on my initial post would it be legal to not take someone on as a minivan/private hire driver solely on the basis of their poor language skills?
I don't!
I work a lot in Switzerland but speak very little German, or any other language other than English, for that matter
Man of Honour
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Maybe you're different to most taxi drivers who decide to talk at me but generally if a taxi driver is talking while I'm in their cab it tends to feel like I'm almost an extraneous part of the situation; they'd just as happily pontificate their views on the World to an empty cab except they've got a captive audience at the moment and an audience that is paying them for the privilege no less.
I'm partially joking as it's not always that bad but it's happened a few times.
It is more than reasonable to expect anyone who comes to live or work in our country to learn basic English, not just taxi drivers.
Personally, I'd be more happy if taxi drivers kept quiet and concentrated on the road, didn't think they have a god given right to park wherever they want, can pick and choose which traffic laws they obey, learnt some manners (though this isn't restricted to taxi drivers, all road users need to do this), and didn't charge quite so much. But hey.
Personally, I'd be more happy if taxi drivers kept quiet and concentrated on the road, didn't think they have a god given right to park wherever they want, can pick and choose which traffic laws they obey, learnt some manners (though this isn't restricted to taxi drivers, all road users need to do this), and didn't charge quite so much. But hey.