TaxiForSure to launch driver grooming school

The first such school will be in Bengaluru, and the company plans to expand it to other cities later

Mobile application-based taxi aggregator TaxiForSure on Friday said it plans to launch a ‘Driver Finishing School’, where the company will run six-day courses for drivers to train them on ‘soft’ skills, among other things. The courses will be open for all licensed drivers and will be offered free of cost, the company said.

The first such school will be here. The company plans to expand it to other cities later.

“This is the need of the hour because of a mismatch between customer expectations and the skill sets available at the market place. The finishing school aims to bridge this gap,” Aprameya R, co-founder and director of TaxiForSure said. “Through this initiative, we would like to give drivers a feel of a university and a classroom and create a visible distinction among drivers who pass out of our finishing school. We would like to instill confidence amongst customers when they see a driver with our finishing school medal. We plan to bring in the best faculty and trainers to engage with the drivers.”

The announcement comes amid noise around the quality of service offered by  app-based taxi providers, following the rape of a 27-year executive by the driver of an Uber cab in Delhi earlier this month. Companies such as Uber, TaxiForSure and Ola Cabs have come under the scanner of several state governments, many of which had earlier announced a ban on them. The bans were later lifted in some cities after these companies registered and promised to meet all the regulations in the states they operate in.

TaxiForSure said that the course has been designed in light of the recent events, and it would cover aspects like gender sensitivity, customer safety, emergency management, first-aid, what to do in case of an accident, rules and regulations governing the industry, behavioral skills: perils of rash driving or honking, grooming, soft skills - how to engage with customers from different backgrounds and technology.

At the end of the course there will be a convocation event and each participant will receive a certificate and a medal.

"Today we see that drivers coming from diverse backgrounds opt for the profession. They may or may not have had the privilege of a formal education, which may have deprived them of enhancing their behavioural and emotional quotient," TaxiForSure said. "The finishing school aims to bridge this gap, in order to have drivers who do more than just drive. The course is designed with an objective to add to the current skills of the driver, and help them interact with customers in a more engaging manner."