Taxi Service Standards, Passenger Handling and Driver Conduct
What good service looks like
Service questions are marked on attitude as much as on law. A professional driver greets the passenger, confirms the destination clearly, asks whether the passenger has a preferred route or tunnel, takes the most direct reasonable route, mentions tolls and surcharges in advance, and gives change cheerfully. Keep the vehicle clean inside and out, keep the air-conditioning comfortable, keep the radio low or off unless the passenger agrees, and do not smoke, eat, or make personal calls while carrying passengers. Help with luggage and shopping, and offer assistance to elderly passengers, passengers with disabilities, pregnant passengers and those travelling with small children.
Handling difficult situations
Stay calm and polite. If a passenger is drunk, argumentative or refuses to pay, do not escalate; stop in a safe place and call the police if necessary. Never lock a passenger in, never drive off with a door open or a passenger still alighting, and never take the law into your own hands. If a passenger asks to be set down somewhere illegal or unsafe, explain politely and stop at the nearest lawful point.
Lost property and complaints
Check the rear seat after every hiring. Lost property should be returned to the owner if contactable, or handed to the police and recorded. Give the passenger a receipt so the vehicle can be identified, and tell them where a complaint may be made – the Transport Department and the police, as well as the operator.
Traps
Options that sound firm but rude ("tell the passenger to get out") are always wrong. So are options that break a rule to please the passenger, such as stopping on a zigzag or in a bus stop to save them a few steps.