|
|
|
Title: TAXI SCHOOL: A FIRST STEP IN PROFESSIONALIZING TAXI DRIVING
Accession Number: 00473299
Record Type: Component
Availability: Find a library where document is available Abstract: Surveys were completed by 4,396 new applicants for a hack license enrolled in the New York Taxi Drivers Institute, a 20-hr program mandated to start in July 1984 for all incoming taxi drivers in New York City. In this sample population, 74 percent of the students were born in 82 countries other than the United States, and 72 languages other than English were spoken. The majority of the students were in their mid-thirties, were relatively well educated, and planned to work for fleet operations full time after receiving their license. Focus groups held at both training sites before and after the program revealed three major concerns: personal security, the negative image of the industry, and the lack of an advocate for drivers, who are subject to unreasonable demands by the public, the regulatory agency, and the media. The majority of the students gave the program a positive rating and all agreed that the teachers, former drivers or current industry staff, were excellent. Fleet managers attending a focus group identified two changes that had had major consequences for the industry--the shift from salary by commission to leasing and the changed characteristics of the work force. Both drivers and management identified the poor image of the industry as a major problem. The establishment of a taxi school helped prepare new applicants, a majority of whom were not native-born Americans, to deal with the demands of taxi driving in New York City.
Supplemental Notes: Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Paratransit. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Monograph Title: Monograph Accession #: 01418831
Authors: Morris, Anne GPagination: pp 40-48
Publication Date: 1986
Serial: ISBN: 0309041244
Media Type: Print
Features: References
(11)
; Tables
(3)
TRT Terms: Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Education and Training; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning
Files: TRIS, TRB
Created Date: Sep 30 1988 12:00AM
More Articles from this Serial Issue:
|
