More taxi drivers in Taiwan have realized the importance of learning English as the country sees an increase in foreign visitor numbers, according to Taiwan Taxi Co, the nation’s biggest taxi service provider.
The company, which has been offering English classes for its drivers since July last year, said it has seen rising demand for cabbies who can communicate with foreign passengers.
The number of drivers who have registered for the courses has increased fivefold to more than 100, compared with six months ago, and the numbers were expected to keep growing, the company said.
Drivers with foreign-language proficiency can earn at least 30 percent more than those who cannot speak a foreign language, company public relations officer Hsieh Wu-hsiung said. That has motivated many drivers to improve their language skills.
Hsieh said drivers who can speak a foreign language are more likely to be sent by the company to provide charter services for foreign passengers, who are more generous about tipping.
Liu Chung-chieh, a driver at the company, said he has benefited from the English courses, which have enabled him to approach foreign clients with more confidence.
“I used to pretend that I did not see foreigners [waving for a taxi] because I was afraid that I would not be able to understand them,” said the 58-year-old, who has spent the past six months learning English.
More than 8 million foreigners visited Taiwan last year — a record high — compared with 7.3 million in 2012.
Last month, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) proposed an initiative to attract more than 10 million international tourists a year over the next decade.
According to the Tourism Bureau, China, Japan, and Hong Kong and Macau ranked as the three largest sources of overseas arrivals last year, accounting for 36.5 percent, 17.7 percent and 14.7 percent respectively.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all