The Most Charming Trio of Sister Drivers: Gearing Up for Taiwan Lantern Festival, Chiayi Trains “Gold Award Drivers”

The Wu sisters are all taxi drivers and have also been trained as part of the friendly driver group. (Photo by Lü Yanting)

In preparation for the Taiwan Lantern Festival, Chiayi County Government has partnered with the Taiwan Taxi Academy Association to train taxi drivers, launching the pioneering “International Friendly Service Shuttle Driver Training Course.” Thirty days before the festival, on the morning of the 17th, Chiayi County Magistrate Chang Hua-kuan unveiled the newly certified friendly drivers, proudly declaring, “We are ready!” She emphasized that tourists visiting Chiayi can now choose to ride certified friendly service taxis, ensuring a more reassuring, considerate, and enjoyable lantern-viewing experience in the city.

As the Taiwan Lantern Festival is a national event that blends traditional cultural celebrations and serves as an international platform to promote Taiwan—and specifically Chiayi—to foreign visitors, the county government and the Taiwan Taxi Academy Association have developed a curriculum featuring both beginner and advanced tiered training programs. They have also invited travel experts to provide free courses for drivers, covering topics such as foreign language conversation, service etiquette, and practical guided tours of tourist routes. To date, 117 drivers have completed the beginner-level certification, while another 28 have finished the advanced and guided tour practice courses.

Li Mingyue, Director of the Comprehensive Planning Division of the county government, stated that the 28 drivers will be awarded the prestigious “Gold Award Driver” elite certification. Additionally, the county government will invite the “Taiwan Small Trips” team to help enhance the Gold Award drivers’ tourism guiding skills, elevating them to become travel guides. Going forward, the county will publish the contact information of Gold Award drivers on its official website, enabling them to offer not only rides but also value-added services such as guided tours and even chartered trips—making their services more diverse.

To provide friendly shuttle services for foreign tourists visiting Chiayi for the lantern festival, the county government has also selected seven undercover drivers with foreign language skills and issued them “International Friendly Service Taxi Passports.” Bilingual (Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean) guide mats have been produced to assist drivers in communicating with international visitors. During the lantern festival, the county government will also provide an English translation hotline, where a simple phone call can facilitate communication between drivers and foreign guests.

Additionally, the concept of safe travel has been integrated into the design with the launch of the “Lucky Tiger” AR game, allowing passengers to enjoy interactive augmented reality fun with the “Lucky Tiger” while riding or waiting for their taxi. Magistrate Chang Hua-kuan noted that Chiayi is on its way to becoming an internationally friendly service-oriented city. The county government and taxi drivers will work together to ensure that visitors to Chiayi feel the warmth and thoughtfulness of the local service.