Tainan promotes tourist-friendly taxis, drivers also speak foreign languages

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

Tainan City has launched tourist-friendly taxis. On the 16th, 27 drivers successfully completed oral examinations and graduated, with a certification ceremony for the “Tainan City Tourist Taxi Driver Training Program” held. Through the service of this first batch of tourist taxi drivers, service quality will be enhanced and a high-quality brand image for “Tainan City Tourist Taxis” established. The training also included service in Chinese, English, and Japanese, teaching simple conversational phrases and easy-to-understand finger dialogue patterns to ensure drivers can communicate smoothly with both domestic and international tourists.

The Tourism Bureau is gradually implementing the “Tainan City Tourist Taxi” initiative. With their convenience and flexibility, taxis can help fill gaps in the broader public transport network across southern Taiwan. Through taxi connections, travelers can plan flexible itineraries, linking various attractions across Greater Tainan into an extended, in-depth travel route. In the future, through training programs, evaluation systems, and integrated marketing for major events, the aim is to develop taxis as a transport option for niche tourists, meeting the needs of backpackers and independent travelers from Southeast Asia, China, and beyond.

Since the merger of counties and cities in the Greater Tainan area, the region has also received recommendations from internationally renowned media such as the Michelin Travel Guide and the San Francisco Chronicle. Efforts are being made to promote Tainan’s rich tourism resources, including its cuisine, historical sites, and natural ecology, encouraging tourists to visit and develop a smoke-free tourism industry.