Welcome Mat
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008(Editors Note: What we have here is a PG 13 site. Adult Color will be allowed, until it’s not, tread thoughtfully. Keep in Mind, your choice of words reflects upon, you,** your community and your industry.)
Welcome/Bienvenue
Foremost among our goals -in conjunction with providing transportation related news & commentary- is to provide a forum whereby the traveling public may act as watch dog on the ground transportation providers of Vermont. When all is said and done, you, the traveling public, are the most informed, and thus, the finest front line available to birddog any industry. Your participation herein will reach beyond your own circle of acquaintance to provide useful travel information to this regions many Visitors(upon whom, our economy relies significantly!). So you see, you are essential to an extremely important mission: acting as a BTV Taxi News Secret Shopper(sorry, there’s no pay, this is a look-out-for-your-neighbor proposition), thereby elevating industry standards via critique.
Another high priority goal is to provide a forum whereby the women, and men of the industry may express their concerns.
Whether to grouse or relate tales, all transportation topics are on the table.
Also, we are intimately aware of the fact that the public is frequently taken advantage of because the Rules are generally unknown or misunderstood by locals, let alone strangers to our area. So! a portion of BTV Taxi News‘ on-going mission will be to provide answers to questions specific to Vermont‘s taxi and/or, ground transportation industry. Simply write Dear Cabbie, which can be selected from the Categories drop down menu.
BTV Taxi News is not simply a place to register complaints*(which we heartily encourage!, NAME NAMES PEOPLE!**), but just as heartily we desire the expression of appreciation for service well done. However, of utmost importance in our mind, is empowering the Vermont Traveling Public, by way of useful information and a forum, where your traveling concerns are brought to the fore, shared publicly, thereby improving the likelihood they will be acknowledged and responded to, sooner rather than later.
* nonetheless, a preponderance of documented remarks are usually necessary before constructive change comes to fruition. Which is why public participation is of utmost importance. Therefore, nudge someone else to participate.
** though you may post anonymously herein(meaning register an alias user name), Be Warned, as with any site, your posts can, if necessary, be traced back to you.*** The notion that the web is anonymous, is simply silliness. So! if you’re angry, exasperated or feeling threatened, intimidated or taken advantage of, please have your say here! but stick to the facts, as truth is a defense against libel. As to naming names: you are well within your rights to examine your drivers taxi license, request the company business card(larger companies have numbers on the vehicle), and/or note the vehicles Vermont license plate number, along with the date and time. Then, for the benefit of our region, please follow through.
*** by our webmaster, or, law enforcement should you overstep the bounds of good sense.
Finally BTVTaxiNews.com is sponsoring the “Demand Better Vermont“ campaign.
Before we proceed, keep in mind, the suggestions that follow now, and subsequently, do not require you be demonstrative, nor confrontational. In fact, we view such behavior as pointless and counterproductive. These suggestions only require you keep firmly in mind “who is paying who”. Meaning you, the traveling public, can raise and nurture reasonable expectations by your response to unsatisfactory service, or behavior(the reason need not be explained although in some instances, it might help the process, if done succinctly and politely).
Demand Better ‘Service’ Vermont
When being delivered to Burlington Int’l Airport, your driver pops the trunk without exiting the taxi, making no effort to retrieve your luggage from the trunk, let alone placing it safely on the curb; we suggest the following: #1, make a mental note to hire a different company in the future, #2, withhold payment until you have obtained and loaded your luggage cart(which carts are free to the public at Burlington Int’l), #3, remember you are paying to be served and that gratuities are optional. It’s your change, request every coin, #4, warn your fellow and prospective travelers by way of BTV Taxi News.com, and #5, allow your driver to discover whether depressing the release button, will close the trunk remotely as well. That’s right! leave the trunk open. Think of it this way. The exercise may do your driver good, thereby qualifying you as a Samaritan.