HOST COMMITTEE AND CITY OFFICIALS HOST FREE TAXI WASH
Spruce up for RNC Cities Offer Reciprocity, Inspections and Free Training Sessions for Drivers
Minneapolis Saint Paul, Minn. (August 5, 2008) - Minneapolis Saint Paul Host Committee leaders joined local mayors and area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) directors today to wash cabs while helping to promote the taxi reciprocity program and free training sessions each city will hold in mid August.
From August 24 to September 7, cities will offer reciprocity to all cab drivers, enabling them to pick up and drop off fares anywhere in the cities of Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Bloomington, as well as the Minneapolis Saint Paul Airport, during the convention. Currently taxi drivers are only allowed to pick up fares in their designated cities.
“The residents of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area have been great partners in our efforts to host a successful convention,” said Maria Cino, CEO and President for the 2008 Republican National Convention. “Because of efforts like this one, we’re confident a warm welcome will be extended to the 45,000 attendees who will be arriving in just a few weeks.”
Cab drivers must register for reciprocity in advance by submitting to an official cab inspection, paying a $35 administrative fee and completing a free training session. Qualifying cabs will then receive a decal certifying that they have completed the steps and are eligible for reciprocity.
“Our local taxi cab drivers will be among the first to welcome the 45,000 visitors coming to town for the convention,” said Jeff Larson, CEO of the MSP 2008 Host Committee. “We want our guests to have a great first impression of Minneapolis Saint Paul and the surrounding area and experience a clean and friendly community.”
Reciprocity will expedite the service throughout the Minneapolis Saint Paul metro area during the convention, as cabs can pick up fares in the same city where they’re dropping off passengers, allowing for speedier, more efficient service and reducing wait time for customers.
“We need to make it as easy as possible for our guests to hail a cab and reach their destination safely and in a friendly, timely manner,” said Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. “These new programs will allow cab drivers throughout the metro to work together to help us greet our guests for the convention in a courteous, professional way.”
The training sessions, to be held in each city the week of August 11, will offer helpful customer service advice, encouraging drivers to be ambassadors for the area. Attendees will also receive packets detailing key convention venues, restaurants and attractions as well as information on travel route tips, road closures and traffic updates during the convention. Cab drivers who attend the training sessions will also receive special T-shirts and welcome buttons courtesy of the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee to wear during the convention to provide a consistent, welcoming image.
“It’s up to everyone in our communities to do their part to make a lasting impression on our guests,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. “In many cases a taxi driver is one of the first points of contact for a visitor. I’m confident our metro drivers are going to help us make the cities shine.”
The taxi wash is the first in a series of Host Committee and city-sponsored events designed to encourage residents and businesses to help spruce up Minneapolis Saint Paul prior to the convention. Additional spruce up events include:
- Airport clean up and signage campaign
- Spruce Up MSP volunteer clean-up day, August 16, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Metrodome parking lot (5th St. and 11th Ave.)
- Saint Paul Conseco Upper Lot (Broadway Street and Kellogg Blvd.)
- Mall of America is planting flowers, landscaping, and repainting.
