Last week, a long-overdue training was done in Dumaguete. This was the training of our tricycle drivers on how they can become community tour guides while they are at their jobs, conveying passengers to their local destinations.
With daily sessions for 50 drivers at a time, a total of 250 tricycle drivers completed the Department of Tourism modules on basic tour-guiding.
The pedicab drivers were engaged in lively sessions on how it was like to be on the side of the riding public, for a change. For some, it was like learning Good Manners & Right Conduct all over again–from observing good hygiene and grooming to exchanging pleasantries.
And to address the common confusion where all Caucasians are thought to be Amerkano, the drivers were given some pointers on how to differentiate Americans from Europeans.
For some of the drivers, it was a real opposite view. One of them said he had been taking visitors to the Bethel Guest House all these years but it was actually his first time to be inside the hotel. They also went on a City tour on an air-conditioned bus, and toured the places that local and foreign visitors often want to see to learn what’s so special about these places.
All these learning experiences would definitely go a long way in the delivery of public service. We look forward to seeing more well-behaved tricycle drivers on the streets, and more favorable posts on social media about them.
Two hundred fifty drivers and operators may just be about eight percent of about 3,000 pedicabs that ply the City streets, but this early, the City Tourism Office has committed to continue this project to reach out to all of them in the coming months.
Participating in a seminar such as this could also be made a requirement for those seeking or renewing their permits to operate/drive pedicabs around the City.
Way to go, CTO!