Don't dye your hair bright red, and remember to leave those big chunky earrings at home. That was the message from Beijing city administrators to taxi drivers to smarten up the cab industry with less than 500 days toward the Olympics.

 

Yao Kuo, vice director of the municipal transport management bureau, said that his bureau had devised a 12-item evaluation chart for cab services, The Beijing News reported Wednesday.

 

Cab drivers are not permitted to smoke while driving, overcharge, spit or litter. They are asked to dress in neat, clean clothes and to be friendly and polite. Drivers who fail to use taximeters and refuse to pick up passengers will lose their licenses, according to the paper.

 

"Some drivers don't care about their appearance and this has a negative impact on the whole industry," said Yao, adding that some drivers don't brush their teeth after eating garlic.

 

Female drivers must not wear big, chunky earrings or dye their hair odd colors like bright red or yellow, and male drivers should not wear their hair long, said Yao.

 

"A person's hairstyle and the accessories they wear are their personal business, but cab drivers must remember that their industry is a window for China's capital, and they contribute powerfully to the city's image," Yao explained.

 

Yao's inspectors are determined to nose out any cabs that smell bad inside. Cab managers will be instructed to call those cabs in and clean them up.

 

But some drivers are unhappy with the new regulations. A cab driver from Yinjian Cab Company surnamed Geng said the regulations should not interfere with personal freedom like the color of one's hair. But he agreed that female drivers should dress decently and not wear clothes that are too tight-fitting.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2007)