Miami-Dade taxicab driver to be awarded Chauffeur of the Year

(Taxicab driver to receive $2500 and Chauffeur of the Year Award)

(MIAMI, April 6, 2012) – Members of the Board of County Commissioners and the For-Hire Transportation Division will award the Chauffeur of the Year prize to taxicab driver Akhtar Kamal.  The special presentation will take place during the Regional Transportation Committee meeting on Monday, April 9, 2012 at 9:30 a.m., in the Commission Chambers of the Stephen P. Clark building. 

Mr. Kamal is being recognized for going beyond the call of duty and transporting a sick passenger to a local hospital.  On September 20, 2011, Mr. Kamal transported a student from Florida International University who was new to the area to Mercy Hospital.  Because the student had such a high fever, Mr. Kamal would have been justified in refusing to transport her, but he did not.  Instead, he made the choice to immediately take her to the Emergency Room.

The passenger wrote to the Consumer Services Department, “My daughter had reached the point where she could not walk any longer, Mr. Kamal carried her into the ER himself and made sure she was seen at once.  His actions may very well have saved Caitlin's life as she was admitted to Mercy Hospital near sepsis shock.” 

The Taxicab Driver Incentive Program was created in 1998 to reward chauffeurs who provide excellent service.  In addition to the Chauffeur of the Quarter award, every year, a driver is selected for the Chauffeur of the Year award.  Nominees are chosen by taxicab passengers and other drivers.  The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau partners with Miami-Dade in handing out the awards.