MIAMI-DADE – Members of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department presented the 2008 Chauffeur of the Year Award to taxicab driver Frantz Rinville, a Haitian-American on May 12, 2009.
Rinville was recognized for ensuring the safety and comfort of a group of passengers in need of wheelchair accessible taxicabs at Miami International Airport.
“Mr. Rinville is an exemplary figure in the taxicab industry. He went out of his way and gave up other paying fares, to help a group of passengers with disabilities obtain transportation and make sure they had a positive experience during their visit to Miami-Dade,” said Director Cathy Grimes Peel of the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department. “He represents the kind of attitude that all chauffeurs should have when providing services to visitors and residents of this community.”
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.
left to right are Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Seijas, District 13; Frantz Rinville, Chauffeur of the Year, his daughter Daphnee Rinville; Commissioner Carlos A. Gimenez, District 7; Director Cathy Grimes Peel, Consumer Services Department; and Commissioner Joe A. Martinez, District 11.
