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Jul
2011
Jul
Heroes Saleh Moujally and Ibrahim Zreick were among six taxi drivers who received special awards from the City of Ottawa during its annual Taxi Driver Appreciation Celebration held at City Hall on June 14.
The awards acknowledge and celebrate great service provided by Ottawa taxi drivers. Customers and members of Ottawa's taxi industry nominated candidates for five award categories: Excellent Customer Service, Access for All, Driver Role Model, Heroism and Lifetime Achievement.
Saleh Moujally and Ibrahim Zreick each received the Heroism Award.
Mr. Moujally responded to an early morning call from a woman who awoke feeling ill. For the first time in her life the woman called for cab to take her to hospital as she did not want to disturb her family. Mr. Moujally noticed that she was not well and rushed her to the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital. Once there, he accompanied her inside and ensured she got medical attention. The woman had suffered a heart attack and Mr. Moujally's fast response helped save her life.
Mr. Zreick went to pick up a customer to transport her to her dialysis appointment. When she did not answer the door he proceeded to knock loudly and call her name. He heard her faint voice inside and asked if he could come in. Mr. Zreick found the customer on the floor and unable to get back into her wheelchair. He assisted her into her chair and made sure she was comfortable for transportation to the hospital. Once at the hospital Mr. Zreick took his customer inside and made sure she was safe with the hospital staff. If the customer had been left on the floor, she may have died. When asked about his act of heroism, he said, “We may all be in place where we need help some day.”
Other award recipients were: George Jarawan (Excellent Customer Service Award), Marc Khouri (Access for All Award), Tesfai Asfaha (Driver Role Model Award) and Bruce Mitchell (Lifetime Achievement Award)
“(The) six award recipients have provided exemplary customer service through their kind and heroic actions,” said Councillor Mark Taylor, chair of Community and Protective Services Committee.
“Their actions remind us why customer service in the taxi industry is so important to our community and economy. These helping hands and smiling faces play an important role in our transportation network every day.”
The City licenses over 1,200 taxis and over 2,500 taxi drivers who provide an estimated 38,000 trips a day or almost 12 million trips annually. The Taxi Driver Awards are a way to acknowledge and promote great service for Ottawa residents and visitors. Customers are encouraged to report good service by providing the driver's name or cab number to the taxi company or to the City at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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