Thieving, Dirty, Cab Drivers!

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/claims-some-taxi-drivers-simply-not-playing-fare/story-fnk0b1zt-1226918005028


Territory taxi drivers are illegally fitting switches to their vehicles to manipulate their meters to run higher fares, it has been alleged. 
 
It has also been claimed that several taxi drivers are obtaining taxi plates through an underground subleasing system potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The NT Government said yesterday it was aware of the claims and said a review of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle industry would specifically address the availability of taxi licences.

Transport Minister Peter Styles said in a statement that his department had contacted the Taxi Council regarding the issue of fare manipulation and would "continue to monitor taxi vehicles and their operation for compliance".

A Territory taxi operator told the NT News that the practice had been going on for some time.

The NT Government has placed a cap on the number of taxis operating in the Darwin and Alice Springs areas, and licenses are allocated by a ballot system. A taxi licence may only be allocated to a commercial passenger vehicle operator accredited under the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act.

At the moment there are 112 standard taxis operating in Darwin, and 28 in Alice Springs.

The man said the subleasing practice was widespread in the industry and he was aware of 40 taxi plates that were owned by individuals and subleased by others.

He alleged some drivers who were successfully winning plates in the Government ballot would then sublease the plates for between $10,000 and $15,000 – on top of the $20,000 paid for the plate – to other individuals. He said some operators were doing this with more than one plate at a time.

The underground operation means there could be unlicensed taxi drivers on Territory roads. He also alleged some taxis could have their meters manipulated to run up to $1 more per kilometre. He said the cabbies were fitting non-approved switches to meters to achieve this.

Mr Styles said the Department had conducted inspections of taxis targeting hidden switches, but had found no evidence they were in use. However the NT News understands that eight taxis had been found to be carrying the switches.


You can bet this is the work of those pesky "Indian Myna brids"! who else drives cabs nowadays?

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/industry-drives-points-home/story-fnk0b35e-1227194950096

THE Taxi Industry Council has accused the Government of not understanding the sector in its submission to the NT Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Review. 
 
Circumstances within the industry had become so bad that drivers often earned as little as $6 an hour, the submission said.

And, it said, it was "simplistic" of the Government to suggest that having more cabs on the road would produce a better level of service.

"The issue is not one of a shortage of taxis but a shortage of drivers.

"The income level of drivers is a key issue that needs to be addressed to attract and retain quality drivers," the submission said.

Transport Minister Matt Conlan said the review aimed to improve the industry for drivers and passengers.

"No decisions have been made about future changes," he stressed.

While the council said it shared the Government's aim of "a growing, safe and efficient commercial passenger vehicle industry" this would not be achieved by removing the existing cap on taxi numbers and putting more cabs on the road.

"More innovative ideas are needed if the vision is to become a reality."

The submission was particularly critical of the Government claim in its position paper on the industry that taxis were "inactive for much of the time".

"This statement reflects a complete lack of understanding of the industry.

"Taxi drivers do not park up when there is work available."

The only reasons cabs would "park up" were the lack of a relief driver or too little work.

The submission said the issues that the review needed to address were: maintaining the cap on cab numbers, the ownership of taxis and the transfer taxi licences.

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/a-group-of-territory-cab-drivers-support-deregulation-say-its-time-to-end-anti-competitive-practices/story-fnk0b1zt-1227212178168


A GROUP of Indian cab drivers support of Government moves to deregulate the taxi industry, saying it was time to break the anti-competitive forces which they claim control cabs in Darwin. 
 
Representatives of the drivers yesterday demanded "equal opportunity" to run their own small businesses rather than being forced to drive for as little as $8 an hour.

Prabhjeet Singh said he struggled to support his wife and two children on the $100 he earned from 12 hours behind the wheel each day.

Kamaldeep Singh Khattra said the Government must now move to stop the illegal practice of subleasing taxi plates to drivers.

He said owners demanded as much as $1800 a week to sublease taxis to drivers.

It's a figure questioned by NT Taxi Council executive officer Les Whittaker.

"I can't see anyone paying that and, if they did, they'd be crazy," Mr Whittaker said.

In a letter to the Government, the drivers said: "Currently, we are neither business owners nor employees.

"All we are are people on the lowest hourly rate in Australia without any holiday or sick pay, superannuation or career prospects, or any hope for the future."

Mr Khattra said: "We can have a small business if the Government gives the opportunity to drivers who, when they become owners, provide a better service to passengers. Removal of the cap will give drivers the opportunity to run their own small business rather than be captive to the rent-seeking and anti-competitive practices the cap ensures."

The push for the removal of the cap puts the drivers at odds with the NT Taxi Council, which wants the number of cabs in Darwin and Alice Springs to remain unchanged.

Mr Whittaker yesterday maintained deregulation was not the answer to problems within the industry.

"We've got too many taxis now and there's not enough work for them – drivers are not making very much (money) at all at the moment."
(If we have too many curry cabbies , there isn't enough work for them.. they should bugger off back to the sub continent, go live in their shanty town)


The drivers have asked for a "separate meeting" with the Government to put forward their case in support of deregulation. "Many drivers are from cultural backgrounds where they can be easily intimidated by taxi plate owners," the drivers said.

[Rev.Cambeul]

"Many drivers are from cultural backgrounds where they can be easily intimidated by taxi plate owners," the drivers said.

That's PC speak for the original Punjabi translation of "WAAAH! :'( RACISTS!"