erin | Taxi Council Queensland

Queensland taxi, rideshare drivers issued hundreds of fines for incorrect parking, signage

Published on: January 23, 2023Category: Media Release, News

17 January 2023

More than 600 fines have been given to Queensland taxi and rideshare drivers found to be operating in violation of industry guidelines.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey told ABC Radio Brisbane Mornings host Rebecca Levingston the enforcement blitz started in December and focused heavily around rides ordered and taken in Brisbane and the Gold Coast on and about December 31.

Authorities intercepted 2,056 taxis, limousines and booked hire vehicles.

Fines were issued for 31 different offences from December 2 to January 15, of varying amounts starting at $575, and included:

Failure to display a compliant booked hire sign — 179 fines
Unauthorised vehicle stopping in a bus zone — 130 fines
Stop in taxi zone while providing a booked hire service — 57 fines
Driver failure to carry their driver authorisation – 57 fines
Stop contrary to continuous yellow edge line – 67 fines

Other serious offences for which penalties were issued included driving an unregistered or defective vehicle, driving a vehicle with an unapproved security camera system, failure to ensure a security camera system is fitted and operational, or failing to display a security camera system sign.

“The majority of drivers do the right thing … but there were a number of drivers doing the wrong thing — not taking short fares, overcharging, not running meters,” Mr Bailey said.

“If you’ve had a few drinks and want to go home at 2am … you need to have confidence that cab is going to look after you and stick to the rules.

“We were very concerned over the Christmas period that this was happening.”

Mr Bailey said transport inspectors had worked 24/7 shifts, “sometimes covertly, sometimes uniformed”, and recorded 613 offences since the start of December totalling about $146,000.

Taxi drivers accounted for 80 fines while 524 fines were issued to rideshare drivers. Limousines and privately registered vehicles made up the remainder.

He said the department “particularly targeted New Year’s Eve because we knew that would be an issue”, intercepting 475 vehicles and issuing 104 fines in that time period as a result.

“We’ve had a lot less fines for over quoting and overcharging since the operation started in November, which is pleasing to see,” Mr Bailey said.

“But my message is that drivers breaking the rules, committing traffic offences or failing to carry their driver authorisation will be caught.

“There is no place for these dodgy practices and drivers need to obey the rules.

“We will continue our compliance operations, but we also ask the public to report any taxi or rideshare driver doing the wrong thing to help stamp out illegal behaviours.”

The Gold Coast area was a focus on January 14, with increased visitors for the Magic Millions race day.

Mr Bailey called on companies in the taxi and rideshare industry to improve self-regulation.

“It shouldn’t take fines for companies and drivers to step up and follow the rules that are in place,” he said.

“If this non-compliance continues, we will not hesitate to hand out fines of up to $5,750.”

Queensland’s Taxi Industry Council previously said it was aware of rogue cab drivers refusing to switch the meter on and instead insisting on cash-only and inflated fares during peak times at hospitality venues, major events and at the airport.

Australian Taxi Industry Association boss Blair Davies said the organisation had been encouraging the government to crack down on bad behaviour.

“Professional drivers have worked out the transport department is serious about catching this behaviour, and the number of incidents have significantly dropped off,” he said.

“I don’t know if they’ve been eliminated but they’ve dropped.

“Now, there are many more fines going to rideshare drivers for things like stopping in taxi zones and not having appropriate signage on their cars.

“We’re encouraged by that but we’d like to see a little bit more enforcement of touting.”

Touting describes drivers and customers doing cash deals outside of the safety of rideshare apps or taxi booking services and meters.

“In a nutshell, we’re supportive of the minister’s actions and appreciate his intervention, because at the end of the day, these small number of rogue taxi drivers are giving the industry a bad name,” Mr Davies said.

Repeated offences could result in much larger fines or being given fewer jobs by booking services.

Mr Davies said ultimately the transport department could cancel drivers’ booked hire taxi authorities, which were a form of license to operate such a business.

An Uber spokesperson said drivers who broke its guidelines could be banned.

Mr Bailey responded to reports in early November, of taxi and rideshare drivers demanding inflated cash fares without metres or apps at peak times by promising to stamp out the illegal practices.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/queensland-taxi-rideshare-drivers-fines-refuse-fares-price-gouge/101862192

With 13cabs data showing female taxi drivers are in high demand, could women help to fill the cabbie shortage?

Published on: May 3, 2022Category: Media Release

26 April 2022

Over the Easter long weekend the wait time for a taxi from Townsville airport was more than an hour.

There are 132 licensed cabbies in the city of 200,000 and Townsville Taxis director Darren Morse says that is about 80 drivers too few.

“The hardest part we’re now facing is … finding available drivers to put into those cars,” he said.

“And that’s drivers for day shift, drivers for night shift, and drivers who can just fill in those shifts when [they] need time off.”

Mr Morse said the business had tried to boost numbers through newspaper and radio advertising and by targeting university students and retirees looking for flexible work.

But the calls have gone unanswered and with the peak tourism period weeks away, Mr Morse says wait times will only increase.

But some think the answer to the driver shortage could be women.

Queensland’s largest taxi company, 13cabs, estimates only 11 per cent of drivers are women.

Data from the company’s app shows female drivers are increasingly preferred.

Townsville driver Colleen Babao says she has found herself answering the same question time and again from passengers.

“They feel very strongly there are safety concerns [for me] — I’m asked about this constantly,” Ms Babao said.

“People really have the idea that if you are driving a taxi you are at a great risk.”

With more than 20 years’ experience operating across the region, Ms Babao said she believed there was a misconception when it came to women’s safety.

She said the fear of being attacked or harassed could deter women from entering the profession.

“I think that’s at the heart of it,” Ms Babao said.

“They [passengers] express this very deep concern of ‘you be careful’, because they think it’s something that happens all the time.

“I just think the word need to be put out there — we can debunk the myth, so to speak, change those misperceptions.”

Taxi Council Queensland chief executive Blair Davies said those concerns had to be addressed to get more women into the industry.

“We need to get out there and promote driving a cab as a good, safe profession to segments of the community who maybe haven’t thought about it before,” he said.

Mr Davies said since the introduction of security cameras in Queensland taxis in the mid-2000s, there had been a reduction in the number of attacks on drivers, but technology could not eliminate the risks entirely.

“Some of the new drugs out there, things like ice, affect people’s thinking such that they don’t worry about being hurt or the consequence of their actions,” he said.

“They remain a concern.”

Ms Babao said drivers could find themselves in the “wrong place at the wrong time”, but wanted to reassure women that the job should not come with an expectation of compromised safety.

“I wouldn’t be working at night if I didn’t feel safe, but something I do is lock the doors if you’re in certain areas, particularly in the city,” she said.

“Good advice, I would say, is to trust your gut instincts — that’s the best advice I could give someone.”

Townsville’s only Shebah driver, Felicity Finau says she cannot keep up with the demand for her services.

“I have to turn down work because I cannot possibly put it in,” she said.

“It’s very hard at times, but I do what I can do.”

Founded in 2017, the all-female rideshare service caters to women and unaccompanied minors.

In the 12 months driving for Shebah, Ms Finau said she had seen demand for more female drivers in the region increase.

She said the flexible working hours made driving an attractive career choice.

“Especially if you’re a young mum that wants to get back into the workforce,” she said.

“This is something that can get you back out there and enjoy — you may not want to go back to your old job.

“There’s work out there for anyone who wants it.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-26/townsville-taxi-driver-shortage-female-cabbies/101008442

Queenslanders with disabilities left in limbo as wheelchair-accessible taxis fail to turn up to bookings

Published on: May 3, 2022Category: Media Release, News

26 April 2022

Mark McGrath has had to cancel countless appointments, social gatherings and almost missed his father’s funeral due to taxi delays.

The Gold Coast resident relies on wheelchair-accessible taxis every week but said he would do anything to avoid it.

“You never know whether they turn up in 20 minutes or an hour and a half,” Mr McGrath said.

“I will even take my power [wheelchair] and drive for two and a quarter hours, just to avoid that same cab trip.”

Even when he pre-booked a taxi to attend his father’s funeral, Mr McGrath almost missed it.

“I rang the day before, and I booked the cab to pick me up at 1pm and the ceremony was at 2pm, and it was only about 15 minutes away.

It’s QR codes for passenger safety in Qld taxis, limos and ride-shares

Published on: August 23, 2021Category: News

22 August 2021

Taxis and ride share vehicles will be required to have QR codes so passengers can check-in as the state government moves to further strengthen its contact tracing capabilities.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the recent case of a Cairns taxi driver who tested positive to Covid-19 had highlighted why the mandate was required.

“The first case in NSW’s spiralling outbreak was a Bondi limousine driver who transported flight crews,” she said.

“Extending the reach of the Check In Qld app to taxis, limousines and ride share is purely and simply about safety.”

From August 30, the government’s check-in app will be compulsory for the nearly 20,000 taxis, limousines and ride share operators across the state.

The mandate follows desperate calls from the Taxi Council of Queensland for QR codes to be used.

The codes have been compulsory in taxis across Victoria since late June and in NSW, SA and the ACT since July.

Ms Palaszczuk said authorities expected future cases and that it was important to get on top of them as quickly as possible. “It is a very tough situation at the moment and everything we are doing is to keep Queenslanders safe,” she said.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the new step could help prevent Queensland’s next outbreak.

“Anything we can do to help our team of contract tracers quickly identify where positive cases have been and who they’ve come into contact with helps us keep community transmission to a minimum,” she said.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the industries were supportive of the app.

“Taxi, limousine and ride share drivers and operators are already taking steps to protect Queenslanders to minimise the spread of Covid-19,” he said.

“Introducing compulsory QR codes is a sensible move to further protect drivers providing an important service for the community, and their customers.”

There have been more than 304 million check-ins via the government’s app at almost 185,000 businesses and locations across Queensland.

Taxi, limousine and ride share drivers can complete their registration via the Check-In Qld app website.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/rideshare-services-to-come-under-qr-code-mandate/news-story/1f9b3a65ba95e3fad8b1bd85e7613955

Taxi customers don’t have to use check-in code when in taxi

Published on: August 19, 2021Category: Media Release

10 August 2021

A dangerous oversight that means taxi customers don’t have to check-in using a QR code has resulted in a taxi driver being infectious in the community for 10 days because he was not identified as a close contact of an infected pilot.

Authorities revealed yesterday that the cab driver caught the virus from a passenger – a Cairns marine pilot who tested positive to the virus early last week.

It is not clear why the taxi driver was not identified as a close contact during contact tracing efforts with Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young saying it is not always possible to catch everyone.

Despite calls from the Taxi Council of Queensland for the use of QR codes to be mandated in cabs like has been done in other states the government is yet to act.

While Health Minister Yvette D’Ath stopped short of saying she would implement the change she said the government was always looking at ways to strengthen its contact tracing system to keep Queenslanders safe.

However, The Courier-Mail understands work is underway to expand the app to taxis and ride shares.

Griffith University virologist Professor Nigel McMillan said it was a no-brainer to introduce QR codes into cabs.

Taxi Council of Queensland chief executive Blair Davies said that it would be standard procedure for Cairns Taxis to hand over GPS tracking information for the routes taken by the taxi as well as details of fares through either phone or app bookings or receipts from electronic payment.

“We would be pretty confident that the information from the booking company should make the contract tracers’ job a lot easier because Cairns Taxis tend to do a high proportion of booked jobs and are less likely to be hailed on the street,” Mr Davies told The Courier-Mail.

Mr Davies said Queensland was one of the few states left in Australia which had not brought in QR codes in taxis, something the Queensland taxi industry called for last week.

Mr Davies said the call was made last week in order to support the fight to control Covid-19 and to make the taxi industry’s contribution to keeping the state moving.

QR codes have been compulsory in Victorian taxis since late June and in NSW, SA and the ACT since July.

Mr Davies said Cairns Taxis had been proactive with their sanitisation program.

He said taxi drivers were hard hit by lockdowns and he had been lobbying government to recognise them as a priority for vaccination.

“We estimate a significant number of our cabbies are already vaccinated but you want as many as you possibly can to get the jab,” Mr Davies said.

“Wheelchair taxi drivers for example come in close contact with people from an at-risk community,” Mr Davies said.

“We want to keep our drivers safe as well as those segments of our customer base who are vulnerable,” he said.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/taxi-customers-dont-have-to-use-checkin-code-when-in-taxi/news-story/ceb870cccc51baa5b2f7947b8c438cc0

Big Win for Queensland Cabbies on CTP

Published on: August 3, 2021Category: Media Release, News

Media release
August 3, 2021

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has welcomed the decision by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) to fix anomalies in Queensland’s Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme that have seen taxi operators paying up to $4,000 more per vehicle than their counterparts in the rest of the personalised transport sector.

Under reforms announced by MAIC:

- from 1 October 2021, the “base insurer premium” that forms the substantive part of the total CTP insurance premium will be equalised for taxi sedans and wagons (Class 3), rental cars (Class 4), and booked hire vehicles (Class 26); and
- from 1 July 2022, all other components of the total CTP insurance premium will be equalised for taxis, rentals and booked hire vehicles.

Currently, an ordinary Queensland cabbie (Class 3) pays 230% more each year in CTP than a full-time rideshare driver driving their own vehicle (Class 26) and that rideshare driver pay 45% more each year in CTP than someone renting a vehicle to provide a rideshare service (Class 4). MAIC’s reforms will mean everyone using a car to transport passengers in the personalised transport sector will pay the same CTP premium from 1 July 2022.

TCQ campaigned long and loud for anomalies in the CTP scheme to be fixed and so the industry peak body welcomes that they are finally going to be fixed.

“We have seen taxi businesses, many of which are small family-owned businesses, driven into financial difficulty and even bankruptcy, by excessive costs that their competitors escape through loopholes or special exemptions. Class 3 CTP premiums are not the only example of egregious costs being born by mum and dad taxi operators, but they are the biggest one and the one that most needed fixing,” says TCQ CEO, Blair Davies.

“We hear a lot from Governments around the country saying they want to get their economies growing again and acknowledging they need to support local businesses, especially small businesses, to make that happen. This decision by MAIC to equalise CTP premiums within the personalised transport sector shows the Queensland Government is moving past the rhetoric and taking real action. It’s going to be a great result for Queensland cabbies from 1 July 2022, and the changes from 1 October 2021 will be an important step on the journey,” Mr Davies continues.

Within the personalised transport sector, taxis are usually categorised as the essential service. During times of natural disaster or crisis, such as cyclones, floods and bushfires, taxis are typically the last vehicles on the road before conditions become unsafe and some of the first vehicles back on the road helping with the recovery. Mr Davies says this commitment to support and service their local communities has again been on show over the past eighteen months of the COVID-19 pandemic, even when travel and gathering restrictions made it difficult and uneconomic for taxis to be operating Queensland cabbies have been out on the road every day.

“Queensland taxis remained on the road throughout the pandemic because that’s who we are and what we do. Cabbies are members of their communities and committed to providing them with essential travel services when they need them. Being local small businesses is really what makes us different to rideshare companies and, quite frankly, we’re proud about being local and different,” says Mr Davies.

“The Queensland CTP scheme has been unfairly disadvantaging local small business taxi operators for years and the decision by MAIC is going to bring that to an end. It’s a victory for common sense, fairness, and TCQ persistence in standing up for Queensland cabbies” says Mr Davies

ENDS

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Mediation to reduce regulatory burden for personalised transport industry

Published on: June 21, 2021Category: News

14 June 2021

A mediation service for disputes arising from personalised transport industry complaints will be part of changes announced following a review of the Personalised Transport Ombudsman Act 2019.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the changes would provide new avenues for complaints to be resolved that would benefit the personalised transport industry.

“We are working to finalise a personalised transport mediation service through the Queensland Government’s dispute resolution services, where parties have been unable to resolve the complaint themselves and mediation can assist to resolve their issues,” Mr Bailey said.

“We are also partnering with The Taxi Council of Queensland to provide access to independent mediation services for the taxi industry, to assist in the resolution of bailment agreement and other industry disputes.

“These measures are part of our decision to repeal the Personalised Transport Ombudsman Act 2019, which would have established a Personalised Transport Ombudsman.

“We took the opportunity to readdress the Act when the proposed Ombudsman position was deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our review looked at whether a newly created Personalised Transport Ombudsman would provide the stated benefits to industry, particularly as operators recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“That review found the number of complaints about the industry were currently low and what was really required was access to independent mediation services to assist the industry to resolve complex matters.

“We listened to industry feedback, particularly with regard to how the Act added another layer of regulations and compliance it would be required to address.”

Mr Bailey said mediation services will be available at no cost to the industry.

The taxi industry security levy will also being suspended in 2020-21 as part of continued support during the COVID-19 pandemic, saving of $405 per taxi service licence this financial year.

The secure taxi rank program, which operates in popular nightlife precincts on weekends and has historically been part-funded by the industry levy, is currently under review with an outcome expected later this calendar year.

Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) CEO Blair Davies commended the State Government on its decision to prioritise reducing regulatory burden for the industry.

“Utilising the Government’s existing dispute resolution services and TCQ’s experience in mediation makes much more sense than adding another layer of bureaucracy for the personalised transport sector,” Mr Davies said.

“It just has to be a more efficient process for dealing with complaints and we think it will also produce better resolutions.

“We thank the Minister for taking on board TCQ’s advice that Queensland taxi licence holders could not afford to pay the industry levy this year.

“The past twelve months have been very tough for taxi licence holders and so this decision that will save them $405 per licence is very much appreciated.

“We know that the secure ranks program is vital for keeping taxi drivers and passenger safe late at night and it has to be funded somehow, and we look forward to working with the Government to find improvements that can make the program more efficient.”

The Queensland taxi and limousine industries have been supported through the economic impacts of the pandemic COVID-19 with a $23 million financial assistance package announced in 2020 that provided one-off payments to taxi and limousine operators, wheelchair accessible taxi operators, taxi and limousine licence holders, and authorised booking entities.

This funding followed the provision of various forms of relief to members of the personalised transport industry as part of a $54.5 million essential transport services package announced in April 2020.

The establishment of the Personalised Transport Ombudsman office was budgeted at $5 million over three years, with $429,800 of costs incurred until April 2021.

https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/92380

COVID, Uber push value of Queensland taxi licences ‘over a cliff’

Published on: March 8, 2021Category: News

28/02/2021

Taxi licences are selling for as little as $3000 as the value of the once-coveted asset falls off a cliff following intense pressure from ride-sharing companies and the coronavirus pandemic.

Standard Brisbane taxi licences were selling for an average of more than $500,000 in 2014, but in 2020, they were worth just $41,107 on average.

But the situation in other regions is even worse.

In Ipswich, three standard cab licences sold for the dismal price of $3000 in December 2020. The average sale price there in 2014 was $336,667.

Last month, a standard Brisbane taxi licence sold for $16,541, while in June 2020, one sold for $5000 – the lowest price in more than a decade.

The number of taxi licences changing hands has also plummeted – from 69 in 2013 to 14 in 2020 – showing many owners have simply given up trying to offload what was once their treasured retirement plan.

Limo owners also failed to escape unscathed, with 13 out of 18 of the licences that sold last year going for just $1000.

In 2014, the average cost of a limousine licence was $68,409.

Uber came to Brisbane in 2014 and was legalised in Queensland in September 2016, with ride-sharing companies Ola and DiDi also joining the market.

Taxi Council of Queensland chief executive Blair Davies said the industry was hit first by the legalisation of ride-sharing services and then by COVID-19.

“Gathering restrictions, stay at home orders, border closures – that very much impacted the demand for taxis,” he said. “We probably saw demand, at some points in 2020, down by 80 per cent.”

However, Mr Davies said he believed things would pick up in 2021.

“We’re finding that, particularly with the airports opened up, more people are travelling out to the airport using taxis, and we’ve started to see businesspeople go back to working from their offices rather than holding virtual meetings,” he said.

“It’s like they [licence values] went over a cliff when the government changed that regulatory environment and it will be a long, slow climb back up to more reasonable values, we believe.”

Mr Davies said there were fewer sales as buyers were offering low prices that many sellers refused to accept, and also because banks were reluctant to lend for the asset.

“And we’re also aware that some licences might well be sold at low prices because people are just desperate for money and therefore they just don’t have the option of holding out for another year or two for the licences to improve,” he said.

Limousine Action Group Queensland chairwoman Jacqui Shephard said COVID decimated the industry, with many drivers being kept on with JobKeeper.

“With no international travel … people have learnt to work from home now, we’re not going out anymore,” she said.

“The industry is really struggling and they’re predominantly small business owners.”

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said taxi and limousine licence values were determined by the open market and not set by the government.

“As part of the personalised transport reforms, [the] government committed to not releasing any new perpetual licences,” he said.

In 2016, a $100 million industry adjustment assistance package was rolled out by the government, including payments of $20,000 per licence for taxi and limousine owners.

In April 2020, the Queensland government announced a $54.5 million transport industry package, including waiving fees and extending taxi and limousine licences for six months.

An extra $23 million package to support the taxi and limousine industry was announced in June 2020.

Last year, federal member for Kennedy Bob Katter vowed to take the compensation claim of more than 1300 taxi licence holders against the Queensland government to the High Court.

Maurice Blackburn has also filed a class action against Uber in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Licence sales recorded at zero dollars, often the result of transfers between family members or trust structures, were removed from Brisbane Times’ analysis.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/covid-uber-push-value-of-queensland-taxi-licences-over-a-cliff-20210223-p574z6.html

Taxi industry says Cabbies deserve priority for COVID-19 vaccine

Published on: February 19, 2021Category: Media Release, News

Media Release
February 19, 2021

With the COVID-19 vaccination set to roll out nationally within the coming days, the taxi industry has appealed to the Commonwealth and State Governments to prioritise its drivers for COVID-19 vaccinations for the collective benefit of the community.

The peak industry body, the Australian Taxi Industry Association, has recommended a similar approach be adopted to the one implemented by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) whereby taxi drivers and other public transit drivers are recognised as essential frontline workers.

This does not place taxi drivers ahead of the elderly, frontline medical and quarantine staff, but rather in the next high-priority category.

Mr Blair Davies, CEO of the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) says, just as in the US, taxi drivers should be included in Phase 1B of the rollout, recognising them as ‘essential frontline workers’. He believes taxi drivers logically fall into this group as they provide essential mobility services for many vulnerable people in the community.

“The taxi industry has approximately 12,000 drivers in Queensland who routinely may come into close and sustained contact with people at higher risk and vulnerability in regard to COVID-19,” he explains.

“The taxi industry is the only segment within Queensland’s Personalised Transport sector that has wheelchair accessible vehicles and these drivers obviously come into particularly close contact with passengers who need assistance due to disability. Securing wheelchairs and assisting with seatbelts is integral to these services being provided safely, but it puts our drivers in very close contact with passengers who may fall into the highest risk categories,” says Mr Davies.

Providing further supporting argument for taxi drivers to receive priority vaccination, was the recent incident of a Brisbane man who was twice made to get a cab from hospital to hotel quarantine, while not knowing his COVID status.

“We have queried a recent Government directive that taxi drivers can be required to transport passengers to quarantine and are awaiting a response,” Mr Davies said. “From an industry perspective, we want to make sure that cabbies can earn an income safely, whilst also minimising any risk for our passengers. If the Government expects taxi drivers to be transporting people to quarantine, they should be making vaccination available to cabbies as a high priority.”

Mr Davies says the TCQ notes that the Brisbane City Council has called for bus drivers to be considered a priority and that makes good sense. Bus drivers and taxi drivers are both very much on the frontline when it comes to providing essential mobility services for local communities.

“The rules clearly state that priority groups are to be identified by considering the public health, medical and epidemiological evidence on who would be most affected if they contracted COVID-19,” said Mr Davies. “Clearly, taxi drivers and bus drivers warrant priority under that logic and so hopefully we will see a decision along those lines from Queensland Health very, very soon”.

ENDS

Visitors to Queensland urged to ‘grab a cab’ and support local business operators

Published on: December 4, 2020Category: Media Release, News

Media Release
December 3, 2020

After eight months closed off from Australia’s most populous states, Queensland’s border restrictions lifted on Tuesday seeing 6,000 interstate visitors touch down in the Sunshine State on that day alone.

It’s a welcome sight for the frontline of the tourism industry, Queensland cabbies, who have well and truly felt the impact of reduced interstate travel during the most restrictive periods of 2020.

The Taxi Council of Queensland’s (TCQ) CEO, Blair Davies, has welcomed the State Government’s move to deliver on its promise and reunite families and welcome visitors from across the border. TCQ says travelers can have confidence that taxis are ready and waiting to help them to get to where they need to be.

“The day the borders opened was a huge milestone on the path to economic recovery,” says Mr Davies. “Cabbies all over Queensland welcomed an influx of passengers at major airports. It was a privilege to be helping so many passengers journeying on to the homes of relatives and friends for long overdue catchups.

“Like virtually every other business that services the tourism sector, month after month this year our taxi operators had to struggle to keep vehicles on the road and available for local customers. Unlike some of our competitors, it just wasn’t part of the taxi industry’s DNA to abandon their social responsibility and leave local communities without essential transport. It’s something that we would urge visitors to consider when choosing a transport option these holidays, one that not only benefits them, but also the local community.

“It has been a tough year for everybody, so being able to provide our customers with a service that has no hidden surprises is a top priority for us,” explains Mr Davies. “It’s core to the way taxis service their communities’ needs and we’re happy to offer the same to visitors as well.

“Taxis have always charged reliable prices that are subject to maximums set by the State Government in line with community expectations and affordability. That means grabbing a cab comes without fare surprises or unpredictable hikes, even when it gets a little busy.

“Taxis also come in standard and extra-large sizes, which is a tremendous advantage if travelling as a large family or group of friends or with a mobility device like a wheelchair. Over twenty percent of the Queensland taxi fleet are wheelchair accessible vehicles that can carry up to ten passengers and two wheelchairs and with the Queensland Government’s commitment to support replacement of older wheelchair accessible vehicles in the fleet, the Queensland taxi industry is well placed to continue leading the world in quality accessible transportation services,” Mr Davies continues.

“With the border now open, things are looking up for more and more businesses in Queensland,” says Mr Davies. “Hopefully we will see consumers preferencing local Queensland suppliers in their buying decisions, like the local taxi service, as they get out and about and start spending again. Go on Queensland and grab a cab.

ENDS