State Government’s $21m scheme finally up and idling

Published on: March 23, 2020Category: News

17/03/2020

Calls for help to make it easier for Queensland residents needing wheelchair-accessible taxis have been answered after the State Government announced a $21 million investment to address the issue.

The under-supply of wheelchair-accessible taxis was highlighted in September last year after the Wynnum Herald reported bayside resident Mel Cheal and his wife were left stranded for hours waiting for a taxi.

And after Mr Cheal’s wife, Eileen, died in January – he made it his mission to continue to fight for people in similar situations.

More than 50 taxi operators will benefit from the grants scheme, which will help taxi companies upgrade current vehicles to be wheelchair accessible.

“This funding will help operators across Queensland to upgrade their older vehicles, so those vehicles can stay in service, rather than dropping out of the accessible taxi fleet when they become too expensive to maintain, or reach the end of their serviceable life,” Transport and Main Rods Minister, Mark Bailey, said.

“The grants not only aid with replacing written-off vehicles and ageing taxis but also provide funding for existing conventional taxi licence operators to replace their vehicles with wheelchair accessible taxis in some areas.

“Following a recent assessment process, grants have now been approved for 51 new wheelchair accessible taxis.”

Disability Services Minister Coralee O’Rourke said successful applicants would receive 50 per cent funding for the cost to purchase and modify a new wheelchair accessible taxi, up to a maximum grant of $45,000.

But 13cabs general manager Matt McLachlan said the funding would not resolve the under-supply of taxi licences in Brisbane.

“We are aware of, and appreciate, the government’s commitment to invest in replacing existing vehicles. It’s a great initiative to ensure Queensland’s most vulnerable citizens have access to safe transport options,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this commitment does not resolve the under supply of Taxi Licences in Brisbane.

“Any initiative that supports Brisbane residents with a disabilities access to safe and reliable transport is a good one. However, as we continue to explain to the Queensland Government, we simply need more Taxis to supply the increasing demand.”

Mr Cheal said the commitment would be meaningless unless those requiring a wheelchair accessible taxi were given priority.

“As long as the ‘get out of jail clause’ in the Federal and State anti discrimination laws remains applicable to taxis, the provision of the service will cause undue financial hardship to the business or person, they can continue to leave people stranded or not turn up as happened to myself and wife and is still happening now,” he said.

“As it is the taxi operators will just use this as a way to replace their vehicles with a more versatile one or a clapped out one, courtesy of the taxpayer subsidy, and carry on not providing a reliable 24/7 service which is the intention of the subsidy and the legislation.”

Mr Cheal said he was also about to resume his approaches to the organisations he contacted last year on the issue.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/southeast/state-governments-21m-scheme-to-address-serious-taxi-shortage/news-story/972ffa4300266036d5bbb8640b40893f 

TCQ farewells long time member, John Wilson, may he rest in peace

Published on: February 7, 2020Category: Media Release, News

07 February 2020

A mix of sorrow and appreciation fills the hearts at the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) today as we farewell John Wilson, who passed away, Wednesday, 5 February 2020.

A long-time member of TCQ, John had a contagious passion for the industry.

Spending the majority of his working life with Yellow Cabs, then 13CABS, John had a wide-ranging career in which he made significant contributions as Yellows’ fleet vehicle sales and licensing manager, Driver Superintendent, Chairman of the Yellow Owners Committee, and rank supervision manager.

John also made important contributions for the broader industry through his roles with TCQ as a Councillor, Metropolitan Committee member, and co-ordinator for the Late-Night Secure Ranks Program in Brisbane.

Blair Davies, CEO of TCQ, said TCQ has lost one of its stalwarts, with John being known as a man who consistently put the industry’s interest first.

“John carried out all his roles without fuss or fluster. He was the guy who would bring common sense back into a conversation, a quality that can be quite uncommon and yet so very valuable,” said Mr Davies.

“The memory of John’s commitment, life and light will live on with us.”

“Thank you, John, for everything you have done for TCQ, for the industry and for the community. Our deepest condolences are extended to his family and close friends.”

John’s funeral will be held on Thursday, 13 February 2020, for details please contact TCQ on 07 3434 2100.

ENDS

Queensland drivers face $1000 fine for texting from Saturday

Published on: January 31, 2020Category: News

30/01/2020

Queensland drivers who use their phones behind the wheel will be hit with a $1000 on-the-spot fine from Saturday.

Drivers caught twice risk losing their licence and facing double demerit points, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said.

“Thirty-three lives were lost to distraction last year, 1300 crashes, and we believe that is an under reporting,” he said.

“Research shows driving distracted by your mobile phone or anything else is the equivalent of driving with 0.07 to 0.1 blood alcohol in your system.

“This is the same risk as driving drunk.”

The new fine is more than double the current penalty of $400.

Drivers with their phone in a cradle, or going hands free,  will be allowed limited phone use. This includes accepting a call, or, for rideshare drivers, accepting or finishing a trip.

Police will have the discretion to decide whether or not to hand out a fine.

New snooping cameras, designed to detect phone use on the roads, were expected to be rolled out by the middle of the year.

Mr Bailey was unsure how many cameras would be rolled out as part of the trial, nor where they would be placed, but hoped eventually units would be in place in all major regional areas as well as Brisbane and south-east Queensland.

NSW rolled out trial cameras in December that caught more than 3300 people illegally using their phones in the first week.

RACQ spokeswoman Renee Smith said a “harsh deterrent” was needed after years of education had failed to stop distracted drivers.

“It’s always been difficult to catch people out on their phones, but these new cameras will
make it very tough for motorists doing the wrong thing to hide,” she said.

“Enforcement is critical; tougher penalties will only work if motorists think there is a good
chance they will be caught.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/queensland-drivers-face-1000-fine-for-texting-from-saturday-20200130-p53w1o.html

Grab a cab this festive season

Published on: December 13, 2019Category: Media Release

Media release
12 December, 2019

As 2019 draws to a close, the festivities are just heating up and between Christmas barbeques, work events and New Year celebrations, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is reminding everyone to grab a cab for safe, accessible and surcharge-free holiday travel.

Merrymakers can enjoy a safe journey to and from events without worrying about excessive surcharges of booked hire services, with taxis remaining a convenient and affordable travel option during the holiday season.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies says taxis are a safe and reliable option for getting to and from parties and events these holidays.

“With holiday celebrations underway, taxis are a great option for those who want to enjoy a drink or two and get to their celebrations quickly and safely, or even avoid congested carparks when doing last minute Christmas shopping,” Mr Davies said.

“Instead of spending your day stuck waiting to exit a shopping centre or circling around the streets trying to find a park to your event, grab a cab to get you where you want to be.”

At this time of year, booked-hire platforms with price surcharging can have rides costing passengers hundreds of dollars more than the normal fare.

“With surcharging by booked-hire platforms likely to be kicking in pretty often over the coming weeks, and especially on the public holidays, taxis remain the only constant, serving their communities through affordable transport,” Mr Davies said.

“Taxis are a smarter option with their calibrated taximeters and easily identifiable livery and hail lights. They are also safer because they’re fitted with sophisticated security cameras, monitored duress alarm systems and hard-wired GPS devices.”

TCQ is expecting the busiest periods to be Friday 20 December in the evening as most businesses wind down for the year on this day, as well as Saturday and Sunday, Christmas Eve and of course New Year’s Eve.

“Taxis continue to provide Queenslanders with the most reliable and safest form of door-to-door transport. New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year, however, all available cabs and drivers will be on the road,” Mr Davies said.

“Taxi fares do not increase on New Year’s Eve, and we recommend customers in the City and Valley entertainment precincts utilise one of the many secure taxi ranks, where their wait time will be minimised even at peak times.

“Our cabbies are committed to getting Queenslanders everywhere they may want to go this holiday period, so why not take the worry out of it and grab a cab as the smart travel option.”

ENDS

 

Uber’s London Licence Loss, a Lesson for Government

Published on: December 6, 2019Category: Media Release

Media release
06 December 2019

Transport for London (TfL) has stripped Uber of its operating licence for the second time in just over two years, after the Government regulator once again deemed the company to not be ‘fit and proper’. This has led the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) to question how Queensland’s Department of Transport bureaucrats can hold a completely contradictory view about Uber, granting the company unconditional Booking Entity Authorisation (BEA) until 2023.

For the past two years, Uber’s London operations have been subject to special probationary conditions imposed by TfL. Rigorous scrutiny of Uber’s compliance with those conditions has recently revealed a litany of failures relating to safety and security. In September 2017, after TfL declined to renew its licence for London, Uber appealed the decision. The appeal led to Uber getting its licence renewed but not without the imposition of strict probationary conditions and only for two years. When that probationary licence expired in September, TfL only granted the company a two-month extension. Now, London’s transport authority has refused to renew Uber’s licence to operate after identifying a continued pattern of failures by the company including not reporting serious criminal offences and fraudulent drivers – failures that are not confined only to London but evidenced in the US and in Australia.

The short leash that Uber has been on in London should be a massive red flag for Queensland bureaucrats, however the Department of Transport’s website shows that Uber’s trading company, Rasier Pacific Pty Ltd, has been granted authorisation to operate in Queensland until 30 November 2023. With BEAs only valid for up to five years, this suggests Queensland’s Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has issued, and subsequently renewed Uber’s BEA, during the same period that TfL has been finding Uber not a “fit and proper” company.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies said it is almost unbelievable that TfL, with its much greater experience with Uber and expertise in regulating a far bigger Personalised Transport sector, can hold deep concerns about Uber and yet our local Transport Department officials seemingly cannot see any concerns whatsoever.

“Uber’s short leash has once again been shortened in London, yet TMR continues to sell to us that Uber is a ‘fit and proper’ company to operate in Australia,” said Mr Davies. “For Uber to have the authority to operate until 2023, suggests TMR has turned a blind-eye to the serious issues around public safety.

“As a global business, Queensland regulators need to be looking at Uber and how the business operates everywhere, especially in comparable markets. They need to be learning from the experiences of their overseas counterparts. It’s a naive mindset for our bureaucrats to ignore what’s happening in London, and even more worrying that our Government officials are not alive to any of the concerns that clearly worry their TfL counterparts.

“The clear lack of action doesn’t inspire any confidence as a strategy for assuring Queenslanders that their personalised transport sector will operate with the highest safety standards and vulnerable members of the community will be well protected.”

Considering London’s scrutiny, TCQ is questioning why TMR is not forcing Uber to reapply for its BEA, on a regular basis and with special conditions.

TCQ is urging the State Government to learn from TfL’s assertive actions, take control back of Queensland roads and to hold booked-hire platforms, like Uber, more accountable for the safety of passengers and drivers.

“TMR needs to place Uber under stricter scrutiny by requiring them to reapply for its BEA on a regular basis and get on the front-foot on issues of ill-practice and misconduct from the company.

“It’s time for our bureaucrats to lose their naivety and start applying due diligence to ensuring that every company they authorise to operate a booked-hire service in Queensland, is genuinely fit and proper,” said Mr Davies.

Ends

Rideshare safety concerns with ‘lifts for cash’ offered on social media

Published on: November 11, 2019Category: News

7/11/2019

Australians are being warned about the potential dangers of illegal, underground rideshare services that are operating across the country — largely through social media.

t follows an incident on the New South Wales’ Central Coast, where an 18-year-old man allegedly ran down and seriously injured two passengers on Sunday.

The driver, who is facing six serious charges, is accused of stealing his father’s car while drunk to pick up the passengers who are minors.

The incident is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding rideshare services.

Authorities are seriously concerned about the prevalence of ‘rogue’ groups nationwide — with people offering “lifts for cash” on social media and through phone apps.

There are fears about the safety of people who use these services, which lack scrutiny as well as various security measures provided by taxis and official rideshare services.

One Facebook group states: “under no circumstances are any of the admins responsible for your health and safety. Enter cars at your own risk”.

“If you have any problems with a driver please don’t get into the car with them, ask for another driver if you prefer to.”

Industry representative body, Ride Share Drivers Association of Australia (RSDAA) maintains those platforms provide no protections for drivers or passengers.

“If anything happens you’ve got no way of knowing who or what or where or why,” RSDAA secretary Les Johnson said.

“There’s no way I would recommend anyone uses a service that’s not fully authorised.”

The Australian Taxi Industry Association agrees, pointing out it’s a rigorous process for them to comply with the government’s safety regulations.

“Typically to be a provider of a public passenger service you need to be an experienced driver, have held an open licence for three years, you need to have a clean driving record to make sure you’re a safe driver,” CEO Blair Davies said.

“All of these things are important, they’ve traditionally been a part of the taxi industry. They’ve in part been adopted for new business models but many of these Facebook groups are avoiding these requirements.”

Taxis also have compulsory security measures including hard-wired GPS systems inside the taxis and mandatory 24-hour security cameras in the cars.

An Uber spokesperson said prospective drivers must be 18 years or older and undergo criminal background check before gaining access to the Uber app.

Passengers must be 18 years or over to use the service and minors must be accompanied by an adult.

The spokesperson said Uber had an on-call law enforcement team that works with police to respond to urgent matters and assist in investigations, should passengers require it.

The New South Wales Point-to-Point Transport Commissioner, Anthony Wing regulates taxis and rideshare services.

He acknowledged unauthorised rideshare groups are a problem and said the Commission was working to shut them down.

So far this year, 30 unauthorised services have been identified but no fines were issued because the drivers cooperated with authorities.

“It’s 30 people we want to either get authorised and run a proper professional service with safety features or shut up shop,” Commissioner Wing said.

He said authorities are prepared to prosecute with fines of up to $110,000.

“If they’re not authorised they need to get authorised or stop. If they don’t stop we will follow them up and prosecute.”

In July, Victoria’s regulator and Victoria Police cracked down on unaccredited drivers operating through services like ‘Lifts for Cash’ on Facebook, hitting them with almost $2,000 fines.

Seventeen drivers were charged in just two days.

But the Taxi Association CEO has questioned the ability for State Governments to adequately police unregulated rideshare services.

Mr Davies claims changes State Governments made to regulations in 2015 and 2016 to recognise rideshare services like Uber, have made the sector vulnerable.

“Governments now need to look at the unintended consequences of some of their regulations,” he said.

“They need to pass new rules and regulations that allow their enforcement officers to get in there, find these people, penalise them and make sure the practice stops, so passengers trust in the services they’re buying.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-06/rideshare-concerns-with-underground-operators/11677966?pfmredir=sm 

Nominations open to recognise industry’s finest

Published on: October 25, 2019Category: Media Release, News

Media Release
25 October, 2019

Nominations are still open for The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ)’s 2019 Industry Awards which recognise and celebrate those who have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of the industry.

The 2019 awards see exciting new categories to acknowledge and appreciate the diversity in people, backgrounds and personalities of the industry.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies, says the awards pay tribute to the dedication and achievements of some of the taxi industry’s finest across the Sunshine State.

“For over 100 years, taxis in Queensland have been committed to providing excellent transportation services to our community and this could not be achieved without the incredible professionalism and quality of service of our industry members,” Mr Davies said.

“We continue to see and hear of the commitment and passion from the nominations and it’s the breadth of backgrounds that ensures we are able to deliver the exceptional service that helps our taxi service rank amongst the best in the world. This is why we have included new categories this year, to recognise the varied people that contribute to the ongoing success of the taxi industry.

“I encourage everyone to consider nominating someone they believe is worthy of one of the category titles and give them the opportunity for well-deserved recognition.”

This year’s award categories include Driver of the Year, Operator of the Year, Significant Achievement Award, Women in Taxis Award, Young Achiever Award and Staff Excellence Award.

Nominations are open in regions across the state including Brisbane (Ipswich and Redcliffe), Gold Coast, Far North Queensland, North Queensland, Central Queensland, Capricornia, Wider Bay, Sunshine Coast and South West Queensland.

Nominators only need to complete a short, written submission stating their reason for nominating.

The winners will be announced at the TCQ Industry Awards Dinner which will be held on 26 November 2019 at the Rydges Hotel in South Bank.

Nominations will be accepted until close of business on Tuesday 5 November 2019.

To nominate please visit: http://www.tcq.org.au/event/2019-industry-award-nomination-form/

Ends

Time for Government to stop ducking responsibility

Published on: October 11, 2019Category: Media Release, News

Media release
8 October, 2019 

As the State Government manoeuvres in the Supreme Court for dismissal of a legal action by hundreds of taxi license owners, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is asking who should take responsibility for the capital losses experienced by the ordinary Queenslanders who own taxi licences.

Taxi licences in Queensland have fallen by 80 per cent since the Government abandoned the industry in 2016 and introduced laws that favoured booked-hire platforms such as Uber, allowing them to operate with significant cost advantages in Queensland. As a case in point, TCQ points to the State’s regulated premiums for Compulsory Third Party insurance (CTP), where taxis have to pay $3,961.60 per annum and booked-hire vehicles only pay $690.60 per annum.

The Queensland Government sold taxi licences to ‘mum and dad’ investors and small business owners via public tenders, over many years, and often for hundreds of thousands of dollars. TCQ believes the Government should have bought back the licences at their fair market value, prior to introducing regulatory changes in 2016 – changes that everyone could foresee would cause great industry upheaval, including decimation of licence asset values.

“The responsible process would have been for the Government to bring back the taxi licences before introducing the regulatory reforms that devastated their asset value. Instead of leaving ordinary Queenslanders to suffer huge financial hardship, by losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Government should have stepped up to the mark and taken ownership of the problem that they intentionally created,” said TCQ CEO Blair Davies.

“If the Government was persuaded that the community needed and wanted the benefits of the regulatory changes, that opened up the personalised transport sector to new business models, it should have accepted responsibility for bearing the costs of those changes on behalf of the whole community. The cost burden associated with the regulatory changes should not have been left to the few thousand ordinary Queenslanders who owned taxi licences to bear almost entirely on their own.”

The Taxi Council is not a party to the taxi licence owners’ action suing the State Government for damage to their taxi licence assets. TCQ estimates 40 per cent of its members are nominated as applicants in the legal action.

“We wish the action well because we certainly believe the State Government has a moral case to answer for the hardship it has caused to all of our members. Our lawyers have advised that getting a court to hold the State Government truly accountable will be very difficult, but for our members who have joined the action, it’s probably a case of, if you don’t give it go you will never know,” Mr Davies said.

The Queensland Government treated taxi licences as cash cows for years, selling them for hundreds of thousands of dollars and also levying stamp duties on licences when they were traded privately. In that light, the Government’s $100 million industry assistance package, that gave taxi licence owners $20,000 per licence, is a completely inadequate compensation, especially when most licence owners have seen the asset value of their licences fall by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Taxi licences in Brisbane were selling for around $530,000 prior to the regulatory changes but are now trading for around $80,000-$100,000.

“If the Government owned the licenses by buying them back at a fair price, they could have done whatever they liked; but they didn’t, instead they pulled the rug from under the ordinary Queenslanders who privately owned taxi licenses and left them to take the fall,” Mr Davies concluded.

ENDS

What’s so different about London from Brisbane?

Published on: October 4, 2019Category: Media Release

Media release
04 October, 2019

Transport for London (TfL) has once again rejected Uber’s application for a full operating licence, citing continued concerns over passenger safety. This has led the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) to question how Queensland’s Department of Transport bureaucrats found Uber to be a ‘fit and proper’ company when they approved its Booking Entity Authorisation (BEA) in late 2017.

The Department of Transport’s decision to welcome Uber’s operations in Queensland was taken after TfL decided Uber had not conducted its business in London in a ‘fit and proper’ manner. In September 2017 TfL declined to renew Uber’s licence to operate in London, and when Uber appealed the decision, it only won a probationary approval from the court by agreeing to abide by stricter conditions.

Two years later, Uber still cannot satisfy TfL’s requirements that its service is safe, and its modus operandi is fit and proper. The short leash Uber was on during its probationary approval has now been shortened even further with TfL only granting the company a two-month extension of its licence – this is reportedly the shortest licensing period ever handed out by TfL.

In contrast to the scrutiny Uber has received in London, a search of the Department of Transport’s website shows that Uber’s trading company, Rasier Pacific Pty Ltd, has been granted authorisation to operate in Queensland until 30 November 2023.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies says it is almost unbelievable that TfL, with its much greater experience with Uber and expertise in regulating a far bigger Personalised Transport sector, can hold deep concerns about Uber and yet our local Transport Department officials seemingly have no concerns whatsoever. Uber is a global platform and Queensland regulators should be looking to learn from the experiences of their overseas counterparts with the company.

“Uber only obtained a two-month extension for its operator licence in London because TfL still considers that it needs to be on a very short leash – the independent umpire still views Uber’s operations as an unacceptable risk to public safety,” said Mr Davies.

“It has to be a worry that our Government officials are not as concerned as their TfL counterparts clearly are. Instead of our regulators getting onto the front-foot on the issue of public safety, it is as though they have doubled down on a wing and a prayer that nothing bad happens. That simply doesn’t inspire any confidence as a strategy for assuring Queenslanders that their personalised transport sector will operate with the highest safety standards and vulnerable members of the community will be well protected.

“A recent investigative report out of the United States, by The Washington Post, highlights why TfL is on the right track and Queensland officials are not. The Post reported Uber has a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in Phoenix that is kept busy investigating the most serious complaints that come from customers about Uber drivers, with the most common of those complaints around sexual misconduct, including rape. The report highlighted that Uber instructs SIU staff to always distance the company from any responsibility and not to report incidents to law enforcement or other authorities.

“Uber has consistently demonstrated a lack of corporate responsibility regarding the misbehaviour of its drivers. When Uber receives information from customers regarding illegal activity, Uber should be

reporting each and every one of those incidents to law enforcement authorities. It has to change its company culture from hiding problems, to owning problems, no matter what the consequences may be for its public image, otherwise that image is just a facade.

“The Washington Post’s report highlights a real problem with the approach by Queensland transport regulators. If they are going to ignore the experience of overseas jurisdictions and continue handing out BEAs without serious scrutiny, it’s likely to end badly for someone, somewhere, sometime,” said Mr Davies.

The Council is calling on Minister Mark Bailey to review his Department’s handling of BEA approvals and how Uber (Rasier Pacific Pty Ltd) received approval to November 2023, without any special conditions.

“TCQ has previously called for the State Government to make passenger safety a priority in booked-hire vehicles and is urging they learn from TfL’s assertive action to hold booked-hire platforms like Uber more accountable for the safety of passengers and drivers alike,” Mr Davies continued.

“We applaud TfL’s diligence and care for Londoners and it’s time for Minister Bailey to get his department to take a similar approach for Queenslanders.

“TfL originally declined to renew Uber’s right to operate in London based on complaints from local police that the company was failing to report serious criminal offences by its drivers and concerns about background checks. The Washington Post investigations show the practice hasn’t changed, and it’s not confined to just London. What’s to say this isn’t happening in our own backyard?

“Queenslanders expect and deserve better from the Transport Department than handing out BEAs to companies that won’t take safety and other regulatory requirements seriously. It’s time for our bureaucrats to lose the naivety and diligently ensure that every company they authorise to operate a booked-hire service in Queensland, is genuinely fit and proper,” said Mr Davies.

Ends

I have watched firsthand the squabbles and the turf wars

Published on: September 17, 2019Category: News

04/09/2019

A new umpire will be set up to resolve complaints around the taxi, limousine and ride-sharing industries.

The role, of a personalised transport ombudsman, will be created after legislation passed Queensland Parliament on Tuesday.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the ombudsman would impartially investigate complaints from drivers, passengers and operators, which could include issues with dirty vehicles.

Mr Bailey said the ombudsman would have powers to investigate and mediate complaints but would not duplicate the powers of existing decision-making bodies.

The person would provide non-binding recommendations, potentially avoiding the need for costly legal action.

“There are already enough courts and tribunals and other regulators with the power to settle specific kinds of disputes,” Mr Bailey said.

“For example, if a complaint relates to workplace health and safety issues, the ombudsman may decide not to investigate but instead advise a complainant how to contact Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.”

The ombudsman will produce public reports each year on systemic issues and industry complaints statistics, but would not be allowed to investigate complaints about government policy – for example, the decision to allow Uber to operate in Brisbane – or alleged offences.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads will continue to be responsible for overseeing major policy issues, such as security and safety.

But LNP transport spokesman Steve Minnikin said the ombudsman’s limited powers meant industry issues, including complaints about government policy, legislation and alleged offences, would not be investigated properly.

Mr Minnikin, who spent time in the Fortitude Valley and CBD late on a Friday and Saturday night to investigate the issues, said there was a need for someone to intervene but the bill did not go far enough.

“I have watched firsthand the squabbles and the turf wars,” he said.

“Sadly, the proposed role is a toothless tiger.”

The opposition opposed the bill.

Industry groups were not supportive, with Taxi Council of Queensland chief executive Blair Davies previously arguing the ombudsman’s powers to be expanded.

Mr Davies said the ombudsman would not be able to handle complaints associated with breaches of legislation or regulation and so would be unable to help with accusations about the illegal activities of drivers or overcharging, which would remain with Transport and Main Roads.

The Ride Share Drivers’ Association of Australia said the ombudsman should have the powers to fine people and cancel licences.

In 2014, standard taxi licences in Brisbane were selling, on average, for more than half a million dollars. In 2019, that figure dropped to $81,250.

The role is expected to be filled in early 2020.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/i-have-watched-firsthand-the-squabbles-and-the-turf-wars-20190904-p52ns5.html 

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