Media release
10 July 2020 

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has congratulated the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA) and the Federal Government on launching the Go Local First campaign, encouraging the Australian community to support their local small businesses.

The Australian taxi industry comprises over 70,000 small businesses, providing essential transportation services to their local communities.  The taxi industry is represented on COSBOA by its national peak body, the Australian Taxi Industry Association (ATIA).  TCQ is a member of the ATIA.

“Like many other industries comprised of small businesses, the taxi industry has been doing it very tough during the COVID-19 pandemic.  As small businesses, our members just don’t have the endless reserves of money behind them to wait out the pandemic.  We definitely need communities across Queensland to take on board the message behind the Go Local First campaign, and to use their local taxi service when needing to travel from A to B,” said TCQ CEO, Blair Davies.

“COSBOA’s campaign is a timely one.  The closing of Australia’s borders has proved a very useful reminder of how valuable a level of self-sufficiency can be and how important local business providers are in that regard.   Buying a ‘cheap’ product or service online or from an overseas platform may come at a surprisingly high cost, if it ends up putting your local small business operator out of business,” said Mr Davies.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the importance of buying locally into much better focus.  In the personalised transport sector, we saw regular taxi services continue to make themselves available for hire, even during the times of greatest restrictions on movement and gatherings.  It probably wasn’t viable to be on the road at the time but our cabbies’ commitment to serve their local communities made sure that services remained available to everyone that needed them.”

“As Queensland emerges from the pandemic, and more and more of our fair weather friends in the other segments of the personalised transport sector return onto the road to offer services, there is a clear choice for consumers as to which service to support.  We simply ask the community to remember to Go Local First when making those buying decisions,” said Mr Davies.

Queensland’s cabbies proudly remained on call 24/7 during the height of the COVID-19 crisis and they continue to stand ready to provide safe and reliable transport for their local communities now in the emerging recovery.

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Media release
16 June 2020

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has welcomed the Palaszczuk Government’s announce- ment of a $23 million package to help Queensland taxi operators and licence owners recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TCQ reached out to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Hon Mark Bailey, about the desperate plight of industry members as demand for taxi services plummeted by 70 and 80 per- cent due to restrictions on business and leisure travel aimed at containing possible transmission of coronavirus within the community. Pleasingly, Premier Palaszczuk and Minister Bailey heard TCQ’s message loud and clear that everyone in the industry had been affected, suffering severe economic loss.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies said it was great to see the State Government and the taxi industry working together now on re-booting the Queensland economy as the COVID-19 threat appears to have been contained. Taxis have a vital role to play in Queensland’s economic recovery and are ready to do so.

“It has been a very tough few months for the Queensland taxi industry, but we have a proud his- tory of working with Government and the community in times of crisis and natural disaster.

Along with many other industries, we have been brought to our knees by COVID-19 but it is now time to start standing back up and get going again. The Government’s assistance package will be a well-timed tonic to help our members do just that,” said Mr Davies.

The $23 million unite and recover package includes:

• one-off payments of $3,500 per vehicle to taxi and limousine operators;
• one-off payments of $1,000 per licence to taxi and limousine licence holders;
• one-off payments of $1,500 to authorised booking entities for each affiliated taxi/limou- sine, capped at 1,000 vehicles and for entities that provide booking services predomi- nantly for taxis and/or limousines;
• one-off incentive payments of an additional $1,000 per vehicle for Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WATs)

As an essential service for communities across the State it simply was never an option for taxis not to remain available for those who want and need them. Queensland’s cabbies remained on call 24/7 during the height of the COVID-19 crisis and they continue to stand ready to provide safe and reliable transport for their local communities now in the emerging recovery.

ENDS

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

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.

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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