Media release
April 05, 2019 

The State Government has plans to end the Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) on 30 June 2019, and so pushing Queenslanders with disabilities onto the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for their transport needs. However, the Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) is concerned this shift will leave many current TSS users worse off come July 1, with some users receiving less funding than required to sustain their essential travel. TCQ is encouraging taxi customers and industry members to sign an online petition which will be presented in Parliament.

“The Taxi Subsidy Scheme was set up specifically to help Queenslanders with disability who cannot access other forms of public transport. It’s a scheme which has worked extremely well over many years, getting people with a disability engaged in their community, to and from work or study, down to the shops or medical appointments,” TCQ, CEO Mr Blair Davies said. “Accessible taxis remain the sole mode of transport available for many TSS users and our community’s most vulnerable members do not deserve to be further disadvantaged by a bureaucratic decision to roll everything and everyone under the NDIS.

“Ending the TSS, prior to the NDIS establishing itself as a scheme has the confidence of the disability community, will result in some Queensland users being left substantially disadvantaged. Only 10 percent of people with a disability are expected to receive a disability support package under the NDIS. Users will also have their Mobility Allowance ceased when transitioning to NDIS, so we cannot say that the NDIS is a one-stop fix it solution – it’s more commonly reported in the media as a scheme full of problems rather than a scheme full of solutions for people with disability and their families.

“We hear that some customers could be waiting months to have their access requests reviewed and assessed and there is no guarantee that the funding package provided by the NDIS will be enough to sustain their travel needs. Right now, the TSS provides affordable and accessible transport options for people who’ve experienced profound difficulties using other modes of public passenger transport.”

The Commonwealth Government’s funding for the NDIS in 2019 and 2020 results in the highest disability support package being capped at $3,456 per year. If users are transitioned onto the NDIS, they will need to plan transportation use so it can be entirely covered by NDIS funds – a potentially costly shift if a user overspends in the first half of the year, meaning they may not have enough to support their travel in the remainder of the year.

TCQ also has concerns Queensland NDIS participants will be impacted by the removal of the $20 ‘Lift Payment’ that the Government offers to wheelchair accessible taxi (WAT) drivers who transport TSS members to compensate them for the extra time associated with loading and securing passengers’ wheelchairs so that they are safe to be transported.

“The TSS enables affordable transport options for people with disability by subsidising half of the fare up to a maximum of $50, and without a cap on the number of taxi trips a user can take,” continued Mr Davies. “This subsidy can make all the difference to the quality of living for not only TSS users but also their families and friends. The subsidy also helps keep WAT vehicles viable and enables our industry to keep providing this vital service.”

“The TSS continues to work well and is a huge support for the Queensland taxi industry’s commitment to deliver world’s best practice in wheelchair accessible taxi services. We encourage members to consider signing the e-petition so that we can continue helping all Queenslanders get from A to B, safely and conveniently.”

If you agree that the TSS needs to be extended, you can sign the online petition here.

ENDS

Media release
March 29, 2019 

The Queensland Government’s reforms to the Personalised Transport sector may have removed the requirement for bailment agreements between accredited taxi operators and authorised taxi drivers to be in writing, however, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) continues to advise members not to fall into the trap of relying on verbal bailment agreements. TCQ recommends to all members that they make sure their bailment agreements are in writing, and kept up to date, because it provides far better protections for everyone concerned.

“Just like any other legal contract, bailment agreements defining the business relationship between taxi operators and drivers are better in writing because if something goes amiss and leads to a dispute, they provide clarity and direction for finding a quick and fair resolution,” said TCQ’s CEO, Mr Blair Davies.

“A written agreement, voluntarily entered into and signed by both parties, not only helps the resolution of disputes, it can also help prevent disputes arising in the first place. Misunderstandings by one or other party can easily escalate when people are relying on their recollections of verbal conversations.

“It is natural for most of us to be a little selective in recalling who said what, seemingly remembering well those things that help our position but so well, possibly even completely forgetting, some that don’t. A written bailment agreement provides the specifics of each party’s respective rights and obligations, so avoiding the vagaries of convenient memories.”

TCQ has a Standard Bailment Agreement that it makes available for industry members to use. TCQ’s standard agreement has been developed to provide a fair balance of the respective interests of taxi operators (bailors) and taxi drivers (bailees). Uniquely, it recognises that taxi operators and drivers are not in any kind of master-servant or adversarial relationship but rather they participate in a business relationship of cooperation in a joint adventure.

TCQ has recently reviewed its Standard Bailment Agreement and produced an updated version that introduces some new clauses to provide clarity around Chain of Responsibility obligations of operators and drivers arising from the Government’s Personalised Transport reforms. While the changes in the terms and conditions document have been kept brief to preserve the readability of the document, they are nonetheless substantive. TCQ therefore recommends everyone using any previous version of its standard bailment agreement should prudently move to the updated version.

The TCQ’s newly revised standard bailment agreement is freely available for review and downloading from the publications page on the TCQ website (tcq.org.au/bailment-agreement/).

“We would encourage members to use the TCQ’s standard bailment agreement with confidence.  It serves as yet another example of TCQ remaining relevant and working hard for all members of the Queensland taxi industry,” concluded Mr Davies.

ENDS

Media release
March 21, 2019 

ABC’s Four Corners investigation into global giant, Uber, revealed the alarming extent of its predatory behaviour in Australia. The report exposed a host of underhanded tactics Uber employed to damage its competitors and to ‘outfox and outplay’ law enforcement agencies. It has the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) now calling on the Queensland Government to take immediate action to review whether Uber is really the fit and proper company that they thought it was when they approved its Booking Entity Authorisation in late 2017.

“Uber has been outed for trying to use sophisticated technology and underhanded tactics to force its taxi and booked-hire competitors out of business, to eviscerate the competition so it could end up dominating the passenger transport market in Australia. If they achieve that level of market control, consumers can say good-bye to cheap subsidised fares because it’ll then be time to pay the piper,” TCQ CEO, Blair Davies said.

Uber is gearing up to pursue a listing on the US stock exchange later this year with the company potentially valued at up to $US120 billion. However, such stellar valuations may be at risk as potential investors become more aware of the ruthless tactics Uber used to build its business empire. The deployment of technologies aimed at damaging competitors such as “Surfcam”, and evading law enforcement such as “Greyball”, call into question the whole business model upon which the empire is based.

In 2014/15, Australian law enforcement officers put in place ‘sting’ operations to catch out UberX drivers providing taxi services without the necessary criminal history checks, medical checks, insurances and vehicle checks. However, as reported by Four Corners, those efforts were comprehensively thwarted by Uber’s use of “Greyball”, a spyware application which could identify and block particular users, in this case NSW transport investigators, from using the service by assessing their personal details. Another program called ‘Surfcam’ was developed in 2015 by an employee in Uber’s Sydney head office, which was used to scrape competitors’ data in order to poach their drivers. It was industrial sabotage because without drivers, rival companies would be unable to offer competitive levels of service.

“Uber was looking to defeat Australian laws rather than engage in the market as a law-abiding citizen and they won. Greyball Spyware, and other applications like it, proved effective in stopping State Governments from being able to enforce their transport laws, and in surrender, these Governments just made brand new rules tailored for Uber. It wasn’t a case of regulatory capture but rather one of regulatory capitulation,” Mr Davies said.

“If Four Corners can uncover the disturbing nature and extent of Uber’s misbehaviours, it begs the question as to what the Government regulators have been doing? Why is Uber’s Booking Entity Authorisation not under review, or as has occurred in London, at least made subject to strict probationary conditions?”

It appears Uber’s use of devious technology and underhanded tactics reflect almost as badly on the Governments they duped as the company itself.  What are our Governments elected to do if not to govern for the good of the whole community and to uphold the rule of law? It’s time for Uber to own up to their illegal antics, recompense the businesses that were damaged by them, and commit to competing fairly in future. It’s also time for the Queensland Government to learn the lessons of this experience, and for its bureaucrats to be less naïve and show some real determination to make sure Uber faces serious consequences if they won’t hold to such a commitment.

ENDS

Media release
March 01, 2019 

The Australian Taxi Industry Association (ATIA) has been a long-standing supporter of the Australian Tax Office’s (ATO) efforts to ensure all businesses operating in Australian markets pay their fair share of tax, and especially actions aimed at plugging loopholes that sophisticated global companies may employ to avoid tax.

A current legal campaign in the UK aimed at forcing Uber to pay back taxes owed has received a serious setback after a court denied their bid to have costs in the lawsuit capped at a reasonable level. The decision will probably see the legal action abandoned notwithstanding the significant public benefit that would have been achieved if successful. It was estimated that Uber could be ordered to pay up to GBP $1.3billion (AU$1.8 billion) in Value Added Tax. (VAT is the UK equivalent of GST in Australia.)

The ATIA’s CEO, Blair Davies says chasing such companies for back taxes is proving the adage that a stitch in time saves nine.

“The ATIA has been on the forefront of this issue in Australia, continuously promoting an equal playing field for everyone in the personalised transport industry when it comes to paying tax.  ATIA launched its campaign early into Uber’s Australian endeavour back in 2014 to ensure the ATO tax Uber drivers the same as taxis,” said Mr Davies.

“An attempt to chase Uber in the UK to pay back what it owes seems a difficult and tedious approach albeit with good intentions. Closing loopholes for tax evasion or unfair minimisation should have been foreseen long before Uber was permitted to operate in the country.

“Right from the get go of the uberX service launching illegally in Australia in 2014, the ATIA was onto taxation authorities highlighting the potential loophole that would be created if taxi drivers had to register for GST and declare their earnings for income tax purpose while booked-hire drivers were left to fly under the proverbial radar,” he said.

“The ATO’s decision in mid 2015 to make booked-hire drivers register for GST and pay their fair share of tax just like taxi drivers closed that loophole. It may have taken 15 months to get the loophole closed (became effective from 1 August 2015) but at least it was well and truly closed before the uberX service was legalised anywhere in Australia.”

The first jurisdiction to legalise booked-hire type services was the ACT on 30 October 2015 followed by NSW in mid December 2015.

The ATIA has since turned its attention to the offshoring of profits by global companies and continues to advocate to the Commonwealth Government and ATO take stronger action in this space.

“The taxi industry welcomed the ATO’s timely decision to make booked-hire drivers register for GST and we hope that the drivers have gotten the message that they won’t get away with not paying their taxes.  The ATIA’s position in regard to the global platforms is also simple, if you make profits in Australia you have to pay tax in Australia – and before the monies leave our shores to be filtered through some tax haven,” said Mr Davies. “Rather than looking for efforts put into chasing these companies for what they owe, we think its way smarter and easier to close the loopholes and penalise misbehaviour right from the outset.”

ENDS

Media release
February 22, 2019 

The establishment of a Personalised Transport Ombudsman (PT Ombudsman) has the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) questioning the lack of power the independent officer will have, saying the role presents as a “toothless tiger” with limited scope to benefit the sector.

The PT Ombudsman will impartially hear and act on complaints from drivers, passengers and operators of personalised transport services, however TCQ CEO, Blair Davies, says for the new office to make a difference the Ombudsman needs to be given broader powers than just being able compel people to attend a meeting.

“The proposed office presents as a toothless tiger, so limited in scope it risks being of no real usefulness for stakeholders in the personalised transport industry,” Mr Davies said. “We need to see some teeth given to the tiger to address the mounting issues in the personalised transport industry.

“We continue to hear reports every day of rogue behaviour by booked-hire drivers.  For example, the practice of touting for cash jobs is a common occurrence and totally off the radar of the booking platforms.  That means the usual safety protections that passengers rely on and expect are all missing for lots and lots of trips performed by booked-hire drivers. It’s the type of serious public safety issue that the PT Ombudsman needs to be able to intervene in but to do so, the office would require broader powers.

“As the Bill stands, it only allows the Ombudsman to receive complaints, attend meetings to mediate said complaints and advise on alternative dispute resolution. Without any actual compelling power to enforce decisions the new office may not offer much benefit the industry.”

Mr Davies says when it comes to the taxi industry, disputes between drivers and operators are usually referred to the Taxi Council or the respective booking company and are always quickly resolved. Situations requiring an Ombudsman’s input are likely to be very few and far between.

“The taxi industry really doesn’t need another independent third party to help mediate resolution of disputes.  Of course, the case of booked-hire drivers may be completely different because, in the case of Uber drivers for example, they sign up to their disputes being arbitrated in The Netherlands. Perhaps Queensland’s newest Ombudsman will need to have two offices, one in Brisbane and another in Amsterdam?” questions Mr Davies.

The Bill also recognises the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) needs more help in enforcing the road rules and TCQ supports amendments targeting non-compliance by personalised transport driver.

“TQQ wants to see TMR do a better job in reining in rogue behaviour by booked-hire drivers. These drivers know they are not permitted to tout, accept street hails or use taxi ranks.  Strengthening TMR’s powers to impose driver sanctions in those circumstances is a welcome development notwithstanding it being odd that the new Ombudsman is not being given any role to assist in that area.”

The Taxi Council believes establishing and maintaining the PT Ombudsman presents as having a significant financial cost and those funds could potentially be better spent elsewhere.

“It’s worth looking at the more pressing issues faced by the taxi industry and consider where else the funds could be better spent, such as compensating taxi licence holders badly affected by the devaluation of their assets, helping industry members struggling to pay Government fees, or funding safety equipment replacement such as the in-vehicle security camera systems,” said Mr Davies.

ENDS

Media release
February 08, 2019 

Last on the road and the first back on, taxis have rallied together to support the residents of Townsville in their effort to recover from the devastating floods. The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is proud of the industry’s incredible service it is providing to the community before, during and now as the water recedes.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies has praised Townsville taxis for their unending effort in ensuring locals could travel safely.

“In regional areas across Queensland, there are lots of people who rely on taxis as an essential part of their daily lives. Our number one priority has always been passenger safety and our cabbies can be relied on to pitch in and help out during times of crisis, ensuring everyone gets to where they need to be,” he said.

“Taxis were the last transport service to stop in the lead up to the flood closures and the first to restart after roads opened. As the rain and flooding abate, our cabbies have been quick to get back on the road to ensure their passengers get to their destination safely.”

General Manager of Townsville Taxis, Angela Rheeders, says there are numerous unsung heroes in the community who have gone above and beyond to assist in the town’s recovery.

“Even though our drivers, admin staff and operators are all preoccupied with the impacts to their own lives, we’ve had employees happily give up their time to come into work to make sure our community is able to get to where they need to be,” Ms Rheeders said.

“Our call centre operators were wading through knee deep water to get into the building to clean up and make sure we can book jobs for our drivers to help transport people around – that’s the kind of commitment everyone can expect from our industry.

“Our drivers worked right up until the airport and roads were closed to ensure travellers got out safely. Every little bit helps during challenging times like these and when taxis are called on to provide their service, we answer.”

Townsville Taxis have even sponsored free trips for community members who can’t afford the trip to the evacuation centres.

“Our drivers have gone above and beyond including getting family pets and children to safety,” Ms Rheeders continued.

“One of our drivers picked up a passenger with sight impairment from the outer suburbs, taking him to the bank and even stayed with him the entire journey to make sure he got what he needed done and was able to get home safely. There are so many unsung heroes in our town, and in many ways this flood has brought our community closer together.”

Mr Davies believes the invaluable connection between taxis and their local communities is one that should not be taken for granted.

“Queensland’s taxi service rates amongst the best in the world and to see this in action during times when our communities are facing crisis, is one of the many reasons why I encourage everyone to support our great drivers and operators – helping to keep local taxi businesses viable means they will still be around when you need them the most,” said Mr Davies. “Queensland taxis provide absolutely crucial transport services in regional Queensland, and our industry will continue to raise our hands to support and help wherever we’re needed.”

ENDS

Media release
January 24, 2019 

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is reminding party goers to grab a cab over the Australia Day long weekend to stay safe and keep Australian dollars in Australia rather than heading overseas.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies is reminding consumers to think about where their money goes this Australia Day because when they travel by taxi, all of the fare stays in Australia. This is unlike the big booked-hire platforms where the fare goes directly overseas, often to low tax countries, and only a portion returns.

“Grabbing a cab on Australia Day is good for the economy because it keeps our dollars circulating in the local economy. It is good for the community’s hip pocket,” he said

Mr Davies also warned that prices for booked-hire services are all but guaranteed to sky rocket this public holiday and so consumers should prepare themselves for the inevitable bill shock that comes with surge pricing.

“Public holidays will often see booked hire vehicles’ price surcharging, meaning rides end up costing passengers hundreds of dollars more than the normal fare,” he said.

“We do not want to see revelers losing out to opportunistic price gouging because they’ve had a few drinks and their only concern is getting from point A to point B. Nothing is more un-Australian than taking advantage of passengers wanting to travel during popular times.”

Mr Davies said taxis are standing by to ensure passengers can get to where they need to be.

“Taking a taxi allows revellers to enjoy their festivities without worry about being or finding a designated driver,” he continued. “Queensland taxi drivers will be giving up their own celebrations to be out in force at all hours of the day and night over the Australia Day weekend, helping everyone to get around safely, and at the normal taxi rates.”

“Passenger and driver safety is always our industry’s number one priority. Our greatest concern this Australia Day is that with no one effectively policing the zero-blood alcohol level in booked-hire drivers, there is no way of knowing where the likes of an Uber driver has been and what they’ve consumed prior to jumping in their car and turning the app on,” he continued.

“There’s simply no reason for anyone in our community to be putting their lives or the lives of other road users at risk because they’ve enjoyed one drink too many.

“Cabbies simply want to get Aussies to and from their celebrations safely. Taxi drivers are ready and waiting to help customers get to and from their celebrations and we encourage everyone to make safety a priority this Australia Day by letting Queensland cabbies do the driving,” concluded Mr Davies.

ENDS

Media release
January 16, 2019

Recent media reports of booked-hire drivers complaining they are forced to break the law and use their mobile phones while driving to make a living has riled the taxi industry, believing drivers are simply wanting to wash their hands of responsibility.

The Taxi of Council Queensland (TCQ) says drivers who are clearly breaking the law should be held accountable when the decision to use mobile phones is in their hands.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies said it is illegal for any driver to use mobile devices by hand while the vehicle is in motion or stationary with the engine on, yet 75 per cent of Queensland drivers admit to doing so.[1]

”It’s about time as a community that we stop making excuses for smartphone addiction and misbehaviour.  They are fantastic technology but they need to be serving us, not us serving them,” said Mr Davies.

“It is never okay to put yourself or someone else at risk because you want to pay attention to your mobile phone rather than give full and undivided attention to driving your vehicle. It’s unsafe and unjustifiable, so every driver who gets caught using their phone deserves the fine of $391 and three demerit points,” he said.

“If you are running late to catch a plane and there is traffic in the way, it’s not safe or acceptable to drive down the footpath or median strip to get around it. It’s also not acceptable to try and make up time by speeding. It’s the same thing for booked-hire drivers wanting to use their smartphone to accept a $5 or $10 ride booking while driving, it’s not safe or acceptable.

“The notion that booked-hire drivers ‘need’ to be allowed to use their smartphones is ridiculous. They are not a special case. If they drive distracted, somewhere, sometime, they are going to crash into people and property causing serious harm unnecessarily. Other road users should not be put at risk because booked hire drivers think they deserve a free pass to use their mobile phones while driving.”

“It’s time that we call out driver distraction from mobile phones for what it is, completely unacceptable and irresponsible risk-taking resulting in needless fatalities or serious injuries. Road rules are in place for a reason and no one is above the law when it comes to passenger and road safety.

“The split-second choice to tap the job, read the message or send a text could mean the difference between life and death. There should be zero tolerance for booked-hire and taxi drivers misusing their mobile phones while driving.”

The taxi industry believes the Government should have foreseen and addressed the problem of distracted driving at the time of approving the Uber business model back in 2016. Booked-hire drivers rely solely on ordinary smartphones to receive jobs, find customers and interact with their platform provider; putting them under significant financial pressure to interact with their phones, much of the time being while they are driving. TCQ believes it was always likely that booked-hire drivers would end up flouting the laws banning the use of mobile phones while driving if strong and effective enforcement was not bundled into the reform package.

Mr Davies said we’re hearing more and more the complaints from Uber drivers about their poor working conditions and the inundation of competition reducing their slice of the pie, to which the taxi industry is empathetic.

“However, we won’t have a bar of complaints by booked-hire drivers that they are being forced to break the law and use their smartphones while driving – the choice has always been in their hands, and they’re choosing to put themselves and everyone around them at risk merely to line their pockets.”

“Booked-hire companies think they’re above the law, but they need to take a good hard look at what’s happening right under their noses. We’ve heard of incidences globally and in our own backyard involving distracted booked-hire drivers, but why is this not a wakeup call? Interacting with mobile phones was never legalised when Uber was appointed the right to operate, and it never will be legalised. Uber needs to make a serious effort to address these very real safety concerns.

“How long do we let these providers mock the law before catastrophe after catastrophe becomes the norm?” Mr Davies questioned.

ENDS

Media release
January 11, 2019 

While there are still many people enjoying a break and taking the opportunity to catch up with family and friends, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) wants to share a timely reminder that there is never a need to drink and drive because your nearest taxi won’t be far away.

Especially for those heading into CBD areas for a night out on the town, Queensland has secure taxi ranks available across the State to provide safe places to quick and easily catch a cab when other modes of public transport have stopped running or may only be running inconveniently.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies says the secure taxi ranks are a smart choice for late-night punters and large crowds looking for trustable transport to get them home safe and sound.

“After an enjoyable night out, the last thing you want to be doing is standing by the side of the road trying to read obscure car number plates in order to work out which one is supposed to be your ride. By way of comparison, the secure taxi ranks are an easy place to head to and all the waiting taxis will be easily identifiable and ready to go,” Mr Davies said.

“The secure ranks are a safe place for taxi customers because they are protected by CCTV cameras, extra lighting and fully qualified security guards. The secure ranks also have experienced rank marshals in attendance to assist passengers with taxi related questions about fares and the best route to their destination.”

All of the official secure taxi ranks are manned by experienced taxi marshals and qualified security guards to ensure everyone joining the queue gets served in an orderly fashion and if anyone has to wait awhile, they can do so with confidence that they are in a safe place.

“Be it large crowds dispersing from entertainment precincts, venues or events or individuals and couples simply requiring a lift home, everybody can trust our rank marshals and guards will be there to help keep them safe. The rank marshals are also in constant contact with taxi company call centres and therefore can get messages to the whole fleet whenever taxis are needed in a hurry at a particular rank.”

Mr Davies says the secure taxi ranks are also designed to ensure Queensland cabbies can continue to feel safe as they go about their business of efficiently transporting members of the community at all hours of the night.

“Our drivers work throughout the night to ensure everyone has a trusted and reliable means of getting around. Secure ranks help mitigate any potential risk for our cabbies having to pick up passengers in dark or dangerous areas,” he continued.

“Our rank marshals can also help drivers by checking that passengers are fit for travel. This helps minimise drivers having to deal with any unruly or misbehaving passengers during the journey while driving which is a much safer outcome for all concerned.  Taxi drivers just like everyone else, simply want to be able to go to work and return home safely to their families at the end of their shifts.”

Mr Davies praised the Queensland Government’s ongoing investment in the secure taxi ranks program. It is a great example of industry and Government co-operating to produce a huge public benefit for the whole community.

ENDS

Media release
December 21, 2018

The festive season is here and as work winds down for the year and throngs of people make their way to and from holiday festivities, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is encouraging everyone to grab a cab for a convenient and surcharge-free holiday travel.

Revelers can avoid the excessive surcharges of booked hire services, particularly on the public holiday days when prices are all but guaranteed to sky rocket and instead rely on the convenience of taxi’s which remain affordable regardless of the day, event or number of people travelling as a party.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies says taxis are a safe and reliable option for those needing to rely on professional transportation these holidays.

“At this time of year, booked hire vehicles’ price surcharging can mean rides end up costing passengers hundreds of dollars more than the normal fare, with the platforms hiding behind the old caveat emptor, let the buyer beware,” he said.

“With surcharging by booked-hire platforms more likely to be prevalent over the coming weekend and on the public holiday days, taxis remain the only constant, serving their communities through affordable transport.

“Taxis are a much 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.

“Taxis are also a great option for shoppers who are keen to avoid congested carparks when doing their Christmas shopping. Instead of driving around and around and risk getting stuck at the exit for hours, shoppers can rely on taxis to transport them to and from the shops with their gifts for a stress-free experience.

With congested roads and a confusing number of booked hire services cruising for fares in ordinary, unmarked vehicles causing chaos on city roads, taxis are a sensible option for groups and families travelling together.

“We’re expecting the some of the busiest times to be Friday 21 December in the evening with most businesses winding down for the year on this day, as well as Saturday and Sunday, Christmas Eve and of course New Year’s Eve.

“Our cabbies are ready and waiting to help customers get to and from their festivities safely and enjoyably. So take the worry out of how to get there, and just grab a cab as the smart travel option this holiday season,” concluded Mr Davies.

ENDS