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”.

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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.

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Media release
November 13, 2020

On Wednesday, November 11, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk unveiled her new-look Cabinet with a number of new faces, as well as continuance of many experienced ministers, including the Minister of Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey.

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) CEO, Blair Davies, says Minister Bailey’s retention of the transport and main roads portfolio is a ‘welcome’ development and means there will be no loss of momentum waiting on a new minister having to be brought up to speed on the industry’s issues.

“Minister Bailey has worked well with TCQ to deliver some really important programs in recent years,” says Mr Davies.

“The State Government’s $21 million funding program to rejuvenate an aging fleet of wheelchair accessible taxis (WATs) over four years is a good case in point. It is an initiative that means our industry will be able to continue offering accessible transport service levels that are second-to-none in Australia.

“The Minister was also a champion for the taxi industry during COVID-19 by securing the $23 million unite and recover funding package that is helping keep taxi operators, licence owners and booking companies viable as they serve their local communities. The pandemic hit taxi businesses particularly hard, but our cabs stayed on the road notwithstanding the difficulties, and we now stand ready to play our role in the rebuilding of the Queensland economy.”

Mr Davies says that there is still much work to be done with Minister Bailey to ensure the personalised transport sector operates efficiently and in the best interests of Queenslanders.

“Taxi operators are still paying way too much for their CTP insurance and especially when compared to their ride-sourcing counterparts. We look forward to working with Minister Bailey and the Treasurer, Cameron Dick, on a solution that allows taxi and ride-sourcing services to compete on a level playing field. The days of taxi operators paying thousands of dollars more than their competitors for CTP insurance have to be brought to an end,” says Mr Davies.

“It’s also essential that the Government and the sector get serious about tackling climate change issues arising from too many vehicles on our roads, and the pollution and congestion they cause. The taxi sedan fleet is almost entirely comprised of fuel efficient hybrids and we would be using the same technology for our wheelchair accessible taxis if models were available in Australia. It’s time for the Government to follow the lead of New York and start capping the number of ride-sourcing vehicles that cruise the streets empty, in the hope of connecting with a passenger. With about seven ride-sourcing vehicles for every one taxi, we have reached the point of oversupply and most certainly don’t need any more.

“TCQ’s message for Minister Bailey is a simple one, welcome back and let’s get cracking on making the personalised transport sector even more efficient and productive for Queensland communities,” says Mr Davies

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Media release
October 30, 2020

The emergence of new micro-mobility services, such as dockless electric scooters, have proved an inter-esting innovation within the transportation industry over recent years, with companies like Lime and Neu-ron Mobility pitching themselves as convenient and cost-effective mobility options for consumers. How-ever, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is warning Local and State Governments that they need to take a more careful approach to these new technologies, and not only for the sake of protecting the safety of e-scooter users but for the wider community also.

While ‘e-scooters’ appear to have found something of a market fit in Brisbane and are now trying to do the same in Townsville, negative headlines about safety concerns continue to dominate. Overseas re-ports consistently show that e-scooter accidents not only can, but do happen and frequently result in seri-ous injuries requiring hospitalisation and sometimes result in death. They sound a warning bell for the Queensland Government and Local Councils that safety concerns about e-scooters are serious and they do not seem to be going away, especially while new developments in their technology tend to focus on making them bigger, go further and at faster speeds.

The death of a Lime Scooter user in Brisbane in May 2019 was the first serious event locally that high-lighted the risks e-scooters carry, when a 50-year-old man was allegedly found to be travelling well above the advised speed limit, resulting in a crash and head injuries that unfortunately proved fatal.

This incident saw Pedestrian Council of Australia Chairman, Harold Scruby, call for all e-scooters to be banned, along with the Queensland Ambulance Service issuing safety warnings to all riders following a spate of hospitalisations as a direct result of scooter accidents.

The Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council nevertheless permitted e-scooters to continue operation, presuming the community remained supportive of the technology, and still wanted access to the ‘fun’ and novel convenience it offered for getting short distances around the city.

The positives of easy scooting, however, also come with other downsides than user safety worries. For example, TCQ is particularly concerned that scooters are being left haphazardly on footpaths around city central business districts or simply abandoned and dumped in other public spaces.

“The haphazard discarding of scooters on Brisbane footpaths has become more than just a general nui-sance for pedestrians, it’s creating trip hazards for taxi passengers getting in and out of cabs, and poten-tially dangerous obstacles for people with sight impairment or using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. It’s time for some of the rights of e-scooter users to be reined in so that the rest of the community can enjoy their rights to unobstructed use of public footpaths,” says TCQ CEO, Blair Davies.

Countries such as New Zealand have seen legal damage payouts close to $14million to date as the result of dangerous scooter incidents, with France and Spain completely banning all forms of e-scooters,

emphasising an urgent need for all levels of government in Queensland to take the necessary precau-tions now to ensure e-scooters are safe for our communities.

“Urban CDBs are not the wild west and so leaving it up to e-scooter businesses to set their own safety standards is not an option. It is up to the State Government and City Councils to ensure micro-mobility scooters are properly regulated so they don’t put the community at risk or inconvenience. E-scooter users should be able to happily zip and scoot around town, but only if they can do so without causing harm or inconvenience to everyone else,” says Mr Davies.

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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.

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