Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) has repeated its warning to avoid unregulated taxi apps following revelations that a Melbourne woman was sent abusive text messages by a taxi driver.
TCQ chief executive officer Benjamin Wash said the story, which appeared on A Current Affair last night, highlighted what he has been saying for the past two years, and he predicted that more people who use the apps will be placed in danger.
“I don’t condone the actions of the driver in any way, but these unregulated apps provide a way for people who are so inclined, to act in the wrong way.”
He said a driver should not be given the mobile phone number of a customer and that the app company concerned had no screening process in place to ensure the person involved was even a real taxi driver.
“We have proven, despite the claims of these companies, anyone can register as a taxi driver on some of these apps, by submitting fake information, even if you don’t have a real taxi.”
He said it was wrong for the taxi industry to cop the blame for companies operating outside existing regulation.
“This confirms our prior warnings. When something goes wrong, who gets the blame? The taxi industry of course, yet we’ve spent years building the trust of our customers.”
“These apps have no way to investigate a rogue driver, no authority to act and they take no responsibility when things go wrong.”
Mr Wash said worse things can happen than a text message.
“What if a fake driver who is a sex offender was given a women’s mobile number? Let’s ponder that for a moment.”
His advice? “Make sure the taxi app you book with carries the same logo as the taxi that picks you up.
“This way, you know it has gone through the proper booking system.”
He said in Queensland, taxi booking company apps are the latest technology available. Queensland booking company apps can be found at http://www.tcq.org.au/smart-phone-apps
ACA story – http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/8848443/taxi-drivers-tormenting-texts