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