NSW Taxi Council CEO, Nick Abrahim appeared on the ABC Weekend Breakfast program on Sunday 17th December 2023 discussing Taxi Fares.
Nick acknowledged that "the majority of Taxi Drivers are good drivers, doing the right thing by the passengers". He added, "We need stronger measures to deter a number of rogue drivers who think they can flout the law".
We have seen approximately 520 penalties issued by the Point to Point Transport Commissioner over 12 months, since the fares hotline was established in November 2022. Furthermore, Taxi Service Providers have sanctioned over 500 drivers during this time, with an estimated 30 drivers off-boarded by the Networks. The challenge is that we cannot guarantee that these drivers are not driving Taxis, as it is too easy to obtain an ID card from another Network. We need to return to a centralised accreditation system.
Nick also noted the importance of looking after driver earnings, as we have seen a significant increase to the cost of living, as well as operating expenses for Taxis increasing exorbitantly. This has been compounded by the deregulation of booked fares, whilst Taxi fares have not been reviewed since 2014.
The CEO went on to call on the NSW Government to return to a centralised accreditation process by issuing a single Authority ID for Taxi Drivers. "If a Taxi driver loses their ID, they should lose the ability to drive any Taxi". There are also calls for the NSW Government to reinstate the Customer Feedback Management System (CFMS).
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