No taxis at OOL Boxing Day

[Hvr]

<snip> Current taxi plate owners have an investment to protect. A $1 plate is going to bring even more rogues into the industry. Besides taxpayers are not prepared to pay governments to regulate things these days. Who is going to issue these fines?

If they are that concerned about their investment why do they let criminals drive their cabs? Why do owners refuse to cooperate with police when a crime is committed in their taxi? I.e. refuse to identify the driver?

Why are so many taxi's unroadworthy? Look at the complaints about abuse hurled when a short fare is offered. There are large numbers of complaints about drivers refusing to take guide dogs but very little if anything is being done to rectify the problem. Nor are we hearing of drivers losing their DC.

You're right about the public not wanting to pay for any more regulators but the taxi directorate would be better called the rort protection and complaint suppression directorate. Perhaps we need an ombudsman system where the plate owner pays the costs of the investigation? Much like the telcos do. The owners or their representative gets the first chance to resolve the complaint within a defined time-frame and if they fail to do so then straight to the ombudsman with the resultant fees. Once a complaint is received by the ombudsman then the plate is suspended until resolved.

Guaranteed there would be a higher standard of driver allowed into the cab and much stricter monitoring of how they work.

 

[medhead]

If they are that concerned about their investment why do they let criminals drive their cabs? Why do owners refuse to cooperate with police when a crime is committed in their taxi? I.e. refuse to identify the driver?

Why are so many taxi's unroadworthy? Look at the complaints about abuse hurled when a short fare is offered. There are large numbers of complaints about drivers refusing to take guide dogs but very little if anything is being done to rectify the problem. Nor are we hearing of drivers losing their DC.

You're right about the public not wanting to pay for any more regulators but the taxi directorate would be better called the rort protection and complaint suppression directorate. Perhaps we need an ombudsman system where the plate owner pays the costs of the investigation? Much like the telcos do. The owners or their representative gets the first chance to resolve the complaint within a defined time-frame and if they fail to do so then straight to the ombudsman with the resultant fees. Once a complaint is received by the ombudsman then the plate is suspended until resolved.

Guaranteed there would be a higher standard of driver allowed into the cab and much stricter monitoring of how they work.

The plate is not the same as the taxi nor is it the same as the drivers authority. You've mentioned a couple of things that are specific to Melbourne only. They are also just speculation without anything to back it up like facts. Unroadworthy, criminal drivers? In your opinion.

In any case, letting any man and his dog pay $1 for a plate is not going to fix those problems. Especially as all these extra taxis on the road are going to make it harder for anyone to make a living, meaning the drivers will be doing even more to cut corners.