New taxi trial to better serve Canberrans

The ACT Government will begin a new trial to allow up to 25 taxis to operate independently without affiliation to Canberra's two taxi networks, making it possible for taxi operators to offer a broader range of services to Canberrans, Attorney General, Simon Corbell announced today.

Mr Corbell said the trial, which will start early next year, was a recommendation of a recent review of the ACT taxi industry and was considered to have the potential to improve the viability of standard taxis.

"A number of taxi operators made submissions to the review stating that taxi networks charged excessive fees but provided limited services in return, and the Government is keen to see if this trial will be successful in reducing costs for operators and enabling them to offer more innovative and improved services," Mr Corbell said.

"It is essential to ensure that all Canberrans have access to a reliable, high quality taxi network, and especially those who have special needs, like physical disabilities or out of hours transport requirements.

"The Government is keen to work with the local taxi industry to see the industry remain competitive and to serve the needs of all Canberrans."

New minimum service standards relating to monitoring driver and passenger safety, driver training, performance reporting and handling customer complaints and lost property will apply to independent taxi operations.

"Only taxi operators who are experienced and can demonstrate a good track record of compliance with taxi legislation and service standards will be eligible to participate in the trial," Mr Corbell said.

"Taxis operating under the independent pilot scheme will be clearly identified so customers will know whether the taxi they are hiring is a network affiliated taxi or an independent operation."

Taxis in the ACT receive around 50% of their hirings from network bookings, but trial advocates claim that these losses would be offset by savings on network fees which are significantly higher than those charged by interstate taxi networks.

Once minor amendments to the relevant taxi regulations are made to enable the trial to begin, interested taxi operators may make application to the Public Transport Regulator, Office of Regulatory Services, to become an independent taxi operator.

Details on the scope of the Independent Taxi Operator Pilot are available at http://www.justice.act.gov.au/