Media release
August 02, 2019

The Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) is a highlight in the Brisbane events’ calendar, attracting on average 400,000 people from across the State and beyond. However, as throngs of people brave winter westerlies and the flu to enjoy the Show this year, Queensland’s peak taxi industry body fears that many with mobility challenges will be severely disadvantaged by the relocation of the taxi rank far away from the main entrance.

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) believes the RNA simply has not thought through their decision to move the Ekka rank from Costin Street near Gate 1 over into O’Connell Terrace. The RNA’s plan appears only half baked with the new taxi rank location near Gate 5 not even included on the official 2019 Ekka map published on the Ekka website. It is a significant concern for TCQ because taxi customers will likely be heading out of the main entrance at the end of their day looking to grab a cab at the nearby rank, as they have done for years, only to find they then have to go back all the way over to the O’Connell Terrace exit. It is not the news that mums and dads with young children in tow and armfuls of show bags will be wanting to hear at the end of the day.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies says the RNA also seems to have ignored the rights of people with disability to conveniently catch a cab from a taxi rank like anyone else in the community. The Gate 5 location is a considerable distance from the main entrance and getting there will involve traversing uneven ground and inclines. That may be of little concern for anyone who is young and fit, but it’s a huge deal for the elderly and for people with disability, especially those using wheelchairs.

“We’re disappointed for all our customers, but especially those who use wheelchairs or have other mobility challenges. Moving the rank from outside the main entrance over to O’Connell Terrance will be particularly challenging for them. It puts obstacles of distance and terrain in the way of people who really deserve better consideration,” Mr Davies said.

“Taxi ranks should be located where everyone can get to them, not just those who can easily negotiate their way through crowds and across uneven terrain. Those who are used to catching a taxi from outside the Main Gate will apparently be told they have to go back up over to O’Connell Terrace. This is going to be an unnecessary inconvenience to all our customers, especially when they will likely have armfuls of show bags and gear and simply want to make their way home safely and quickly.

“The Ekka is one of Brisbane’s biggest events, and the RNA has a responsibility to put in place arrangements that don’t lead to patrons experiencing discrimination. In the case of people with disability simply wanting to catch a cab home at the end of their day from the Show, that means having a taxi rank located as conveniently as possible to the main entrance. In doing so, the RNA would not only be looking after people with disability, they would also be catering for all Show goers who use taxis for convenience and want to catch one at a familiar location,” Mr Davies continued.

Notwithstanding the RNA’s poor planing, Brisbane cabbies will be ready and waiting to help customers get to and from the Ekka safely and enjoyably, whether their services are booked by app or phone, or hired from a rank.

Taxis remain an important part of the public transport system and an essential service for many in the community who need but do not have accessible bus or train services reasonably available.

“The Queensland taxi industry has a proud history when it comes to transporting people with disability, and especially those who need to travel with their wheelchairs. We aim to give them access to the same quick, safe and reliable taxi services as every other member of the community that we serve and the RNA should do the same,” Mr Davies said.

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Media release
19 July 2019

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) welcomes the decision made by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) this month to continue the taxi travel fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemptions for employers and to not extend those exemptions to ride-sourcing trips with booked-hire services such as Uber, Ola and Didi.

Back when the Federal Parliament was contemplating travel benefits for the purpose of the FBT Act, there was a clear intention to provide exemptions for taxi travel under particular circumstances, namely single trip journeys beginning or ending at the employee’s place of work, or other places an employee must go as a result of sickness or injury. The FBT Act’s exemptions are specifically restricted to vehicles licensed to operate as a ‘taxi’, a category booked-hired services do not fall under.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies says the ATO’s decision is entirely consistent with the letter of the FBT law and also with the way it was intended to operate in practice.

“The FBT exemptions were specifically restricted to licensed taxis because they provide a basic, essential and accessible service for employees and the wider community. The exemptions passed the “pub test” because they weren’t made available for high-end luxury travel, or for services that may be subject to exorbitant surcharges or that may be provided by related or private parties at contrived prices,” Mr Davies said.

“Ride-sourcing platforms that want to take their profits offshore and pay minimal taxes in Australia really have no right to be putting their hand up for tax exemptions that they clearly don’t deserve.

“We are pleased the ATO has stood its ground and not caved in to lobbying from greedy interest groups on this issue. Extending FBT exemptions to ride-sourcing services would have served to benefit wealthy overseas based platforms rather than any interests of the Australian community.”

Through their national peak body, the Australian Taxi Industry Association (ATIA), taxis have been working with the ATO and the Federal Government to promote taxation laws that apply fairly and evenly across the Personalised Transport Sector. When ride-sourcing services first emerged in 2014, the ATIA highlighted the anomaly of taxi and limousine drivers having to register for GST and declare their earnings for income tax purposes while their ride-sourcing counterparts could potentially pay little or no tax, flying under the proverbial radar.

“When the GST Act was being passed back in 1999, the Commonwealth Parliament adopted the view that taxi and limousine services should be treated the same, and that with no exceptions, all taxi and limousine drivers needed to register for and pay GST,” explained Mr Davies.

“Accordingly, it really wasn’t surprising at all when, down the track in 2014-15, the ATO looked at ride-sourcing services competing as virtual substitutes for taxis and limousines and determined that their drivers also needed to be treated the same and had to register for GST.

“From our perspective, the ATO got its decisions right in respect to both GST and FBT. With GST, the law made no distinction between taxi and limousine drivers and so ride-sourcing drivers logically should be treated the same. With FBT, the law clearly differentiated taxi services from limousine and other services, and no case could reasonably be made for ride-sourcing services being considered as basic, essential and accessible services.”

In welcoming this decision, TCQ believes the message is clear for Australian businesses.

“There is nothing complicated about the FBT law for businesses providing travel benefits for employees – keep it simple and just use taxis.”

TCQ congratulates ATIA on their representation on behalf of the industry during the ATO’s FBT review.  Arguing for the taxi travel exemption to continue and for it not to be extended ride-sourcing trips was a principled position and the right decision was ultimately made.

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Media release
12 July 2019

For over 12 months, Queensland’s peak taxi body has been urging the State Government to act on congestion problems in South East Queensland, and the wasteful use of resources associated with ever-increasing numbers of booked-hire vehicles.

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is pleased to see ride-sourcing driver associations joining the chorus of groups concerned about the issue. The latest being the Rideshare Drivers in Cooperation Queensland has identified that excessive numbers of booked-hire vehicles on the road is devasting for drivers trying to earn a living.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies welcomes support from all quarters within the Personalised Transport Industry to join the Council’s call.

“The taxi industry has been spearheading the call for the Government to learn the lessons of cities like New York and to act early rather than waiting until it’s too late,” Mr Davies said.

“New York has been inundated with a flood of booked-hire vehicles gridlocking Manhattan streets, causing massive strain on the city’s traffic flow. Mayor de Blasio’s regret in not implementing a cap and stronger regulations back in 2015 has clearly not just impacted the livelihoods of hardworking taxi drivers, it has choked the roads and polluted the skies for every New Yorker.

“There are more than 16,000 booked-hire cars in Queensland compared to approximately 3,250 taxis. The State Government doesn’t need to get overly brave and take vehicles off the road. If it just presses the pause button now, it can stop the problem from getting worse and give itself some breathing space to carefully review the situation.

“We’re pleased to see other stakeholders in the Personalised Transport industry recognising the problem and jumping on our bandwagon. It’s a problem that is only going to get worse until the Government steps in and stops issuing more and more booked-hire vehicle licences.”

TCQ believes there is real momentum building around the issue. Stakeholders and the general community are being badly impacted, and they want the Government to do something about it.

“Queensland should not be a cautionary tale for others. The Government needs to focus on the harm being caused by uncapped numbers of booked vehicles going on the road. The drivers are being hurt, other road users are delayed by the greater congestion, and our air quality is worsened unnecessarily by more and more vehicles circling the city looking for the same customers,” continued Mr Davies.

“It’s clear New York’s timid strategy in 2015 did not work. The Queensland Government needs to muscle up to companies like Uber and other overseas booked-hire platforms and take back control of our streets. It’s critical now more than ever for regulators to pick up the pace on their Stage 3 review of the Personalised Transport reforms and fix the regulatory loopholes as soon as possible.”

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Media release
19 June, 2019 

Queensland’s peak taxi body welcomes the State Government’s proposal to step in and mandate Workers Compensation protections for gig workers, including booked-hire drivers in the Personalised Transport sector.

Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) says taxi drivers have had access to personal accident insurance for years and the absence of similar protections for booked-hire drivers has left them potentially exposed to some very high costs if they get injured on the job.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies said the vast majority of taxi drivers in Queensland are insured for workplace injuries under Personal Accident (PA) policies that are taken out to cover every driver of the respective taxi.  It doesn’t matter whether the driver owns the cab, holds a lease over the cab, or just bails the cab on a shift by shift basis, they are all covered under the same policy and so have access to exactly the same levels of benefit.

“We estimate about 95 per cent of Queensland taxis have a PA insurance policy that covers everyone who drives the cab from the time they leave home until the time they return home, not just when they are driving the taxi or with a fare paying passenger,” he said.

“In that regard, the PA Insurance policies used by Queensland taxis work much differently to Workers Compensation policies because they cover every driver of the vehicle. TCQ regards PA insurance policies as a more comprehensive solution for protecting drivers in the taxi industry because Workers Compensation policies exclude the many cabbies who own or lease their taxi.

“The industry is seeing more and more drivers moving into owning or leasing their taxi rather than simply bailing the vehicle from someone else on a shift by shift basis. It is a trend that appears to be well established and it means the efficiency of PA insurance policies, when compared to Workers Compensation options, will only increase over time. The PA policies provide an efficient, one-size-fits-all solution for all Queensland cabbies as they serve on the front line of providing essential mobility options for their communities.”

While TCQ believes there is no real need for taxis to change from using the PA insurance policies that the industry has relied upon for years, the status quo cannot be recommended for booked-hire vehicles. Recent research by the University of Queensland and a separate survey commissioned by the Victorian Government has shown that many booked-hire drivers are unsure whether they have any workplace injury insurance.

“Booked-hire drivers are mostly not professional drivers and they just don’t know what they don’t know about insurances that they prudently require to be protected. They clearly need help from the State Government, at least in respect of injuries that booked-hire drivers may sustain while working for their digital platform. In TCQ’s view, it is entirely reasonable and overdue for the Government to step in and mandate Workers Compensation for booked-hire drivers,” Mr Davies concluded.

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Media release
14 June 2019

Queensland’s peak taxi body is calling for the State Government to learn from New York City’s mistakes and introduce a cap on the number of booked-hire vehicles allowed to operate on our roads before it’s too late.

This week, New York City imposed the harshest ever set of regulations for app based, for-hire vehicles to crack down on the number of these vehicles cruising the streets while empty looking for their next fare and causing city wide congestion. The measures follow the introduction of a cap last year on the number of booked-hire vehicles allowed to operate in the city.

In 2018, New York City finally managed to implement a cap on booked-hire vehicles after Mayor de Blasio had tried and failed back in 2015. The Mayor was forced to backdown on his original plan following an aggressive campaign by Uber. It is something that Mayor de Blasio regrets to this day having now seen the resulting detrimental impact on the city’s roads and workers in the personalised transport industry.

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has previously called for the State Government to introduce a cap on booked-hire vehicles and is recommending that they learn from New York’s regrets of acting too late.

“The situation in New York should act as a cautionary tale for our State Government.  New York has been inundated with a flood of booked-hire vehicles gridlocking Manhattan streets, causing massive strain on the city’s traffic flow. Mayor de Blasio’s regret in not implementing a cap and stronger regulations back in 2015 has clearly not just impacted the livelihoods of hardworking taxi drivers, it has choked the roads and polluted the skies for every New Yorker,” TCQ CEO Mr Blair Davies said.

“The Queensland Government cannot take a year or two to learn the lessons of New York; the time to act is now. The later a cap is introduced, and stronger safety regulations put in place, the less effective they will be. The Government needs to press the pause button to cap booked-hire vehicles at their current number. They also need to pick up the pace on their Stage 3 review of the Personalised Transport reforms and tighten regulations around passenger safety as soon as possible.”

With more and more overseas booking platforms entering the Australian market, Mr Davies says all drivers in the personalised transport sector are feeling the strain as they compete to make a living.

“The fact that New York has now had to impose such harsh regulations, is a clear tale of how badly a hands-off strategy works in this space. The overseas booking platforms will happily put more and more cars on our streets, to the detriment of their own drivers, taxi drivers and other road users. They just don’t care and in any case they don’t live here.

“We urge the State Government to heed Mayor de Blasio’s regret and say we’re not going to allow Queensland to fall into the same trap of wishing we had done the right thing way back when,” concluded Mr Davies.

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Media release
27 May, 2019 

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) welcomes the Queensland Government’s commitment to help Queensland taxi operators replace and update their wheelchair accessible taxis (WATs), with the Government today announcing its decision to provide dollar for dollar funding over the next four years.

TCQ reached out to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Hon Mark Bailey, about the issue, which resulted in the Government finding $21 million in their budget to support the replacement of older WATs. This was announced today on the Gold Coast at the Australian Taxi Industry Association’s annual conference.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies said it was great to see the State Government and the taxi industry working together to keep Queensland as a world leader when it comes to wheelchair accessible taxi services.

“The Queensland taxi industry has a proud history when it comes to transporting people with disability, and especially those who need to travel with their wheelchairs. Our approach has remained focused and uncomplicated. We just aim to give them access to the same quick, safe and reliable taxi services as every other member of the community that we serve,” said Mr Davies.

“The Queensland Government’s decision to help our taxi operators replace their older wheelchair accessible taxis is a fantastic initiative. TCQ reached out to Minister Bailey about a financing problem that was stopping our members replacing the ageing WAT fleet and pleasingly he has come back with a very welcome solution. It’s a very timely helping hand and one that is much needed.”

Under the funding, WATs aged eight years or older will be eligible for 50 per cent funding for gradual vehicle replacement from 2019-20 through to 2022-20. This funding will mean the Queensland taxi industry can continue their commitment to deliver the world’s best practice in wheelchair accessible taxi services.

“Accessible taxis remain the sole mode of transport for many members of the community and this funding will mean our taxi operators will be able to maintain their fleets and continue to provide affordable, accessible transport for those who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices,” continued Mr Davies.

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Media release
May 24, 2019

The charges last month against yet another booked-hire driver for allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman has the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) calling on the Queensland Government to pick up the pace of their Stage 3 review of the Personalised Transport reforms and do more to ensure the safety of Queensland passengers.

Last month, police charged a 25-year-old booked-hire driver alleging that he entered the home of his 21-year-old passenger after dropping her off and that he sexually assaulted her in her bedroom before she could fight him off with assistance from her housemates awoken during the commotion.

CEO of the TCQ, Blair Davies says “the Personalised Transport reforms have been rolling the dice when it comes to passenger safety with booked-hire vehicles and enough is enough.”

“There is clear evidence that booked-hire vehicles and their drivers are not as safe as the Government expected they would be, or as Queenslanders quite rightly demand them to be, and so the Government needs to act,” says Mr Davies, “and get its Transport Department to put reviewing safety in the Personalised Transport sector at the top of the list.

“We have been calling for better safety to be mandated for booked-hire vehicles for years now and yet little has happened, other than more passengers becoming the victims of predators. It’s now overtime for passengers’ safety to go to the top of the priority list. People may want choices and options but not when some of them come with a very real risk of danger.

“There are stark differences between the taxi industry and the booked-hire sector when it comes to our approach to safety issues. We were the ones who encouraged the Government to mandate security cameras in taxis in the mid 2000s because we wanted every Queensland taxi to be as safe as it possibly could for passengers and drivers. In contrast, the booked-hire sector looks at these types of safety technologies as costs they want to avoid.

“The TCQ has consistently highlighted the need for booked-hire vehicles to have mandatory safety equipment, because experience shows that relying on platforms to do the right thing voluntarily just doesn’t work,” Mr Davies said.

“We know security cameras, monitored duress alarms, and hard-wired GPS tracking have improved passenger and driver safety in taxis, so clearly these technologies would be effective solutions for booked-hire vehicles as well. We think the platforms know this too, but they just want to pretend that it is not their responsibility. However, safety is not something that overseas companies wanting to make profits in Australia should be allowed to get away with ignoring.

“The Queensland Government simply needs to say to the platforms, we trusted you and you let us and the community down. The ‘softly-softly’ approach hasn’t worked and so it’s now time to start implementing tougher measures,” added Mr Davies.

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Media release
April 12, 2019

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) and Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology are looking for 100 Queensland taxi drivers who are prepared to wear a Fitbit watch to track their sleep and fatigue patterns. Participants will be asked to upload their data from a personal monitoring device supplied as part of the study, to collect data for one month on driver tiredness levels.

The project is a cooperative effort between TCQ and Griffith University, which has funding support from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) It aims to explore how taxi drivers currently manage fatigue and what can be done by drivers, operators and taxi booking companies to help better manage fatigue.  Ultimately the goal is to improve safety for everyone using a Queensland taxi service and so it is a project that will potentially benefit taxi drivers and passengers alike.

Drivers participating in the study just need to wear a Fitbit type watch for a month. They will be asked to share their profile data with researchers on a weekly basis and answer a short questionnaire at the beginning and end of the project to gauge their wellbeing.

“This study will help the industry to objectively assess fatigue-related risks and develop targeted measures to manage them. We know that driving a taxi is fundamentally different to driving a bus or big truck. It follows then that much of the research about fatigue in a heavy vehicle context has little relevance or application for our cab drivers. We need to study fatigue in the real world experienced by taxi drivers,” said TCQ CEO, Blair Davies.

Mr Davies said safety is always the top priority for the taxi industry and TCQ is pleased to be joining with Griffith University and MAIC to study taxi driver fatigue. It is a serious area of risk and the results of the research project are likely to have wide application within the personalized transport sector. TCQ expects that recommendations coming from the study will likely inform the review being conducted by the State Government into the regulatory reforms introduced in 2016/17.

“Many taxi and booked hire drivers do not regard driving as their sole source of income. They sometimes have other jobs or roles which can significantly impact their fatigue levels. Using smartwatch technologies like Fitbits will help collect data on driver tiredness before and during a shift as well as recovery after a shift. Analysis of this real-world data will help the industry assess and adjust our fatigue management policies and practices,” Mr Davies said.

Driver fatigue is a complex, multi-factorial issue in the taxi industry, due in part to the special challenges associated with providing on-demand transport services, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A typical 12-hour shift for a taxi driver involves a unique mix of driving while interacting with new and different passengers, driving alone, waiting on ranks for customers, and dedicated rest breaks. As a result, many of the rules of thumb that work well in other industry settings have no relevance whatsoever in a taxi work environment.

Taxi driver fatigue is a serious issue and one that genuinely warrants specialised study. If you would like to put your hand up to participate in the TCQ-Griffith University research project looking into taxi driver health and fatigue management, you can send your details to admin@tcq.org.au.

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Media release
April 05, 2019 

The State Government has plans to end the Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) on 30 June 2019, and so pushing Queenslanders with disabilities onto the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for their transport needs. However, the Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) is concerned this shift will leave many current TSS users worse off come July 1, with some users receiving less funding than required to sustain their essential travel. TCQ is encouraging taxi customers and industry members to sign an online petition which will be presented in Parliament.

“The Taxi Subsidy Scheme was set up specifically to help Queenslanders with disability who cannot access other forms of public transport. It’s a scheme which has worked extremely well over many years, getting people with a disability engaged in their community, to and from work or study, down to the shops or medical appointments,” TCQ, CEO Mr Blair Davies said. “Accessible taxis remain the sole mode of transport available for many TSS users and our community’s most vulnerable members do not deserve to be further disadvantaged by a bureaucratic decision to roll everything and everyone under the NDIS.

“Ending the TSS, prior to the NDIS establishing itself as a scheme has the confidence of the disability community, will result in some Queensland users being left substantially disadvantaged. Only 10 percent of people with a disability are expected to receive a disability support package under the NDIS. Users will also have their Mobility Allowance ceased when transitioning to NDIS, so we cannot say that the NDIS is a one-stop fix it solution – it’s more commonly reported in the media as a scheme full of problems rather than a scheme full of solutions for people with disability and their families.

“We hear that some customers could be waiting months to have their access requests reviewed and assessed and there is no guarantee that the funding package provided by the NDIS will be enough to sustain their travel needs. Right now, the TSS provides affordable and accessible transport options for people who’ve experienced profound difficulties using other modes of public passenger transport.”

The Commonwealth Government’s funding for the NDIS in 2019 and 2020 results in the highest disability support package being capped at $3,456 per year. If users are transitioned onto the NDIS, they will need to plan transportation use so it can be entirely covered by NDIS funds – a potentially costly shift if a user overspends in the first half of the year, meaning they may not have enough to support their travel in the remainder of the year.

TCQ also has concerns Queensland NDIS participants will be impacted by the removal of the $20 ‘Lift Payment’ that the Government offers to wheelchair accessible taxi (WAT) drivers who transport TSS members to compensate them for the extra time associated with loading and securing passengers’ wheelchairs so that they are safe to be transported.

“The TSS enables affordable transport options for people with disability by subsidising half of the fare up to a maximum of $50, and without a cap on the number of taxi trips a user can take,” continued Mr Davies. “This subsidy can make all the difference to the quality of living for not only TSS users but also their families and friends. The subsidy also helps keep WAT vehicles viable and enables our industry to keep providing this vital service.”

“The TSS continues to work well and is a huge support for the Queensland taxi industry’s commitment to deliver world’s best practice in wheelchair accessible taxi services. We encourage members to consider signing the e-petition so that we can continue helping all Queenslanders get from A to B, safely and conveniently.”

If you agree that the TSS needs to be extended, you can sign the online petition here.

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