Media Release

Media Release
October 25, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) has revealed that other countries are insisting that rideshare drivers are proficient in not only verbal but written English while the Queensland Government is lowering the standards.

TCQ chief executive officer Benjamin Wash referred to the decision by the London Transit Authority that “drivers of private hire vehicles must speak, listen to, read, and write English to a set level” as sensible regulation but said Uber in the UK opposed the move.

“The reality is that Uber and other rideshare companies across the world want no regulations because their business model is based on a race to the bottom.

Mr Wash said Reuters reported only last week that Uber was taking legal action against London’s insistence that their drivers know English.

“Instead of doing what other countries have done, and raising the bar to ensure rideshare meets the high standards expected

Media Release
October 24, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) has labelled the State Government “naive in the extreme” if they believe that their new rideshare regulation is about Uber, and has urged MPs and the media to look at the wider ramification of the new regulatory changes.

TCQ Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash said he was shocked to hear Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe recently say that rideshare was safe because people could see the picture of the driver on an app.

“It appears that they have made these changes under the assumption that it is about one foreign company. This is unprecedented.

“Surely they are aware that the legislation is far wider reaching and that now, anyone of any age and experience with any vehicle in any location can start a rideshare business whether they have an app or not.”

Mr Wash said the changes now make it legal for anyone

Media Release
October 11, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) says taxi companies across the state still offer drivers high levels of training despite the State Government removing this requirement in its recent regulatory changes.

TCQ Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash says the Government’s changes were a poorly thought out attempt to level the playing field in order to accommodate rideshare, with the result being lower service standards and the removal of consumer protection.

He said rideshare companies don’t have to adhere to any standards and can “basically do what they like”.

“The taxi industry did not ask for and does not want lowering of standards.

“The big question is whether the Government will continue to allow rideshare vehicles to operate with no guidelines whatsoever, putting public safety at risk.”
ENDS

Media Release
October 11, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) says their continued warnings about the dangers of new rideshare regulations have unfortunately been proved correct following revelations on ‘A Current Affair’ that an 18-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by an Uber driver.

TCQ Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash said it is vital that the Government, community and media note three very important points in the story that highlight the huge danger to consumers.

“The Uber driver turned the phone off and disabled the app; there was no camera in the car, preventing police from obtaining evidence; and the alleged victim had no one to contact and was forced to deal with someone in the Netherlands.”

Mr Wash said the taxi industry has warned of these exact risks numerous times but no one listened.

“We’ve said time and time again that rideshare vehicles are not properly GPS monitored – and

Media Release
September 26, 2016

A recent incident which saw two elderly women mistakenly get in the wrong rideshare vehicle highlights the inherent dangers customers now face under changes to passenger transport legislation.

The incident forced the Melbourne women to complain to ridesharing service uber, claiming a driver tried to force them out of the vehicle in a deserted street late at night.

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash says customers are putting their safety at risk by thinking any vehicle could be their booking, because the cars are not clearly identified.

“Sadly we will see more and more instances of customers getting fooled and mistakenly getting into the wrong ridesharing vehicle – or a car pretending to offer rideshare – and being put in harm’s way. It is happening overseas and is becoming common in some jurisdictions.”

Mr Wash said taxis are clearly marked, driver identification is

Media Alert
September 5, 2016

Taxi drivers, owners and operators will descend on Queensland’s Parliament House today for a silent rally to protest the State Government’s ham-fisted new regulations that will lower taxi safety standards and affect over 16,000 small business operators. Taxi Council Queensland has offered its support to this protest.

Where: Parliament House George St Brisbane
When: 11:30am
Media spokespeople available at rally – including Bill Parker, General Manager Yellow Cabs.

This is a silent rally to show strength in numbers, and disruptive noisy attendees will be asked to leave. Drivers on shift have been asked not to attend so customer services are not disrupted.
ENDS

Media Release
September 5, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) says the claim by Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe that the taxi industry has been paid $4.3 million in immediate financial relief is “a total lie”, revealing that not a cent has been provided.

Furthermore, TCQ chief executive officer Benjamin Wash says the entire $100 million package is a “fairy tale” that will never be paid.

“We have email correspondence from the department telling us that not a cent will be paid until late 2017 at the earliest, and the Government may not even be in office then.

“Queenslanders will also be shocked to learn that only around 20 per cent of taxi owners will even be eligible because the compensation is not going to be paid to anyone who has their licence in a company name.

“In other words, this figure of $100 million sounds good and gives the impression that the

Media Release
August 30, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) says proposed new legislation that will deregulate the taxi industry and prevent the public from identifying taxis will lead to an increase in sexual assaults in this state, just as it is doing overseas.

A recent Associated Press (AP) report in the USA revealed that a man posed as an uber driver to assault a woman in Atlanta; with similar cases being reported in several US cities including Los Angeles, where “a man was arrested and accused of luring a woman into his SUV and then raping her and choking her until she became unconscious”.
​
The reports states that, “within the past 12 months, police in Washington, D.C., and in Chicago also have issued public alerts to warn residents about people pretending to be uber drivers and preying on unsuspecting customers.”

TCQ chief executive officer Benjamin Wash said the council has been warning about such

Media Release
August 29, 2016

Queensland’s taxi peak body has accused the State Government of targeting taxi drivers as payback for the industry’s lack of support for the deregulation of the industry, announced recently following the Varghese Review into personalised transport.

Taxi Council Queensland CEO Benjamin Wash revealed that police were breath testing all drivers on a major city rank on Saturday night, disrupting taxi services.

He said this had never happened before on this scale and that police informed drivers that they were acting on the direct orders of “Queensland politicians”.

“We feared that the Government would target law abiding taxi drivers because we didn’t jump for joy when they deregulated our industry, and it appears they are doing exactly that.”

Mr Wash said the review was a whitewash and it was clear that the Labor Government was more interested in supporting illegal multinational operators that don’t pay tax in

Taxi Council of Queensland Inc.
Media Release
August 15, 2016

The RACQ’s credibility is in tatters after it “played” the Government and media by running a dishonest campaign in support of uber for the sole purpose of entering the rideshare market itself, according to Queensland’s peak taxi body.

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) CEO Benjamin Wash says while the RACQ can conduct any legal business it wants, it was dishonest by providing comments under the guise of being a peak motoring body while not publicly declaring its interest in creating its own rideshare company.

“The RACQ has sold out Queenslanders by supporting a foreign multinational that sends its profits offshore at the expense of thousands of Queensland small businesses, and even worse it has been caught lying about its intentions.

“We called their management out last week and their response has been an embarrassing and confusing mix of admitting their intent and denying