Media Release

Media release
04 October, 2019

Transport for London (TfL) has once again rejected Uber’s application for a full operating licence, citing continued concerns over passenger safety. This has led the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) to question how Queensland’s Department of Transport bureaucrats found Uber to be a ‘fit and proper’ company when they approved its Booking Entity Authorisation (BEA) in late 2017.

The Department of Transport’s decision to welcome Uber’s operations in Queensland was taken after TfL decided Uber had not conducted its business in London in a ‘fit and proper’ manner. In September 2017 TfL declined to renew Uber’s licence to operate in London, and when Uber appealed the decision, it only won a probationary approval from the court by agreeing to abide by stricter conditions.

Two years later, Uber still cannot satisfy TfL’s requirements that its service is safe, and its modus operandi is fit and proper. The short leash Uber

Media release
13 September 2019

This week, Nine Network’s ‘A Current Affair’ (ACA) investigation, comparing uberX and taxis, revealed yet more underhanded tactics being employed to dupe consumers into thinking uberX is cheaper than taxis.

Since entering the Australian market illegally back in 2014, Uber has been pitching to consumers that it is a cheaper and as safe option compared to taxis. The ACA report throws new light on those claims with Uber outed for quoting taxi fares at amounts far higher than would normally be outside of the Uber app.

In Sydney, Uber can charge any price a customer is willing to pay for taxis booked through their app because there are no maximum fares for booked services.

CEO of the Australian Taxi Industry Association (ATIA) Blair Davies, says anyone comparing prices between uberX and a taxi via the Uber app will be completely misled.

“Uber has been touting itself as a low-cost provider to

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

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

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

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

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

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

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