Media Release

Media release
31 August 2018

A recent report of a passenger murdered by a DiDi driver in China has raised serious concerns from the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ), demanding the Queensland Government take a more comprehensive look at how booked-hire platforms perform overseas before allowing them to enter the Queensland market.

TCQ is urging the State Government to act before it’s too late and critically review its role as a protector of public safety in the personalised transport sector as the Chinese booked-hire platform considers further expansion in Australia.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies, says it is not an anti-competition position the Council holds, but a view that the Government has a crucial role to play in regulating to keep passengers and drivers safe in the personalised transport sector.

“We’ve heard it time and time again, booked-hired drivers being involved in unsavoury, predatory situations endangering passengers and other road users, and yet there has been

Media release
22 August 2018

The Queensland Government is being urged to have a look at the problems in New York City caused by the seemingly endless numbers of booked-hire vehicles gridlocking Manhattan streets and slowing traffic flows city-wide. While it may have originally been touted as a possible solution to traffic congestion, Uber vehicles have demonstrated themselves to be a major cause for progressively worsening congestion problems.

Last week, New York City finally decided something needed to be done and its Council voted to introduce a cap on the number of booked-hire vehicles allowed to operate in the city. It was something of a bold step because Mayor de Blasio had headed down this path in 2015 before an aggressive campaign by Uber caused him to back down and retreat. This time around though, with the problem continuing to get worse and worse, the New York City Council have been able to

Media release
August 10, 2018  

The Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) is a key highlight in the Queensland calendar year, attracting on average 400,000 people from across the Sunshine State and beyond. As throngs of people make their way to the first day of the show today, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is encouraging everyone to grab a cab for a stress-free and convenient commute to the show.

Show goers can avoid the hassle of traffic, crowded waits for trains, the agony of searching for a parking spot and the inevitable high cost of secure parking by grabbing a cab that can take you directly to and from the action.

This year’s show sees the return of the special taxi rank conveniently located on Costin Street, which is close to Gate 1 and it will have experienced taxi supervisors marshalling cabs and assisting passengers on site from 2:00pm – 10:00pm every day with two

Media release
06 August, 2018

The growing frustration from train commuters on the lack of parking availability across South-East Queensland train stations has pushed travellers to park longer and unsafe distances from the station, forcing many to walk through dimly lit and unmarked paths to their vehicles after work. The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) says these concerns open the door for the Queensland Government to step up and put passenger safety first.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies, says there are adverse flow-on effects if passengers do not feel safe catching public transport and the Government needs to consider timely solutions now.

“With Brisbane off-street CBD parking the most expensive in the nation, people are opting to take public transport, especially trains, but there is not sufficient and safe parking spaces in close proximity to many south east Queensland train stations. Commuters and the residents in areas surrounding train stations can’t wait for more parking

Media release
26 July, 2018

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is calling for the Queensland Government to urgently start checking the use of cameras and other recording devices in booked-hire vehicles following an incident in the United States where a driver for an Uber type service (Lyft) was secretly recording unsuspecting passengers and then broadcasting the footage online.

Since 2005, Queensland taxis have been equipped with Government approved security cameras that take high quality images, which are encrypted and stored in tamperproof, fireproof “black boxes” inside the vehicle. It is an offence for a driver or passenger to interfere with the cameras or access the stored images. The encrypted images can be only be downloaded by an authorised officer using special hardware and software, and they can only be used for a very narrow range of purposes, such as by Police investigating an official complaint.

CEO of the TCQ, Blair Davies says the

Media release
06 July, 2018

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has called for State Government to follow Victoria and make urgent changes to address unfairness in its Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme.

Queensland taxi operators are greatly disadvantaged under the current CTP scheme, having to pay Class 3 premiums at $4,120 pa per vehicle while booked hire competitors, Uber and Ola drivers, only pay $576.20 pa for their vehicles’ (CTP Class 26). This is despite taxis and booked hire vehicles operating with similar risk profiles as they go about providing passenger transport services to their respective customers.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies says Queensland has been left behind by the other states, principally Victoria but also New South Wales, when it comes to establishing a level playing field for all competitors in the Personalised Transport market. Local Queensland businesses in the taxi industry cannot afford to wait while our Government sits on its

Media release
29 June, 2018

With the number of booked-hire vehicles in Brisbane more than triple the number of taxis, and the prospect of some very large new entrants about to launch, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is calling on the State Government to urgently address problems for driver viability and road safety created by the oversupply of booked-hire services.

The surplus of booked-hire vehicles places a massive strain on the traffic flow system as they circle South East Queensland roads waiting and competing for their next fare. Under the pressure to make a living, booked-hire drivers are engaging in dangerous on-road manoeuvres, they’re stopping illegally to pick-up or set-down passengers where it is not safe to do so, and they are putting other road users at risk.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies said the saturated personalised transport market was compromising the safety and efficiency of Queensland roads and degrading services

Media release
22 June, 2018

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the right.” These words by Abraham Lincoln were shared by Don Roberson as an encouragement to all to as they look towards the future – as relevant today as when they were first uttered.

A mix of sorrow and appreciation fills the hearts of the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) today as we farewell Don, a life member of the Council, who’s devotion to working to improve the taxi industry for owners, drivers and customers and 100 percent dedication to his role as President from 1976 to 1991, remains an inspiration to all. His efforts truly helped guide and

Media Release
4/6/2018

Following the announcement of the Palaszczuk Government’s focus on the dangers of driver distraction and improving road safety for all Queenslanders, the Taxi of Council Queensland (TCQ) is calling for stronger action to deal with drivers in the personalised transport sector who use mobile phones while driving.

In 2017, 248 fatalities occurred on Queensland roads with 27 attributed to driver distraction such as the use of electronic and mobile devices while driving. These figures only reflect the worst-case scenarios and they don’t paint the full picture of the many pedestrians and road users injured by vehicles driven by distracted drivers.

Queensland taxis are equipped with purpose designed and built, high-tech mobile dispatch terminals (MDTs). MDTs are fixed in positions where they do not obstruct the driver’s vision and taxi drivers are trained in how to safely interact with MDTs without them causing distraction.

In comparison, booked-hire drivers rely solely on ordinary smartphones

Media release
4 May, 2018
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​The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is challenging last month’s decision by Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads to grant Taxify Australia Pty Ltd (Taxify) a Booking Entity Authorisation (BEA), arguing there is a clear breach of the regulations and the decision opens the door for other booked-hired businesses to disregard any rules that they may not like .

The Government’s legislation makes it illegal for non-taxi operators to use the word ‘taxi’ or ‘cab’ in promotional materials or advertising unless a taxi is the vehicle providing the service. Taxify is a booked hire service and it does not dispatch trips to taxis.

TCQ CEO Blair Davies believes Taxify, which also trades as TAXIFY OU, is deliberately mocking the Government as well as the taxi industry.

“To dispatch taxis or booked hire vehicles in Queensland, the regulations require companies to be authorised BEAs. Taxify