Taxi Industry Inquiry - Jul 2012
In July 2012, the Commission made a submission to the Taxi Industry Inquiry’s Draft Report and Recommendations.
The Draft Report proposed 145 industry-wide recommendations. Its aim is to improve the taxi service industry to make it safer, more reliable, more competitive and responsive to the needs of customers, including people with disability.
About the submission
Some of the Inquiry’s draft recommendations include improving the qualifications and training of taxi drivers, providing better accountability for all service providers for taxi service performance, improving the reliability, safety and quality of service for people with disability, reducing costs, removing competition restraints in the industry and making the future Taxi Services Commission a better regulator.
Our submission sees the Draft Report as a positive step towards making the taxi service industry more accessible to all Victorians, including people with disability. Our submission also supports the Draft Report’s aim to improve the safety of taxi services. Several of its recommendations are consistent with the The Commission’s past concerns highlighted in previous reports (see Time to respond: Realising equality for people with a disability utilising taxi services).
Our submission focuses on making driver training on the needs of people with disability and on the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 mandatory. We also strongly recommend the setting up of an independent, equitable regulator to improve accountability in the industry.
The Commission looks forward to the publication of the final report.