Government fails to address reduced taxi safety

15 March 2017

Government fails to address reduced safety for taxi drivers and passengers

Today the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee reported back on its examination of the Land Transport Amendment Bill and has not addressed most of the industry concerns that safety provisions for taxi drivers and passengers are being watered down.

“While the taxi industry welcomes change, now is not the time to step back from safety. Reducing regulation that ensures public and driver safety will result in a loss of public confidence in the safety of small passenger services, and puts passengers and drivers at risk,” says Blue Bubble Chief Executive Bob Wilkinson.

“They had the opportunity to address concerns raised by the industry during the Select Committee process but have chosen to ignore them.

“Blue Bubble is also disappointed there is nothing in the report that increases the level of enforcement, or the penalties for individuals or companies that choose to ignore the rules designed to protect the travelling public as well as drivers. How will they enforce regulations when small passenger service vehicles are not required to have sign-writing? It puts the public at risk and limits the ability of Police to enforce the law.

“We know that hundreds, if not thousands, of drivers do not comply with the current legislation in New Zealand, laws that were put in place to ensure the public’s safety. We seek fairness and, along with New Zealanders, expect that the rules are enforced. This is a big challenge that is not being addressed.

“It is disappointing that the Committee has indicated that some small passenger service vehicle drivers can operate without the proven safety benefits of a security camera.

“The removal of the English language tests, combined with the removal of the Area Knowledge test, will lead to a challenging situation for drivers for whom English is a second language, and history shows that those are situations where confrontations or violence is most likely to arise.

“There are some positives. We welcome the Government’s commitment to providing a level playing field for all operators. We applaud the requirement that the person in control of a Small Passenger Service must live in New Zealand but we also believe that the devil will be in the detail and we are keen to see how this will be enforced.

“We are also pleased that the Select Committee have seen the importance of maintaining an accurate logbook and adhere to strict worktime rules as being so important for the safety of both passengers and other road users. However we are very concerned that small passenger service vehicle drivers will no longer be required to pass the NZQA Unit Standard to ‘Demonstrate knowledge of fatigue management, work time and driver logbook requirements’, unlike every other professional driver in New Zealand.

“Another positive is that the Committee recommends retaining the “P” Endorsement vetting requirements for all drivers. That is an important safety protection that has been preserved. We appreciate any efforts the Government makes to reduce the time it takes to process applications to make the industry more efficient.

“The Labour Party’s minority view in the Committee’s report shows they too have concerns about the extent to which there is protection of public safety in the proposed deregulation. We fully support their proposed amendments – to ensure all vehicles have braille signage, and continue with the in-vehicle camera requirements,” concluded Bob Wilkinson, Chief Executive of Blue Bubble.

About Blue Bubble:

Blue Bubble Alliance Ltd is a group of 16 Taxi Companies throughout New Zealand. We operate around 2,000 taxis in 16 cities across New Zealand, and have around 3,000 drivers. Blue Bubble offers a range of services to the community including 24/7 availability; booking through our app, phone, online or hail; we accept Eftpos, Credit Cards, TaxiCharge and cash; airport transfers; vehicle options including vans and mobility vehicles; hybrid vehicles and Carbon Zero Certified cars; and a companion service for medial or shopping needs.

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