4. Developing the Taxi Transformation Plan - SPAD

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4.4.3) Vehicle Standards/Specifications The existing vehicle standards and specifications for Budget vehicles allow only three types of national vehicle to be used. The standards should be revised in order to ensure higher quality; more spacious vehicles can be used where appropriate particularly in the Budget class. It is also appropriate to define quality and safety standards the vehicles must meet. The vehicles would then be checked annually against the benchmark set to ensure they continue to meet vehicle specifications and safety and quality levels. Vehicle quality standards should include the following issues members of the public have raised as concerns: A requirement to maintain the vehicle interior including ensuring upholstery is clean and in good condition All external indentations be checked to ensure they do not compromise the integrity of the vehicle and be repaired within 3 months or prior to annual inspection if within 3 months Further requirements as SPAD requires and in consultation with trade representatives An issue raised by the public and taxi trade is the unwillingness of drivers to respond to telephone bookings. Anecdotally it is understood this is due to the low proportion of vehicles attached to radio circuits meaning limited vehicles are able to respond and if they are not in the immediate area they cannot respond without incurring lost kilometres (dead mileage). The enhanced vehicle specifications for Budget vehicles should specify radio communication in order that bookings can be met and service levels improve. These specifications along with the reduction in the vehicle age limit will help increase quality in the fleet and help control entry to the market to encourage a balance of supply and demand. 4.4.4) Licence Renewal The duration of licensing and automatic renewal must be revised. Currently vehicles are licensed for up to an initial 7 year period if registered from new and then for a further 3 years. Best practice suggests that the maximum period a vehicle should be licensed for is a period of 3 years from first license. In addition renewal must be subject to a vehicle safety and quality inspection. SPAD should look to license a number of premises to carry out these safety inspections to ensure standards are maintained and applied in a consistent manner. TfL and the New York TLC both operate licensed vehicle testing stations to ensure checking quality and consistency. Summary of Recommendations– Vehicle Standards Reduce age limit from 10 to 8 years. Introduce comprehensive annual vehicle testing. Review budget vehicle specifications to include quality aspects and radio communication. Work with vehicle providers to investigate scrappage incentive. Introduce new class of vehicle to drive up quality No automatic licence renewal and initial license reduce from 7 to 3 years. Page 42
4.5) Initiative 3 – Driver Standards 4.5.1) Driver Training and Testing Currently drivers are required to meet few standards before they can obtain a driver card. In order to obtain a drivers card one simply takes a regular driving licence to JPJ and provided the applicant has 5 years experience then they are awarded a driver card upon payment of the fee of RM350. The international benchmarking exercise has revealed that this is not common practice with all benchmarked authorities requiring some element of testing and training requirements to be in place. The public feedback highlighted a number of driver concerns including a lack of customer service and lack of local knowledge. In order to improve quality, training and testing regime should be implemented in order to improve driver quality standards. SPAD will work with a third party to set up a driver training scheme to cover the following core areas: Knowledge of the local area and key demand generators Customer service Basic numeracy and literacy (English fluency test) Health, safety and security Rules and regulations First Aid This could be implemented and operated directly by SPAD but the recommended approach would be to work with an existing training provider to develop an accredited course with suitable content and delivery methods. This would ensure a consistent approach to training. This is the approach adopted in London, New York and Singapore. Once the training scheme has been developed all new applicants for a driver card must be required to successfully complete the training scheme and to undergo a test to ensure they have understood the content of the training. SPAD will need to input resources to develop the training programme with their chosen local provider and provide initial subsidy. International experience suggests it would be reasonable to expect new applicants to part contribute to the cost of the training. In order to drive up quality more rapidly the training programme can be rolled out to existing drivers. The resources required to undertake training with all drivers is likely to be prohibitive therefore the recommendation would be for existing drivers to undertake training if they are reported, receive complaints or are found to have received any law enforcement. The licensing process must be reviewed in order to implement this requirement to attend mandatory training. It is further recommended that a comprehensive medical process be introduced in line with the findings of the international best practice. A medical assessment should be obligatory for all drivers, incorporating not only physical but psychological assessments to ensure the applicant is fit to practice as a taxi driver. A certificate would be provided which would need to be presented as part of the first driver licence application process and also when renewing the licenses. This would certify that the applicant was fit to work as a taxi driver in the view of a qualified doctor. The licensing requirements would need to be updated to ensure a driver is obliged to notify the driver licensing body should their ability to work change. A medical examination is a common requirement of the licensing process in many parts of the world. Page 43
Page 2 and 3: Contents 1. Background ............
Page 4 and 5: List of Abbreviations AM Hour Avera
Page 6 and 7: P&R RTPI RUC SMS SPAD TDM TDMP TfL
Page 8 and 9: 1. Background SPAD (Suruhanjaya Pen
Page 10 and 11: 1.2) Objectives The objectives of t
Page 12 and 13: The TTP proposes the following seve
Page 14 and 15: 2. Assessment of Current Conditions
Page 16 and 17: Population and employment densities
Page 18 and 19: Table 2.3: Budget Taxi Class - Lice
Page 20 and 21: The applicants could apply for the
Page 22 and 23: Table 2.6: Current Operator Require
Page 24 and 25: While standard fares are charged by
Page 26 and 27: Table 2.9: Current Vehicle Operatin
Page 28 and 29: certain times of day. In addition,
Page 30 and 31: Table 2.10: Public Transport Users
Page 32 and 33: 3. Looking to the Future of Taxis 3
Page 34 and 35: Table 3.2: Comparison of Driver Req
Page 36 and 37: Taxi/Population (1000s) Figure 3.2:
Page 38 and 39: It is clear that in the internation
Page 40 and 41: 3.6) Where Do We Want To We- For Th
Page 42 and 43: Developing the Taxi Transformation
Page 44 and 45: High Low 4.3) Initiative 1 - Regula
Page 46 and 47: A review of taxi operating costs an
Page 50 and 51: 4.5.2) Enforcing Existing Driver Re
Page 52 and 53: drivers receiving positive feedback
Page 54 and 55: Summary of Recommendations- Access,
Page 56 and 57: Operator‟s feedback detailed in C
Page 58 and 59: Phasing and Delivery 5
Page 60 and 61: Increasing SPAD Policy Influence Le
Page 62 and 63: PROPOSAL Likely Cost Likely Benefit
Page 64 and 65: Table 5.3: Vehicle Policy Intervent
Page 66 and 67: Table 5.5: Network/External Policy
Page 68 and 69: 5.4) Phasing and Implementation Bas
Page 70 and 71: Summary 6
Page 72: Table 6.1: Summary of the LPTMP Aga

4. Developing the Taxi Transformation Plan - SPAD

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