Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

expressed that the poor reputation of Canberra’s taxi industry for reliability, availability andease of use acts as a deterrent to business travelers and a dampener on the ACT economy.The countervailing view from the taxi industry was that there was an oversupply of taxisfollowing the Government’s release of 90 standard leased plates from 2006 to 2008. Taxioperators and taxi drivers argued this has reduced incomes and threatened their viability.The Review also notes that Recommendation 66 of the Commonwealth Government’s HenryTax Review states that the quantity limits on taxi licences should be phased out. The reportnotes that the restrictions on licences “are beyond those necessary to maintain servicestandards or safety and are simply used to raise revenue.” The Review notes taxi industries dooperate in many cities in the world without a cap on licences without compromising safety orquality of service standards.The Review notes the Government has recently finalised its response 416 to the Taxi Review,announcing:• release of at least 25 new standard taxi plates and four new wheelchair taxi plates;• annual increases in taxi licence numbers to ensure taxi supply meets demand;• introduction of a centralised booking service for wheelchair-accessible taxis to improvereliability and service quality;• improving taxi driver training standards; and• enhancing compliance activity to ensure high standards of service to taxi users.The number of new licences is slightly lower than the 30 recommended byPricewaterhouseCoopers in the Review, however, the Government has reserved the right torelease more licences if the industry's performance is not meeting the reasonable expectationsof residents and visitors to the Territory. 417Peak Service LicencesThe ACT taxi industry, perhaps more than most, is subject to strong shifts in demandbetween peak and off-peak times. This is particularly driven by CommonwealthParliamentary sittings and a high level of business travelers arriving by air during themorning peak. The Government may wish to consider introduction of peak service licences,including:• 24hr licences during Parliamentary sittings; and/or• short term licences to cover airport morning peaks (this could be extended to coverovernight services; from midnight to 9am).416 Stanhope, J. MLA (2011) Taxi changes will improve services http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.php?v=10355417 Stanhope, J. MLA (2011)Sustainability, Housing Affordability and Transport: 319