DRIVE A2B August 2018

Interstate
News
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
by Shannon Smith
Concerns have been raised about
the long-term viability of the taxi
industry in Albany after one of
the city’s three taxi companies
announced its closure, forcing
seven taxis off the road and 15
part-time cabbies out of work.
Amity Taxi’s manager Terry
Scullard and his partner Sandy
Graham have been managing
the business for 17 years, and
Mr Scullard said the introduction
of the State Government’s ondemand
transport reform had
pulled the rug from under them.
“All along the way you think you
are building a business which
you’re trying to as best you can,”
he said. “You do the right thing
and get new systems, you get
new vehicles and go into massive
amounts of debt. The new reform
means that anyone can walk in
and get a taxi plate for basically
nothing.”
“It will become dog eat dog and
you start to wonder why you are
doing 100 hours a week.”
The decision to shut down the
business had been months in
the making. Mr Scullard said the
taxi service in Albany was vital
and they received high demand
throughout their operation.
“Public transport is lacking and
people require us to go to hospital
and for that we regret that we
can’t help them anymore,” he said.
One of two remaining local taxi
companies, Eclipse Taxis, will
apply for the tender to take over
Amity’s discontinued taxi plates.
Part-owner at Eclipse Taxis, Ian
Fackrell said they own two taxi
plates and will put their hand up
to acquire Amity’s three.
“There are roughly 20 taxi plates
in Albany and the others are
owned by Albany City Cabs,”
he said. “We will apply to the
Department of Transport to
hopefully expand.”
Albany City Cabs owner Tim
O’Donnell said this was the
first nail in the coffin for taxi
companies in Albany.
“We need to be viable but their
rates haven’t been increased for
years,” he said.
“They have deregulated the
industry but they have kept taxi
fares regulated and they haven’t
changed them to a viable level.
There is a line in the sand and
once I get to that point we are
done too.”
32 DRIVE A2B magazine · August 2018