DRIVE A2B March 2019

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VICTORIA NEWS FOCUS ON TRANSPORT ROD BARTON MP I am delighted to report a great win in my first month as a member of the Victorian State Parliament. In late February I presented amendments to a motion that were instrumental in initiating a review of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry (CPVI) reforms. The motion has called for the Parliament's Economy and Infrastructure Committee to review the government’s CPVI reforms and investigate further possible amendments to ensure Victorians benefit from the best functioning CPV industry possible. This inquiry will seek to review the mechanism by which the government deregulated the taxi and hire car industry. Former Victorian taxi and hire car licence owners are due proper compensation for the government acquisition of their property. I will continue to push to make sure this "unfinished business" has the attention and resolution it deserves. The inquiry will also pave the way for some sensible legislative amendments to end the irresponsible flood of commercial passenger vehicles on our roads, which has left drivers fighting for work on the streets of Melbourne like seagulls at the beach. I accept that the point-to-point transport industry has evolved. We are all in this together now — taxis, hire cars and our new commercial passenger vehicle licence holders - and despite much bad blood over the past five years we must work together to fix the problems we now face as an industry. All drivers deserve to work in an industry where they can earn a fair wage, with fair benefits for their effort. It is no longer possible to build a career as a commercial passenger vehicle operator - taxi, hire car or CPV - because the industry is flooded with drivers representing an increasingly transient and disgruntled workforce. At the end of January 2019 there were 10,876 cabs on our streets. There were over 50,192 Rod Barton MLC hire cars including newcomers such as Uber, DiDi, Ola and GoCatch. We also estimate that there are over 92,000 drivers out there scratching for work. Over the 18 month period since the reforms the industry has grown nearly 750 percent with this figure increasing month on month. CPV drivers are truly the bottom of the food chain. It comes as no surprise that touting is now on the increase. In desperation, drivers are approaching people at the airports, major events and on the city streets offering rides, often for cash. 22 DRIVE A2B magazine · March 2019
All drivers deserve to work in an industry where they can earn a fair wage, with fair benefits for their effort. In the media we have also seen drivers directly contacting clients by text message - an unacceptably aggressive and intimidating form of touting. The public deserves a safe and reliable commercial passenger vehicle network and if we allow the current free-for-all to continue we run the risk of ruining Melbourne's reputation. The economic viability and sustainability of the commercial passenger vehicle industry is inherently linked to driving and vehicle standards and quality of service. Unfortunately, the consequences for this ultimately translates in this industry to reduced consumer safety and unsavoury business practices. This review will give voice to what is a rapidly expanding and evolving industry and I hope to see recommendations from the committee that will steer it to achieve a better balance between the desires of the consumer, those people who service them and the community at large. I welcome your input as I prepare my submission for the review committee. Please email your concerns and stories to rod.barton@parliament. vic.gov.au DRIVE A2B magazine · March 2019 23
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DRIVE A2B March 2019

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