DRIVE NOW April 2021

APRIL 2021 - EDITION 44 

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Magazine 

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5 22 

16 

26 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

12 

VICTORIA 

8 Vaccines for COVID-19 for Industry Drivers. 

10 Scandal drivers axed. 

12 Rod Barton MP travels western Victoria. 

NSW 

14 3 million passenger bookings for Albury Taxis. 

16 Wheelchair Book & Ride is operational. 

18 Get to know Paul Nicolau. 

SOUTH AUS. 

24 Taxi Drivers at risk from rock throwing youths. 

25 No Ubers in Adelaide Hills. 

WESTERN AUS. 

30 Rideshare service with a difference, hits WA. 

NATIONAL 

20 Link between financial wellbeing & mental health. 

22 Fatigue awareness. 

26 Car seat safety. 

31 Class Action vs Uber update. 

OVERSEAS 

32 Taxi Drivers sue NYC for US$2.56B. 

33 

Dragon Taxis go above and beyond throughout 

pandemic. 

34 Uber is effectively bribing drivers to get them back. 

www.drivenow-magazine.com.au 

April 2021 

3

@drivenowmag drivenowmag 

drivenowmagazine drivenowmagazine 

Editor 

Mrs Toni Peters 

Production Team 

Isobel White, Cindy Man Hun & Stuart Peters 

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Publisher - Trade Promotions Pty Ltd, PO Box 235, Mt Waverley, Vic 3149 - Phone 0400 137 866. DRIVE NOW TM is wholly owned by Trade Promotions Pty Ltd. © 

Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 2021. All rights reserved. Copyright of articles and photographs in DRIVE NOW TM remains with the individual contributors and may not be 

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Views expressed in any article in DRIVE NOW magazine are those of the individual contributor and not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept 

any responsibility for any opinions, information, errors or omissions in this publication. To the extent permitted by law, the publisher will not be liable for any damages 

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must comply with the relevant provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Responsibility for compliance with the Act rests with the person, company or 

advertising agency submitting the advertisement. 

4 April 2021

Your one and only Australian industry 

magazine has had a name change! 

DRIVE NOW - Voice of the Australian Commercial 

Passenger Transport Industry. 

For 51 years (from May 1966 - April 2017) our magazine 

was known as Taxi Talk - Voice of the Victorian Taxi 

Industry. 

Back in May 2017 we rebranded the magazine to be 

DRIVE A2B in light of the fact that the passenger transport 

industry is no longer only about taxis. We found that 

we were reporting on news for taxis, hire cars, limousine 

services and rideshare entities. 

However, late 2017, Cabcharge Australia also had a name 

change — becoming A2B Australia. 

Subsequently over the past four years there has been 

some confusion as to whether we are a part of, affiliated 

with, or representative of A2B Australia, and this 

continues today. 

To make it easy for everyone and to stop the 

misconception, we have decided to have a small name 

change and our magazine will now be called DRIVE NOW. 

DRIVE NOW will continue to fill the niche required as 

the only Australian magazine to report on news of the 

commercial passenger transport industry both within 

Australia and overseas, when it happens and as it 

happens. 

We hope that you continue to read the news now that we 

bring it to you under the new banner of DRIVE NOW. 

Your comments, viewpoints and contributions are now 

welcome to our new email contact@drivenow-magazine. 

com.au. 

Enjoy! 

Taxi Talk, DRIVE A2B and DRIVE NOW are all registered 

entities of Trade Promotions Pty Ltd and do not have any 

affiliation with A2B Australia. 



5

FROM THE 

Editor 

Trans-Tasman Bubble 

should be great for all 

With COVID-19 being relatively contained in both Australia and New Zealand, a trans-Tasman bubble plan has 

been formed to allow for safe quarantine-free travel. This is because the trans-Tasman bubble intends to let 

individuals converse between Australia and New Zealand without any two-week quarantine required upon arrival 

in either country. The travel bubble intends to begin April 19th 2021, if both countries maintain their minimal-tono 

levels of COVID-19. 

This influx of New Zealanders to Australia will not only allow people to reconnect with friends and family, but it 

will also hopefully generate much-needed remittances for Australia’s struggling tourism industry. Consequently, 

money spent in the collective field of tourism, being taxis, hire cars and rideshare alternatives, hotels, food and 

beverages, and so on, shall boost Australia’s economy. 

In previous years, Australian visitors in New Zealand have spent NZ$2.7 billion per annum, and New Zealander 

visitors in Australia have contributed approx. AU$2.6 billion to the Australian economy. This establishes how 

previously both parties have contributed greatly to each other’s economies, meaning we can expect the same for 

the future. 

This proves how crucial this travel bubble can be to our country, and subsequently the transport industry. 

Transport itself is one of the most important elements impacting the tourism industry because without a way 

to travel and reach your destination, one does not move. In the viewpoint of tourism, moving is very important 

as it means people are investing their money into the economy. In other words, travel allows individuals to visit 

places in an efficient manner and, generally, the more places a person visits the more money they spend and the 

more the local economy shall gain. 

Thus, we should be optimistic and enthused about embracing the reality of having a bubble with our neighbour, 

New Zealand, because of the benefits it can bring to not only the transport and tourism industry but Australia’s 

economy as a whole. 

Toni Peters 


STAY INFORMED 

ABOUT COVID-19 

VACCINES. 

Visit health.gov.au for the latest information. 

We are working to make sure everyone in Australia has access to safe, 

effective and free COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines will give us the protection 

to go about our COVIDSafe lives. 

To keep up to date with the latest progress, and to ensure your information 

is reliable, visit health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines 



7

VIC News 

Vaccines 

FOR COVID-19 FOR 

INDUSTRY DRIVERS 

Accredited commercial passenger 

vehicle (CPV) drivers are now eligible 

for a COVID-19 vaccination as part of 

the Victorian state roll-out. 

The industry regulator, Commercial 

Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV), 

will email eligible drivers with 

information on when and where 

they can book appointments to 

receive the vaccine very soon. 

In the meantime, all CPV drivers 

are encouraged to ensure that their 

current contact details are recorded 

in their Driver Portal information – 

especially an email address. 

How to update your 

details 

Register for a CPVV User Portal 

account (or log in) to check and 

update your contact information. 

With a Portal account you’ll also 

be able to access a digital driver 

accreditation certificate that you can 

use to demonstrate your eligibility 

for the vaccine. Without that, you 

may be refused the vaccination. 

Preferred vaccines for 

under 50 year olds 

The Australian Technical Advisory 

Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) 

has advised that the Pfizer vaccine 

is preferred over the AstraZeneca 

vaccine for people aged under 50 

years. This is because of evidence 

of a rare but serious side effect 

involving blood clotting following 

the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. 

As a result, the Victorian state-run 

vaccination centres have paused 

administration of the AstraZeneca 

vaccine until: 

• further provider and consumer 

information is made available 

by the Commonwealth and 

translated into languages other 

than English 

• a new and compulsory training 

package is completed by all staff 

administering vaccines and 

• the Department of Health and 

health services are satisfied 

with legal advice received on 

indemnity. 

These requirements will ensure an 

informed decision can be made 

by people aged under 50 years 

preparing to receive a first dose of 

AstraZeneca — as recommended by 

ATAGI. 

Health services are advised to 

continue to provide the AstraZeneca 

vaccine to eligible people aged over 

50, and to eligible people receiving 

their second dose of AstraZeneca 

vaccine without any previous severe 

adverse reaction, in line with ATAGI's 

recommendations. 

Drivers may book an appointment 

with a local GP or vaccination centre 

and show their Driver Accreditation 

to prove eligibility. 

There will also be vaccination 

stations set up to cater for the 

100,000+ CPV Victorian drivers 

and a booking system will be 

implemented. Further details will 

be uploaded to both the CPVV and 

DRIVE NOW websites as soon as they 

are available. 


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VICTORIA news 

Scandal 

drivers axed 

DIRTY DOZEN OFF THE ROAD 

by Kieran Rooney 

A dozen drivers of taxis, buses and 

rideshare vehicles have been taken 

off the road in the wake of an IT 

bungle that allowed people to 

register for licences without criminal 

record checks. 

More drivers are also under 

investigation as authorities move to 

clean up the error that began in July 

2018. 

In March it was revealed that 

almost 3000 drivers of commercial 

passenger vehicles may have been 

illegally on the road with a criminal 

record for years. 

The licensing system used to match 

applications with police data did not 

work for 2.5 years, with an internal 

probe later revealing 2950 names 

that matched criminal records. 

Victoria Police and Commercial 

Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) 

launched an urgent audit to check 

every name that was flagged. Of 

those names, one driver has had 

their licence cancelled while 11 have 

had their registration suspended. 

Another person is facing disciplinary 

action and 42 others are still being 

investigated. All records were 

checked within four weeks and 

about 20 per cent were genuine 

matches with criminal records, 

although some included small 

offences such as speeding fines. 

Other motorists flagged were already 

known to authorities or were being 

investigated. 

CPVV is responsible for the licences 

of taxis, rideshare vehicles, bus 

drivers, and for driving instructors. 

Transport Matters MP, Rod Barton, 

said the sector had little confidence 

in the regulator. 

“These results reinforce our view 

the minister should have frozen the 

expansion of the Multi-Purpose Taxi 

Program while we had these people 

out there. We didn’t know what the 

situation was until the review was 

completed,” he said. 

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VICTORIA news 

ROD BARTON MP 

Travels western 

Victoria 

The week of 12 April 2021 saw me travelling through western 

Victoria, and catching up with the taxi industry in several 

towns including Bendigo, Hamilton and Portland. Hearing 

about the taxi industry in regional Victoria is one thing, but 

seeing it in person is another – and the journey was emotional 

but enlightening and necessary. 

In Bendigo, I visited Bendigo Taxis to witness its dispatch 

operations and meet the directors, and find out how the taxi 

industry was surviving in Bendigo. I also had a look at how 

WAT (Wheelchair Accessible Taxi) vehicles were being run and 

what challenges drivers and operators were facing in this everchanging 

world we are currently living in. 

Rod Barton MLC 

Leader, Transport Matters Party 

I have to say a big thanks to those who made the effort to join 

us at Bendigo Taxis on a work day. And especially to Colin 

Wells for hosting us, and to drivers Graham and Phill for taking 

us out in the WAT and sharing their concerns and fears. 

The highlight was meeting those who rely on WAT service, 

hearing their stories, and discovering just how important 


VICTORIA news 

this community service is to them and in their day 

to day lives. We must protect vulnerable Victorians, 

by protecting the WAT service – a truly essential and 

valuable service. 

I invite Minister for Transport, Ben Carroll, and Aaron de 

Rozario, CEO of Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria 

(CPVV), to jump into one of the wheelchair vehicles in 

Bendigo for a day, to experience the amazing work the 

men and women involved are doing for their clients. 

There is no doubt that this is a common theme 

within the taxi industry throughout regional Victoria. 

Governments must do more! 

It was fantastic to be able to catch up with those in 

the community, and get more insight into the evident 

struggle. Still, the fight continues. 

We made a pit stop in Hamilton, where I caught up with 

Jan and Wayne from Hamilton Taxis who have been 

doing it tough since the effects of the CPV reforms of 

2017 – carrying leftover legacy debt – and now with 

COVID-19, there has been added financial stress. 

Thank you to Taxis of Portland’s Catherine McKenzie, 

Bruce McKenzie and Stewart Angus for sharing their 

story. Small business is tough enough at the best of 

times in a small town. They had all the usual challenges 

but on top of those, like all of us, they had the 

devastating impacts of the 2017 reforms then COVID-19 

and now are creating a path to rebuild their business so 

they can continue to support the community in Portland. 

Rod Barton (right) met with Stewart Angus and Bruce McKenzie 

when visiting Portland this month. 

Rod Barton and the happy group at Bendigo Taxis. 



13

NSW News 

10 bordermail.com.au 

NEWS 

THE BORDER MAIL 

Wednesday March 10, 2021 

Old garage coming down 

BY DAVID JOHNSTON 

A PROMINENT site in East 

Albury, where a mechanics 

workshop was built in the 

mid 1970s, is the subject of 

demolition plans lodged 

with council. 

The garage was built about 

two decades before Albury 

Base Hospital opened its 

doors on the opposite side of 

East Street in 1994. 

Garth Stead, a customer of Albury 

Taxis from West Albury, was the 3 

millionth booking for Albury Taxis 

and was awarded $500 worth of 

Albury 

Thecompetition,markingamilestoneafter 

Taxis credit on Saturday 6 

March 2021. Taxi Driver for Albury 

Taxis, Mr Stead Manpreet was being picked Heer upBhangu, at his Westwas at 

the wheel for the prize-winning trip. 

BY ELLEN EBSARY 

FIND a penny, pick it up and you'll have 

good luck - that saying proved to be true for 

Garth Stead as he made the three-millionth 

booking at Albury Taxis. 

the co-op moved to an automated dispatch 

system, went off around 1pm on Saturday. 

Albury unit and minutes before had pocketed 

a coin that was on his driveway. 

"I got in the cab, thinking that was a good 

thing for the day, and it went on the three 

A development application 

for demolition of the 

remaining buildings on the 

site have been submitted 

to Albury Council for approval, 

but future redevelopment 

plans for the site 

remain unclear. 

The application submitted 

by consultants Habitat 

Planning on behalf of 

Jarrad Hutchinson states 

the existing brick building 

million," Bob Plummer he said. - Chairperson of 

"When he (the driver) said you're the 

Albury Taxis, on this significant 

occasion expressed, that, "It's a 

milestone — that's about 300,000 

jobs a year. I'd like to thank all our 

customers for their support." 

Bob further added that, "We want 

to let the community know that 

14 April 2021 

3 million 

abandoned and became 

on the Borella Road-East 

Street roundabout has been 

may have any impact on which concluded there was 

traffic and access," the appli- 

potential for contamination 

cation states. 

at the site due to its historical 

storage of motor oils and 

PASSENGER "Proposed works will BOOKINGS 

be 

undertaken predominantly lubricants and infrastructure 

using heavy machinery such associated with being a mechanics 

workshop includ- 

as excavators, backhoe loader, 

rigid truck, mobile crane ing an underground waste 

FOR ALBURY TAXIS 

and compactors." 

oil separator. 

a target for vandalism including 

graffiti attacks and 

smashed windows. 

"It is anticipated that demolition 

works will take approximately 

30 working days, 

weather permitting and will 

be undertaken to avoid local 

school holiday periods and 

any other local events that 

WINNER: Garth Stead won $500 in taxi fares on Saturday as he became the three-millionth customer since 2012 to book with Albury 

Taxis. Driver Manpreet Heer Bhangu was at the wheel for the prize-winning trip. Picture: TARA TREWHELLA 

Luck extends from penny to prize for Garth 

we appreciate their 

business. It’s been 

a tough period for 

everyone, it's a great 

achievement and we 

want to give back." 

three-millionth, I said, 'You're having a lend 

of me', and he goes, 'No, listen (to the radio) 

- I've got it'. 

"The radio went quiet and he said, 'They 

will all hate me now!'" 

Manpreet Heer Bhangu, who has been 

driving with Albury Taxis for three years, 

wasn't expecting to host the winner. 

"We got the email on Friday saying it 

was close, and I thought it would be on the 

Sunday or some It's other an extremely 

day I wasn't driving," 

he said. 

"I got thewonderful message saying period he was for the 

lucky one." 

For Mr Stead, Albury the $500 Taxis credit as init taxi also fees 

means a lot. 

Aboriginal Carers Needed 

As part of the development 

application a preliminary 

site investigation was carried 

out by consultants, GHD, 

celebrated 60 years 

of providing passenger transport 

services in the Albury/Wodonga 

Area in 2020. Now it has completed 

3 million bookings for Taxis in March 

2021. Indeed, a great milestone for 

the Regional NSW Taxi Industry! 

Become afoster 

carerwith VACCA 

"It saves a lot of walking and a lot of buses," 

he said. 

"It's good, because it's not great walking 

over the hill - I'm not that fit, I'll be honest. 

"I've got doctors to go to and a bit of shopping 

I do, otherwise I keep to myself." 

The 53-year-old, from Sydney, moved to 

Albury in 2006. 

He's come to know Mr Bhangu's face after 

Picture: a few bookings, JAMES but WILTSHIRE expects to become 

well-acquainted with him in coming months. 

"I've seen him a couple times - he's always 

polite and keeps the place clean, and he's a 

good driver," Mr Stead said. 

"It (winning the prize) sure put a smile on 

my face." 

SPATE OF SHED FIRES, 

ESCAPED BURN-OFFS 

BY JANET HOWIE 

Albury Taxi Drivers Mohammed Umarji and Wayne 

Wilesmith, and chairperson Bob Plummer. 

"If contamination is identified 

in soil or groundwater 

onsite that could pose a risk 

to human health or the environment, 

an environmental 

management plan or remedial 

action plan should be 

prepared with measures to 

mitigate that risk," the GHD 

report said. 

Demolition works are 

proposed to take place on 

Monday to Saturday, but no 

works will take place on Sundays 

or public holidays. 

The property has a total 

area of 2105.2 square metres. 

GRASS growth in the southern Riverina has 

contributed to hay fires and escaped burns, 

with NSW Rural Fire Service warning landowners 

to take extra care. 

Superintendent Patrick Westwood, district 

manager for the Southern Border team, said 

Monday's fire at a hay processing facility near 

Tocumwal served as a reminder to be vigilant. 

"We are seeing a string of hay shed fires at 

the moment due to the increased amount of 

grass growth that we've had," he said. 

"The green nature of the stalks and stems 

within the bales, there is a real potential for 

people to accidentally have ignitions occur 

by spontaneous combustion." 

Mr Westwood said the facility landlord 

had been well prepared but unfortunately 

the blaze caused a lot of damage. 

Many permit burns were taking place at 

the moment, but the RFS had seen "fairly low 

compliance". 

"There's been a lot of escapes and a lot 

of people not adhering to all their conditions," 

Mr Westwood said. "It's happening 

right across the Riverina. This year, with the 

amount of growth that's around, people just 

need to take extra caution and be prepared 

to change some of their tried and true tactics 

that they've used to light fires in the past." 

One example is when creating fire breaks, 

push the dirt piles - which tended to include 

more grass this season - further into the 

break, not on the edge. 

"Last week in the Culcairn area we had 

what we'd assume to be the accidental ignition 

of two power poles," the superintendent 

said. 

The RFS planned a hazard reduction burn 

today at River Road, Jingellic, with future 

burns around Albury if conditions allowed. 

Albury Taxis is locally owned and 

based with a fleet of over 30 Taxis. Its 

fleet includes wagons, sedans and 

Wheelchair Accessible Taxis. Albury 

Taxis provides accessible transport 

services 24 hours a day, 7 days a 

week.

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NEW SOUTH WALES news 

NEW CENTRAL BOOKING SERVICE FOR 

SYDNEY WATS 

On March 25, 2021, the 

Wheelchair Book & Ride App 

went live in Sydney. The NSW 

Taxi Council Deputy CEO, Nick 

Abrahim, received an email 

from Spinal Cord Injuries 

Australia (SCIA) confirming that 

“We have just made our first 

successful dispatch!” 

Finally, after months of 

co-ordination, meetings, 

discussions and consultations, 

followed by targeted actions 

by many industry stakeholders, 

the first successful Wheelchair 

Accessible Taxi Service (WATS) 

was dispatched via the new 

Centralised Booking Service 

(CBS). 

Wheelchair Book & Ride is the 

new CBS for WATS in Sydney. 

The app connects taxi drivers 

with Sydney WATS customers. 

All Taxi Service Providers 

(TSPs) that operate WATS in 

Sydney are REQUIRED to join 

the service. 

Mohammad Jouni (pictured 

left), a driver for St George 

Cabs, was the first taxi driver to 



receive a booking from the new CBS. 

Mohammad said, “It is very simple 

and works well. It feels very new as 

of now and with time I think we will 

get used to it, and also everyone 

needing WATS will start using it. We 

need to ensure that WATS drivers, 

TSPs and the CBS provider work 

together, stay connected, keep 

utilising as well as improving the 

app as per passenger and industry 

feedback.” 

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA) 

is approved by the NSW Point to 

Point Transport Commissioner 

to operate the service for the 

Wheelchair Book & Ride App. 

service for all parties,” continued Ms 

Lucas. 

Ms Lucas further added that, “We 

would like to take this opportunity 

to thank the NSW taxi industry 

representatives for their openness 

and understanding while we build 

the new service. The discussions 

and consultations we have had 

have been extremely positive and 

we are excited to continue to work 

alongside the NSW taxi industry.” 

Transport for NSW along with 

the Point-to-Point Transport 

Commissioner have played an 

instrumental role in launching the 

new CBS in Sydney. 

better and more seamless service 

to both WATS drivers and our 

customers,” said Mr Donehue. 

The launch of the Wheelchair Book 

& Ride app also coincides with 40 

years of WATS in NSW since the first 

service commenced back in 1981. 

NSW Taxi Council Project Lead, 

Deputy CEO, Nick Abrahim said, 

“The Wheelchair Book & Ride 

app is an important platform for 

wheelchair passengers to book 

their taxis. The app provides ease, 

convenience, and flexibility for the 

passenger to ensure a seamless and 

efficient process for booking a WATS 

in Sydney.” 

Dianne Lucas, CEO, SCIA said, “SCIA 

decided to tender for this service as 

Wheelchair Accessible Taxis provide 

an invaluable service for assisting 

people to be independent, travel 

to and from work and medical 

appointments and generally live 

life.” 

“The app we have created will allow 

us to ensure the drivers have direct 

access to jobs and the people who 

use the service are able to have 

their booking requests filled more 

quickly.” 

“The app has been designed to 

be easy for the drivers to accept 

jobs and to have all the required 

information for a successful pick up. 

It also ensures a fair and equitable 

distribution of jobs to drivers.” 

“We can also see where the driver is 

so we can monitor the acceptance 

and cancellation rates and can 

work with the NSW taxi industry 

representatives to enhance the 

Stu Donehue - Acting Director 

Strategic Initiatives at Transport for 

NSW said the launch of the driver 

app is a great result and a major 

step forward in the delivery of this 

important service. 

“This is just the first step. We now 

look forward to delivering further 

enhancements to provide an even 

Any taxi drivers who are interested 

in joining the Wheelchair Book & 

Ride service must be connected with 

an Authorised Taxi Service Provider 

registered with the CBS. 

Please visit nswtaxi.org.au/resources 

to know more about the new 

Centralised Booking Services for 

WATS in Sydney. 

1300 133 353 

www.avagroup.net.au 

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1300 133 353 




17


Paul Nicolau 

Director, Business Leaders Council 

Australia Chamber of Commerce & Industry 

Paul has over 25 years’ experience 

in senior management roles, 

marketing, business development, 

networking, stakeholder 

engagement, fundraising and event 

management. He is a passionate, 

hardworking, and committed 

professional that wants businesses 

and organisations he is involved 

with to succeed. 

Paul is determined to help many 

charitable causes raise money to 

assist those in need and increase 

the awareness of these respective 

entities in our community. 

Paul is currently working with the 

Australian Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry which represents over 

300,000 businesses that employ over 

4 million Australians. 

He and his colleagues are 

committed to supporting their 

members and advocating for 

the right policies that will help 

businesses develop, and in turn help 

the Australian economy to grow. 

Paul is one of Australia's leading 

fundraisers and business networkers 

and is committed to helping many 

important causes in our community. 

He helps individuals and 

organisations to network and 

engage in the political and business 

circles of Australia to achieve their 

goals and objectives. 

Paul is a great supporter of the NSW 

Taxi Council and the Taxi Industry. 

6 questions 

TO GET TO KNOW PAUL NICOLAU 

1. Who is someone you admire, and why? 

The Premier Gladys Berejiklian for guiding NSW 

through COVID crisis. 

2. Tell me three pet peeves. 

• People who don’t say thank you 

• Rubbish in our streets and our beautiful 

bushland 

• People who break the law. 

3. Do you have any skills or talents that most 

people don’t know about? 

I am a lover, not a fighter! 

4. If you could be anywhere other than here, 

right this minute, where would you be? 

Lord Howe Island. 

5. What’s a typical day like for you? 

6am–7am early morning run/walk 

7am breakfast & read the Fin Review 

8:30am in office dealing with emails 

9am–12pm meetings with members & politicians 

12:30pm–2pm lunch with a member, sponsor, or 

influencer 

2pm–3:30pm zoom conference 

3:30pm–5pm meetings with members & politicians 

6pm–9pm either at a reception or a community 

board meeting. 

6. Flashback to when you were 10 years old. 

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

A firefighter. 


WHY YOU 

SHOULD GET 

VACCINATED 

AGAINST 

COVID-19 

Protect yourself and the community 

• Vaccination is the most effective way to protect against infectious diseases. 

• Vaccines strengthen your immune system by training it to recognise and fight against viruses. 

• When you get vaccinated, you are protecting yourself and helping to protect the whole 

community. 

• High immunisation rates also protect vulnerable people in our community who cannot be 

vaccinated, such as very young children or people who are too sick. 

Help reduce COVID-19 in the community 

COVID-19 can spread quickly and widely. It has resulted in the deaths of over 1.9 million people 

worldwide and over 900 deaths in Australia. 

When enough people in the community are vaccinated, it slows down the spread of disease and 

this is usually a large amount of the population. 

For this reason, public health practices will stay in place until evidence shows that: 

• vaccination prevents transmission and 

• herd immunity is achieved in Australia. 

The best strategy to manage the potential public health risk posed by incoming travellers is 

mandatory quarantine with regular COVID-19 testing. 

Reduce health, social and economic impacts of the 

COVID-19 pandemic 

Higher vaccination rates make outbreaks much less likely. They also reduce the need for preventive 

measures, such as border closures and travel restrictions. 

COVID-19 Vaccination will help 

save lives and livelihoods.

Financial Wellbeing and 

Mental Health 

As COVID-19 continues to 

damage Australia’s economy 

and impact the job market, 

it’s becoming increasingly 

clear that the pandemic is 

presenting many people 

with significant financial 

challenges. 

Here, Beyond Blue talks 

to Laura Higgins, head of 

moneysmart.gov.au, about 

why getting on top of your 

finances is so important for 

mental wellbeing. 

Two sides of the same coin 

Laura Higgins, Senior Executive Leader, Financial Capability at 

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and head 

of moneysmart.gov.au, explains that for most people, financial 

wellbeing and mental health are closely linked. 

“Being in an unhelpful financial situation can have a negative 

impact on our mental health. Conversely, if we're struggling with 

our mental health, sometimes our finance management falls by 

the wayside,” she says. 

“So being conscious of how financial health and mental wellbeing 

are connected, openly acknowledging that, and seeking help early 

on if you’re facing financial difficulties is really important.” 

No time like the present 

Typically, we might understand financial stress to be when people 

can't meet their day-to-day financial commitments. It’s important 

to understand that financial stress is different for everyone and it 

isn't necessarily just about a lack of money, as Higgins explains. 

20 

Laura Higgins, interviewee 

“Everyone's personal circumstances are very different, so 

understandably, our experiences of financial stress vary. For some 

people, stress relating to money may simply mean one unpaid 

bill or a lack of confidence when handling finances. For someone 

else, not knowing how to access helpful advice if they need it may 

induce stress.” 

According to Higgins, regardless of whether you have a niggling 

concern or are facing a significant challenge in relation to your 

finances, reaching out for help sooner rather than later is always a 

good idea.

“I’d definitely recommend acting on it quickly. Whether 

that’s by signing up for some free financial counselling 

or calling the National Debt Helpline, these services not 

only provide practical advice but peace of mind too, 

which is key in terms of supporting mental health.” 

Take a step-by-step approach 

Feeling in control of our finances is incredibly 

empowering. Yet managing them can take time, which in 

itself can be stressful, especially right now. 

Higgins assures us that getting on top of our money 

matters needn’t be an overwhelming task that we try to 

complete in one big hit. 

In fact, Higgins suggests breaking things down into easy, 

achievable bite-size chunks. 

“I’d recommend carving out a bit of time to address your 

finances and take a step-by-step approach. If you do 

one little thing, even just check your bank statement for 

example, recognise that as an achievement. Then set 

yourself another little task, and so on.” 

“If you struggle with this, do it with a family member or 

a friend. Don't set yourself up to do it alone if you know 

that you’ll find it hard,” she adds. 

Let’s talk about money 

According to Higgins, stigma still exists when it comes to 

talking about both money and mental health but being 

honest and open about both subjects is key. 

“Many people find it difficult to admit that they’re 

struggling with their mental wellbeing, and often, the 

same applies with money. But if we take the time to talk 

honestly with our family and friends about our finances, 

we encourage open discussion, the sharing of good 

financial choices and resources, while also helping to 

destigmatise the issue,” she says. 

It’s also really important to get into the habit of tending 

to our finances on a regular basis, says Higgins, who 

recommends looking after your finances the same way 

you’d look after your health or your car. 

“Both these things benefit from regular check-ups, as do 

our finances. So, try and make attending to your money 

matters a real habit.” 

No judgement here 

When it comes to supporting those close to you who are 

struggling with financial stress, Higgins suggests a fairly 

hands-on approach. 

“Saying things like: ‘These unopened bank statements 

over here, shall we take a look at them together?’. Simply 

being there to help out, without judgement, can go a 

long way. Especially if they’re struggling with their mental 

health, as they may not have the mental clarity required 

to sit down and sort through things,” says Higgins. 

“It’s easy to adopt a head-in-the-sand approach, 

especially if we’re in a bad place mentally, but things can 

quickly spiral. So, try and schedule a specific time on a 

regular basis to take a look at your bank statements, pay 

your bills, etc. It really is well worth it, particularly when it 

comes to alleviating and managing financial stress.” 

This article was created as part of a collaboration between 

Beyond Blue and Financial Counselling Australia, looking at what 

people can do to support their financial and mental wellbeing. 

. 

Tips for managing your 

financial wellbeing 

• Acknowledge the link between financial 

wellbeing and mental health and think about 

how this affects you personally. 

• Get in control of your finances by setting time 

aside for money matters – try and get into the 

habit of doing this regularly. 

• Don’t delay – the earlier you get on track with 

your finances the better. 

• If you need a helping hand, ask someone close 

to you who will offer help without judgment. 

• Make a plan and take a step-by-step approach, 

acknowledging each task ticked off your to-do 

list as an achievement. 

• If you have any niggling concerns related to your 

finances, don’t hesitate to seek professional 

help. Free financial counselling is a great way of 

accessing practical advice and support, while 

the National Debt Helpline is on hand to help 

anyone experiencing financial hardship. 

21

FATIGUE 

AWARENESS 

Fatigue is one of the most common 

problems among rideshare, taxi, hire 

car and limousine drivers. Drivers 

often experience long hours, vast 

distances of travel and unusual work 

hours that may result in tiredness, a 

lack of concentration and depleted 

energy. 

A study by the Queensland 

government showed that being 

awake for 17 hours had a similar 

effect on performance as having a 

blood alcohol reading of 0.05 which 

is the equivalent of two standard 

drinks. Many deaths and serious 

injuries on our roads have been due 

to fatigue related vehicle accidents. 

From an industry perspective, taxis, 

limousines, hire cars and rideshare 

have very limited regulations in place 

for driver fatigue management, unlike 

the heavy vehicle industry. 

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator 

for instance has a complete Fatigue 

Management policy in place and 

accredited course framework to 

teach drivers about fatigue, with 

legislation in place to count work 

and rest time and provide training in 

Fatigue Risk Management. 

Currently on Australia’s roads there 

are approximately 240,000 vehicles 

being used as commercial passenger 

transport vehicles (taxis, hire cars, 

limousines and rideshare) and over 

300,000 people are registered to drive 

these vehicles. 

Some of the Booking entities 

have implemented basic Fatigue 

Management policies, both online 

and through their apps, which is a 

great start. But this does not stop 

drivers from switching from one ride 

hailing app to another, or from one 

type of work to another, and then 

continuing their driving. 

Not having a proper Fatigue 

Management policy in place for 

personalised passenger transport is a 

serious oversight and one that should 

be remedied by all State government 

regulators. 

The onus therefore is on the operator 

and the driver to ensure that 

Fatigue Management is addressed 

and taught to avoid negligence 

and increase safety for drivers and 

passengers alike. The best practice 

to enhance safety and awareness of 

fatigue is through education. 

Looking after the interests 

of those in the Australian 

commercial passenger 

transport sector. 

One of Transport Alliance Australia’s 

corporate sponsors, DRVR 

Training, has developed a Fatigue 

Management course, comprising 

23 lessons, that has been specially 

designed to give drivers an in-depth 

understanding of; 

• Driver fatigue and the 

consequences 

• Importance of sleep 

• Causes of fatigue from medical 

issues, lifestyle choices or 

psychological problems 

• Detecting fatigue 

• Preventing fatigue 

• Ensuring safety at the wheel 

Take Fatigue Management seriously 

and ensure your drivers are fully 

trained in Fatigue Management – it 

could save lives! 


Every TAA member is an industry ambassador. 

JOIN US TODAY 

We keep our members up-to-date, providing them weekly summaries of news and events, 

co-ordinating meetings for participation and providing proactive leadership on issues 

relating to the Australian commercial passenger transport sector. 

Email: info@taa-national.com.au | Website: www.taa-national.com.au 

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SA News 

Taxi 

Drivers 

AT RISK FROM ROCK 

THROWING YOUTHS 

By Gary-Jon Lysaght and Shannon Corvo 

Taxi drivers in regional South Australia 

say their lives and their passengers' 

safety are being put at risk by youths 

throwing large rocks at their cars 

and engaging in other antisocial 

behaviour. 

Drivers have previously been told 

to report such incidents to police, 

but with no change in the youths' 

behaviour as yet, they've decided to 

make their concerns public. 

Louise Osborn, general manager of 

Des's Cabs Whyalla, said the attacks 

mainly occurred at night, but one 

driver was targeted during the day on 

Saturday. 

"They're going out there, they're 

putting themselves at risk and 

now they're in an unsafe work 

environment," she said. 

Ms Osborn said it was mainly younger 

people who were causing the damage. 

"Some of these kids are underage so 

the police are a bit hamstrung as to 

what they can do," she said. 

"Any other person feeling unsafe in the 

workplace, the issue gets addressed, 

so that's what our main point of all of 

this is. I can't keep my drivers safe, so I 

need to do something else about it." 

Whyalla's local state MP, Eddie 

Hughes, said there was a chronic lack 

of youth services in the city, which was 

leading to the bad behaviour. 

"The youth services that we have in 

Whyalla essentially run on the smell of 

an oily rag and that's bad enough, but 

they also experience their cutbacks, 

so they're stretched to their very limit," 

he said. 

"It is unacceptable and is one face of a 

number of things that are going on in 

Whyalla at the moment with antisocial 

behaviour on some of our streets and 

in some of our neighbourhoods.” 

"Most of the community are fine, but 

there are some real issues that we 

need to get on top of and it's not just 

the police, other agencies are going 

to have to be involved to improve the 

situation in Whyalla." 

A South Australia Police spokesperson 

said police had received 17 calls in 

total from the public regarding rock 

throwing in Whyalla, but only two in 

the past 10 days. 

"The majority of these incidents have 

occurred in the Westlands area of 

Whyalla," the spokesperson said. 

"Police have been proactively policing 

this area and concentrating on 

antisocial behaviour in this area for 

some time.” 

"This has recently led to the arrest of 

seven youths ranging in ages from 11 

to 14 years for theft and assault." 

In a social media post, the Whyalla 

City Council said it was aware of 

"extremely unsafe behaviour by some 

members of the community." 

"We are facilitating a meeting with 

South Australia Police, Eddie Hughes 

and Des's Cabs to discuss ways we can 

all work together to address this issue 

and increase community safety," the 

post said. 


SOUTH AUSTRALIA news 

No Ubers 

IN ADELAIDE HILLS 

It is a requirement in South Australia 

for rideshare drivers to hold a 

licence to operate within Adelaide 

and if they choose to operate 

outside of the Adelaide metropolitan 

area they must also have a regional 

area licence. So, drivers who wish to 

work in Adelaide and Adelaide Hills 

areas need to have two licences. 

Metro and regional rideshare driver 

licences each cost $73.20. 

An Uber spokeswoman has said that 

these existing requirements are not 

workable. 

“We want to see South Australians 

in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa 

and McLaren Vale have the same 

opportunities to choose rideshare as 

people in Adelaide,” she said. 

“Requiring drivers to undertake 

the cost and burden of two 

accreditation processes within the 

one state is also not a feasible, longterm 

solution that would see the 

convenience, safety and reliability of 

rideshare made available for more 

South Australians,” she added. 

Businesses within the Adelaide Hills 

say that a lack of transport options 

in the area is putting pressure on 

hospitality venues. 

Some are concerned that the lack 

of rideshare availability in the area 

could encourage people to risk 

drink-driving. 

Apparently it takes hours for a taxi to 

collect its booked passengers. 

Transport Minister Corey Wingard 

has indicated that the requirement 

for a separate regional licence is 

under review. 

There is a simple solution to this 

lack of transportation in regional 

South Australia. Have all rideshare 

drivers pay an annual fee of $146.40, 

and this would then cover them for 

operating anywhere within South 

Australia. 

The other initiative that could be 

undertaken is for the local taxi 

companies to get more drivers and 

taxis on the road during peak times. 

This is a perfect opportunity for 

the taxi industry to show that it can 

provide the service required by the 

travelling public. 

Limousine, Taxi, Hire Car, Ride Share 

Limousine, Taxi, Hire Car, Ride Share 

Online Australian 

Training 

Courses 

www.drvrtraining.com.au 

Fatigue Management 

23 Lessons | $49.00 

COVID-19 Hygiene Awareness 

for Passenger Transport 

Drivers 

22 Lessons | $ FREE 



25

CAR SEAT 

SAFETY 

Australia has the most stringent 

child restraint design standards, yet 

around 60 children are killed each 

year and thousands are injured. 

The National Guidelines for the Safe 

Restraint of Children Travelling in 

Motor Vehicles have been developed 

under the auspices of Neuroscience 

Research Australia (NeuRA) and 

Kidsafe – The Child Accident 

Prevention Foundation of Australia. 

They provide best practice 

recommendations for how to 

safely transport children in motor 

vehicles. The 2021 edition of the 

guidelines are a major update from 

the previous guidelines published 

in 2013. 

Project Leader and Senior Principal 

NeuRA, Professor Lynne Bilston, 

said the revised guidelines optimise 

child passenger safety by factoring 

in new research and transport 

developments. 

“Our recommendations give 

consideration to newer restraint 

types, how a child fits in a particular 

car when deciding if they can use 

an adult seatbelt, as well as newer 

modes of transport,” Professor 

Bilston said. 

“For instance, now that rideshares 

are common, it is recommended 

children use their own restraint in 

rideshare vehicles, not just in the 

family’s own car,” she said. 

It has been law in most Australian 

States that car seats and booster 

seats are mandatory for young ones 

when travelling in a taxi. Yet these 

laws do not apply to rideshare 

vehicles. With the release of these 

new guidelines, it would be great 

to see all Australian States and 

Territories take up the mantra and 

make the rules mandatory for car 

seats/booster seats to be used in all 

commercial passenger vehicles (ie 

taxis, hire cars, limos, and rideshare). 

The new recommendations outlined 

in the guidelines include: 

• using child restraints or 

booster seats when travelling 

in rideshares (e.g. Uber) and 

rental cars, as well as taxis; 

• strengthened advice to use the 

‘5 Step Test’ to decide when to 

transition from a booster seat 

to adult seat belt; 

• encouraging children to sit 

in an upright seating posture 

so their restraint can work 

optimally; children aged 4-8 

years should use an add-on 

booster seat in preference to an 

integrated booster, but children 

9 years and older can safely 

use an integrated booster seat 

if their car has a side curtain 

airbag where they are sitting; 

• parents of low birthweight 

babies should use an infant 

car restraint designed for low 

birthweight babies until they 

can get good harness fit in a 

‘standard’ child car restraint. 

This is the safety of our future 

generations and we must do 

whatever we can to protect them. 


APRIL 2021 - EDITION 44 

PICK UP YOUR OWN COPY 

EVERY MONTH FROM THESE BUSINESSES 

National 

Magazine 

Taxis, Hire Cars, 

Wedding Cars, 

Limousines 

QLD 

Owners, Drivers, 

Partners, Operators 

Suppliers, Networks, 

Booking Service 

Providers 

Albion 

Delta Taxi Management 

Taxicomms 

Brisbane Airport 

Black & White Cabs 

Eagle Farm 

Power Auto & Smash 

Repairs, Transport Security 

Cameras 

SA 

13cabs - Adelaide 

Adelaide Ind. Taxis 

Taxi Council of SA 

Kelvin Grove 

KG Taxi Management 

Marcoola 

Suncoast Cabs 

Maryborough 


Mermaid Waters 

13cabs Gold Coast 

Southport 


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TAS 

ACT 

Launceston 

Taxi Combined Services 

VIEW ALL EDITIONS 

ON OUR WEBSITE 

Aerial Taxis 

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13cabs Brisbane 

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Belmont 


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Perth Airport 

Perth Airport Taxi Rank 

NSW 

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13cabs, NSW Taxi Council 

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Mikhael & Co Mech Repairs 

Cromer 

Manly Warringah Cabs 

Granville 

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Dubbo 

Dubbo Bus Lines 

Kingsgrove 

St George Cabs 

Leumeah 

Sanitisation Station 

Mascot 

RSL Cabs, GM Cabs 

Newscastle 

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North Parramatta 

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Prestons 

13cabs Taxi Tech 

Tamworth 

Buslines Depot Sanitisation 

Station 

West Gosford 

Central Coast Taxis 

Wolli Creek 

Legion Cabs 

Wollongong 

lllawarra Taxi Network 

VIC 

Ascot Vale 

Westbourne Motors 

Ballarat 

Ballarat Taxis, Crown Cabs, 


Bendigo 

Bendigo Taxis 

Brunswick East 

Platinum Taxis 

Campbellfield 

Taxi Hire Services 

Clayton South 

Schmidt Electronic Labs 

Coburg North 

Silver North Taxi M'ment 

Collingwood 

Silver Top Taxis 

Doncaster 

Rod Barton, MP 

Fitzroy 

Equity Transport Group 

Geelong Taxis 

Lara 

Avalon Airport Arrivals 

Terminal 

Mentone 

Savid Taxis 

Mildura 

Mildura Taxis, Crown Cabs, 


Moorabbin 

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North Melbourne 

13cabs, Alex Taxis, Live Taxi 

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Port Melbourne 

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All Cars, Crown Cabs, Black 

& White Cabs, Melrose 

Lounge Cafe, Taxi Hire 

Services, Transport Security 

Cameras 

Vermont Autogas 

West Melbourne 

Embassy Café 

Wodonga Taxis

Concern around driver fatigue is what 

drove Josh Saunders and his business 

partner Stewart Flecknoe-Brown to 

launch their mobile application based 

solution, Logmaster. Established 

in 2018, Logmaster has become a 

leading digital portal for driver safety 

in the passenger transport industry. 

Josh’s senior management experience 

in one of Australia’s largest rideshare 

companies was what alerted him to 

a major gap in the market. Josh was 

constantly being made aware from 

people in all areas of the industry that 

what was wanted was a single tool to 

monitor compliance, yet nothing was 

readily available. 

With existing automated systems in 

place for catching and controlling 

other road dangers such as speeding, 

drink driving, vehicle safety, 

registration and driver licensing, the 

issue of fatigue management was still 

a significant concern for the industry. 

Josh was aware that New Zealand was 

ahead of the game and had already 

mandated logbooks for transport 

drivers and had introduced electronic 

platforms. But what about Australia? 

There wasn’t a locally suitable solution 

for fatigue management. Businesses 

and regulators were making do 

without effective technology to meet 

the requirements. So it made sense 

to create a solution. An electronic 

work diary for logging everything that 

should be considered under fatigue 

management plans and legislated 

regulations. 

Starting as an electronic work diary, 

Logmaster evolved with feedback 

from users to a one-stop platform 

ready to record more of the factors 

which professional drivers must 

monitor. 

The app includes vehicle 

inspections, driving times 

and other work times, 

incident reporting and 

response, licence and 

document expiry tracking, 

and vehicle maintenance 

record keeping. 

Convenient and automatic sharing 

then enables real-time updates to 

be sent to booking service providers, 

partners and employers. Logmaster 

really makes compliance reporting 

easier. 

Josh says, “Consultation with 

committee members of the 

Rideshare Drivers’ Association of 

Australia was instrumental in the 

development of Logmaster so we 

could ensure businesses would 

be able to automate more of their 

audit and reporting obligations, 

confidently showing that safety 

practices were being recorded.” 

With a passion for business 

innovation, Josh is a natural 

entrepreneur. This combined 

with his love of technology and its 

problem-solving powers, is what 

lies behind Logmaster’s success. 

He’s extremely proud to say, “We’ve 

been able to solve a problem with a 

solution that’s commercially viable 

for our customers and clients.” 

But for Josh, Logmaster represents 

more than this. “We love that at the 

heart of the business is safety and 

protecting people.” 

“We’re a strong team and we hold 

each other to high standards. It’s 

worth it because we’re working for 

the greater good. We’ll keep going 

until everyone knows there’s a 

solution to fatigue management, 

Josh Saunders 

Co-Founder & Managing Director 

of Logmaster Australia 

driver safety and transport business 

compliance.” 

A trucking solution has recently 

been developed and this involved 

a layer of complexity added to the 

existing Logmaster framework. 

Currently in the submission stages 

with NHVR, Josh is looking forward 

to announcing a release date soon. 

Until then, he’s excited about 

continuing conversations with 

business owners in the passenger 

transport and rideshare industry 

who are frustrated with their current 

systems and looking to have a more 

streamlined, yet comprehensive 

solution for safety and compliance 

management. 

Josh invites them to get in touch 

with him to see how Logmaster can 

help. 

You can try Logmaster 

for FREE for 10 DAYS by 

downloading the app on 

IOS or Android. 



29

WA News 

DinkumRide is the newest 

ride share service for WA. 

Rideshare 

Service 

WITH A DIFFERENCE, HITS WA 

by David Prestipino 

A rideshare service just launched in 

Western Australia is tipped to bring 

into sharp focus the rights of drivers 

on other apps such as Uber and 

DiDi. 

DinkumRide will give WA drivers 

the highest commission rate of any 

ridesharing service and pledge 10 

per cent of its profits to charities 

supporting homelessness. 

The app would take only a 15 per 

cent commission fee, one the 

business said would never fluctuate 

regardless of acceptance rates, 

leaving its drivers to receive a huge 

85 per cent of every fare. 

The ridesharing service’s launch 

comes after the UK Supreme Court 

last month ruled after a long legal 

battle that Uber must classify 

its drivers as workers and not 

independent contractors, a decision 

that could deliver a major blow to 

the company’s business model there 

and in other key markets such as 

Australia. 

More than 700 drivers have signed 

up across WA since DinkumRide’s 

low-key launch in December. 

DinkumRide founder Rajesh Vuppala 

said WA offered a huge opportunity 

for personal travel and the company 

hoped to provide job opportunities 

locally and eventually interstate. 

“There are approximately 15 million 

rides in WA per year alone,” he said. 

“We wanted to create a technology 

that not only supported Australians 

to get back in the driver’s seat when 

it comes to earning, but that also 

plays an active role in giving back to 

the community after a really tough 

year.” 

Career instability has hit all-time 

highs in the wake of the 2020 

pandemic and the company was 

focused on providing work for locals. 

“Some competing rideshare apps 

penalise drivers for not meeting high 

quotas of rides and late acceptance 

of jobs, or failing to show the driver 

the final destination until they 

accept that journey, which can often 

blindly lead drivers into a route they 

don’t want to take,” Mr Vuppala said. 

“These small actions can often see 

drivers treated like employees, when 

the reasons for choosing a rideshare 

career are independence and 

flexibility around the way they work.” 

DinkumRide co-founder Gurnam 

Singh said structured and strategic 

initiatives were necessary after 

COVID to minimise future risks for 

businesses and workers. 

“We are committed to improving the 

welfare of local rideshare drivers, 

without jeopardising the rider 

experience,” he said. 

In addition to set driver fees 

and high commission rates, Mr 

Vuppala said DinkumRide would 

pledge 10 per cent of business 

profits to homelessness charities 

across Australia, with drivers and 

passengers having opportunity 

to vote for their preferred 

homelessness charity. 


CLASS ACTION 

vs UBER 

The lawyers have agreed with 

Uber on a discovery plan for the 

exchange of documents. Discovery 

is an important stage in the case, 

in which Uber is required to hand 

over documents that are in its 

possession, power or control that 

are relevant to the case. This process 

can take some time, as Uber will 

need to carefully look through its 

databases, and it often involves large 

numbers of documents. 

In recent months, Uber has provided 

a thousand documents, but it had 

not indicated when the rest of the 

documents would be provided. 

Uber has since indicated that 

it would provide the rest of the 

relevant documents by 2 July 2021. 

Maurice Blackburn continues to 

work on the case in the meantime. 

They are reviewing the documents 

that have been provided by Uber, 

and are preparing for trial. At this 

stage, we expect a trial will take 

place in 2022. 

If you are registered for the class 

action, it is very important that you 

keep your details up to date so you 

can be informed about important 

matters that come up in the course 

of the case. 

If your circumstances change, 

including because of bankruptcy, 

receivership or administration, or 

deregistration, or your contact details 

change, you should contact Maurice 

Blackburn on 1800 291 047 or at 

Uber@mauriceblackburn.com.au. 

If you are not yet registered, there 

is still time to do so. You can find 

out more and register here: http:// 

uberclassaction.com.au/ 

DON’T TAKE THE RISK 

THIS FLU SEASON 

Vaccination against 

influenza (flu) remains 

important this year. 

Flu is a highly contagious viral 

infection that can cause widespread 

illness and deaths every year. 

Behaviours such as increased hand 

washing and social distancing 

helped to stop the spread of flu 

viruses in the community last year, 

and we should continue this. 

GET THE 

FLU VACCINE 



Vaccination is our best defence 

against flu viruses. 

Make an appointment with your 

local GP today for the 2021 Flu 

vaccine. 

31


overseas news 

Taxi Drivers sue NYC for 

US$2.56B over Medallions 

A new federal lawsuit accuses the city's Taxi and Limousine 

Commission of profiting off inflated medallion prices. 

by Matt Troutman 

NEW YORK CITY — A pair of taxi 

drivers filed a $2.56 billion lawsuit 

against New York City accusing 

officials of profiting off inflated 

medallion prices. 

The federal class action lawsuit is 

the latest in a long-running fight 

over medallions, which have kept 

many cabbies deep in debt. 

It names the Taxi and Limousine 

Commission (TLC), former Mayor 

Michael Bloomberg, among others, 

as defendants and accused city 

officials of fraudulently raking in 

millions off the backs of taxi drivers. 

"From 2004 to 2017, TLC and 

the City willfully, knowingly and 

intentionally overstated the value 

of taxi medallions and fraudulently 

concealed the fact that the value 

of these medallions had already 

begun to decline as early as 2010, 

as confirmed by an internal TLC 

report," the lawsuit states. "Worst 

of all, the motivation behind the 

fraudulent acts of the TLC and the 

City was, without question, 'greed'." 

New York City pulled in $855 million 

from medallion sales from what the 

taxi medallion owners — Alec Soybel 

and Galina Kaminker — claim was a 

fraudulent scheme. 

Soybel and Kaminker sunk $690,000 

and $280,000 in medallions giving 

them their taxis the right to take 

hails, according to the lawsuit. 

But city officials had set artificially 

inflated minimum or "upset" 

prices on medallions, among other 

problems that left Soybel, Kaminker 

and taxi drivers saddled with debt, 

the lawsuit claims. 

And TLC officials eventually went 

into talks with Uber and Lyft that 

would allow the rideshares to 

operate without medallions, thus 

causing the value of medallions to 

crater, the lawsuit claims. 

Soybel, Kaminker and other 

medallion owners are represented 

by Jon Norinsberg of Norinsberg 

Law and Joshua Fitch of Cohen & 

Fitch LLP. 

"For over a decade, TLC willfully 

and deliberately engaged in a 

fraudulent scheme to artificially 

inflate medallion values," Norinsberg 

said in a statement. "Driven by 

greed, TLC artificially pumped up 

medallion prices, published false 

and misleading reports and hid the 

truth about the impending collapse 

of the medallion market." 


Dragon Taxis go above and beyond 

throughout pandemic 

The taxi company has been involved in a number of initiatives to help 

support local communities, key workers, and charities across Wales. 

by Leena Sidat 

OVERSEAS news 

WALES, UNITED KINGDOM — After 

covering the costs of thousands of 

pounds worth of free taxi rides for 

COVID-19 vaccination appointments, 

South Wales’ largest taxi and private 

hire vehicle operator, Dragon Taxis, 

is reflecting on several initiatives 

to lift spirits and keep the local 

communities moving safely. 

Free taxis are only the tail end of 

the Dragon Taxis story of the last 12 

months. From recognising COVID-19 

heroes to donating to Christmas 

charities, Dragon Taxis has been 

keen to go the extra mile for local 

residents, keyworkers, and charities. 

As the pandemic hit the UK, 

Dragon Taxis was one of the first 

companies to introduce additional 

hygiene measures, designed to 

mitigate the spread of coronavirus. 

These included the introduction 

of specialist cleaning regimes, 

in-vehicle protective screens, and 

making more than a quarter of a 

million free face coverings available 

to self-employed driver partners for 

their own personal use while driving. 

Understanding the challenges 

of the pandemic, Dragon Taxis 

launched its ‘You Click, We Collect’ 

service in March 2020 for lockeddown 

residents. The company also 

introduced AirPay, a text message 

payment solution, making cashless 

payments available on all bookings. 

Jack Price, regional director of 

Dragon Taxis, said: “We were keen 

to reassure local people that we 

were there to help and would do 

all we could to assist them in the 

pandemic; from collecting their 

essential shopping to dropping off 

prescriptions and medical supplies.” 

In addition to its delivery services, 

and in a show of solidarity during 

this challenging time, Dragon Taxis 

launched a 20% discount on fares 

for all frontline NHS staff and carers, 

as well as delivered free meals 

and taxi vouchers for staff at local 

hospitals. 

It also launched a campaign to 

recognise unsung Covid heroes, 

naming Jim Drewett as the 

deserving winner out of hundreds of 

heart-warming entries. 

Jack added: “The last 12 months 

haven’t been easy for anyone. Driver 

partners often hear first-hand the 

difficulties people face.” 

“However, the driver partners are 

the unsung heroes during the 

pandemic. It has been inspiring to 

see how quickly they have adapted 

to these new ways. We thank them 

for their efforts and look forward to 

continuing our partnership in better 

times ahead.” 



33

OVERSEAS news 

Uber is effectively bribing drivers 

to get back on the platform 

Uber is spending US$250 million to persuade drivers to get back on 

the road so it can pay them less again. 

by Tyler Sonnemaker 

USA & CANADA — Uber has 

announced it plans to spend an 

additional US$250 million on 

“boosted incentives and guarantees” 

to persuade drivers to get back on 

the road amid a shortage during the 

COVID-19 pandemic. 

“In 2020, many drivers stopped 

driving because they couldn’t count 

on getting enough trips to make it 

worth their time. In 2021, there are 

more riders requesting trips than 

there are drivers available to give 

them — making it a great time to be 

a driver,” Dennis Cinelli, the head of 

Uber’s US and Canada ride-hailing 

business, said in a blog post. 

But Uber also warned the increased 

pay won’t last forever. 

“We want drivers to take advantage 

of higher earnings now because this 

is likely a temporary situation. As the 

recovery continues, we expect more 

drivers will be hitting the road, which 

means that over time earnings will 

come back to pre-Covid levels,” 

Cinelli said. 

Uber claimed in the blog post, 

drivers in Philadelphia, Chicago, 

Austin, Miami, and Phoenix are 

currently earning pre-tip median 

incomes between roughly $26 and 

$31 per hour. 

Uber’s ability to provide on-demand 

rides at low prices depends on 

having lots of drivers active when 

passengers are looking for a ride. If 

only one driver is competing for a 

passenger, that driver can refuse the 

job until Uber’s algorithm jacks up 

the pay – which is essentially what 

some DoorDash drivers are doing 

to boost their pay for food-delivery 

gigs. 

If 100 drivers are competing for 

that same job, Uber can offer much 

lower pay and one of them will still 

probably do it, and therefore Uber 

can charge the consumer less and 

still make more money itself. 

But the pandemic caused a massive 

drop in the demand for rides, and 

has kept many drivers – who are 

especially concerned about getting 

sick because Uber doesn’t provide 

healthcare or sick pay – off the road, 

even as rider demand returns. 

That’s a bad situation for Uber, 

which doesn’t want riders returning 

to the app only to find no drivers are 

online and that they’re waiting 20 

minutes for a ride and still paying 

surge pricing. 

So, Uber is effectively bribing drivers 

to get back on the platform until 

there’s enough competing for those 

returning passengers that Uber 

can start whittling down driver pay 

again. 


TRADE 

DIRECTORY 

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS 

TAXI 

CONVERSIONS 

1300 133 353 www.avagroup.net.au 

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TAXI CONVERSIONS 

FOR FULL DETAILS VISIT 

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• Flush Floor & Polyflor Non Slip Floor Coverings 

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BUY from $1,499 + fitting 

49 Fennell St, Port Melbourne Vic 3207 | 1636 Sydney Rd, Campbellfield Vic 3061 1300 133 353 

23 Armada Place, Banyo QLD 4014 | 54 - 60 Industry Dve, Tweed Heads NSW 2486 www.avagroup.net.au 

RENT $22/month + fitting + security deposit 

+ G5 TAXIMETERS - RENT OR BUY 

+ VerifEye Camera Repairs 

+ Roof Lights, EFTPOS, racks, installations etc 

TAA is a non profit body run by members for members. 

Visit our website at www.taa-national.com.au 

Schmidt Electronic Laboratories Pty Ltd 

Call 0421 046 015 info@schmidt.com.au 

www.schmidt.com.au 

CAR 

WASH 

FREE HOT DRINK 

WITH EVERY AUTO CAR WASH 

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Hot drink available at Melrose Lounge - Taxi Holding Area 

Collect voucher from Unigas Office 



35

Driver JOBS 

VICTORIA 

GEELONG 

Looking for a professional and reliable driver to join 

our fleet as a casual. Must have exceptional customer 

service and communication skills, be well presented 

and organised, and know their way around Geelong. 

Need a medium or heavy rigid licence. Available to 

work Sundays, flexible working hours. Training will be 

provided. Applicants must be Australian residents and 

have WWCC and Police Check. Hourly rates negotiable. 

Geelong Hummer Limousines 1800 486 637. 

BAYSIDE TAXI SERVICE 

Sick of driving an old Ford? CHEAP is EXPENSIVE. 

Great set price deals with our 50 series hybrids on lpg. 

Bayside Taxi Service, 313 Bay Road, Cheltenham. For 

more info call (03) 9555 1155 or 0414 566 779. 

WODONGA 

Do you want to get out of the rat race? 

Less stress? Less traffic? Cheaper living? Why not 

drive a taxi in Wodonga? We have permanent day shift, 

night shift, sedans and WAT vehicles. Great takings 

and easier driving! Contact Wodonga Taxis on 02 6024 

3839. 

MELTON 

Night/Day/Weekend shifts are available. Ring Zafar on 

0425 844 884. 

SILVER TOP TAXIS 

Has to be over 25 years old. At least 3 years experience. 

East Doncaster changeover. Call or SMS Tony on 0413 

393 594 or email tonysursock@gmail.com. 

SYDENHAM 

Available taxi for set price. 13cabs network. White or 

silver colour. Toyota Camry on gas. Anyone interested 

SMS 0411 464 849. 

GLENROY 

13cabs and Silver Top Taxis. Full, day and night shifts 

available. Looking for full time drivers. Vehicles are a 

Skoda and a Toyota Camry. Please phone 0408 565 787. 

OAKLEIGH 

Taxi driver wanted to drive , casual and full time 

position please call Andrea on 0425 733 492. 

CROWN CABS 

Looking for drivers full time, day and night shift, starting 

asap. In the Sunbury, Gisborne, Woodend. Kilmore, 

Wallan, Whittlesea and surrounding areas. Must have 

a Taxi Driver's Certificate. Preferably drivers who live in 

the area. Call Emre 0404 020 333 or 1300 12 13 14. 

NEW SOUTH WALES 

WOLLONGONG - 

LOOKING FOR A CAREER CHANGE? 

This could be an opportunity for you to join the team 

at the Illawarra Taxi Network. Become your own boss, 

working flexible hours, full time, part time or casual. 

Full training and assistance with your application is 

available. Must have a full NSW Driver's Licence for 12 

months. Call (02) 4254 2120 or email john.megas@ 

illawarrataxinetwork.com.au for details. 

BALLINA TAXIS 

Pick your own shifts, on the job training provided for 

suitable applicants. Email: ballinataxis@bigpond. 

com - send your resume and contact details. For more 

information call 0419 862 290. 

\ 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 

CROWN CABS 

Drivers wanted full time or part time in Morley and 

Perth. Contact Tuna Guclu on 0419 484 666. 

PERTH BLACK & WHITE CABS 

Day shifts (5-7 days). Call Georgina on (08) 9230 0400. 

MANDURAH TAXIS 

All shifts available, especially nights, weekends and 

wheelchair bus drivers. Flexible hours - work to suit 

your lifestyle. Good income and all training provided 

free. Call (08) 9581 8999.

ACT CABS 

CANBERRA 

Earn money driving. Flexible work. Easy to get 

started. Training and support provided to new 

drivers. Full time, part time and casual driver 

positions are available now. We offer great working 

conditions and you’re backed by an experienced team 

of support staff that know the taxi industry inside out. 

Phone ACT Cabs Admin during business hours on (02) 

6103 0882. 

MAWSON 

Full time taxi driver job available - 7 days. Call 

0435080679. 

CANBERRA ELITE TAXIS 

Due to increased demand we need more drivers 

for Canberra’s biggest and most experienced taxi 

fleet. Day, night and weekend shifts available. If you 

don’t already have a valid ACT “T” condition on your 

licence we can help you through the process quickly 

and efficiently. For more information please email 

feedback@aerialcg.com or call (02) 6126 1500. 

OWN YOUR OWN BUSINESS - 

TAXI OPERATOR 

Are you a taxi driver looking to become your own boss 

and work for yourself? If you are, talk to us about 

leasing a taxi plate and working with Canberra’s 

biggest taxi fleet. We will help you through the 

process of becoming an accredited taxi operator and 

starting out in your own business. Contact fleet@ 

aerialcg.com or call our Office (02) 6126 1500. 

QUEENSLAND 

CHECKER CABS TOWNSVILLE 

Require drivers in Townsville and Magnetic Island. 

Drivers are required to reduce the wait time due to the 

passenger growth. 2-day mandatory training course at 

no cost if moving from another platform. A bonus 

system will apply. Contact Les on 0417 781 810. 

BLACK & WHITE 

All shifts available. Home changeover available all 

over Brisbane. Set Pay or 50/50 Commission. Limited 

set pay cars available. Albion Cab Centre. Call Ronnie 

today on 0411 864 392. 

TAXI FLEET MANAGER 

Checker Cabs is family owned, and requires a Fleet 

Manager for our taxi fleet covering Townsville and 

Magnetic Island. The position of Fleet Manager has 

become vacant. We are looking for a motivated driver 

to upskill to management level. Please forward resume 

to les.gist@supremegroup.com.au 

SUNCOAST CABS 

Covering from Noosa to Caloundra & Hinterland. Main 

duty is passenger pick up & drop off. Suncoast Cabs 

service 250+ account clients which may involve delivery 

of items. Experience is gained on the job. A 3-day 

training session is mandatory. Call Glenn 0438 517 500. 

BRISBANE CROWN CABS www.crowncabs.com.au 

All shifts available - 7 days per week. Please phone 

Tuna Guclu - 0419 484 666. 

BUNDABERG 

Flexible hours. Training and support for new drivers. 

Full-time or Part-time. Call 0413 550 029 for more 

information. (Note: To obtain DA, Drivers will need to 

have clear criminal record and physical from doctor.) 

COORPAROO 

Experienced Silver Service Taxi driver wanted for full 

time work. Must have minimum 3 years full time 

experience. Call directly on 0423 786 678. 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

TUNUNDA 

Earn $500 - $1500 a week driving taxis in the world 

famous Barossa Valley wine region. Phone me today 

on 0478 946 886. 

ADELAIDE CBD 

Day or night shift available. 12 hour shift. Taxi 

accreditation required. Call 0449 506 681. 

OWNERS, OPERATORS 

& DRIVERS 

ADVERTISE 

HERE FREE 

Send details (word limit=70) of your 

DRIVER or JOB advertisement to 

contact@drivenow-magazine.com.au 

or sms 0400 137 866 and we will print 

your advert here for 3 months.

Only $ 35 for 

50 words 

Payment details are 

listed on page 4 

ADVERTISE HERE! 

• meters for sale and installation 

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• businesses for sale 

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Basically anything that can be used with, in or 

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Discount Taxi Equipment 

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Everything you need for an Independent Taxi 

• Rent or Buy - installments available for Approved 

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• EFTPOS and MPTP installations 

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• 2 year warranty on all installations 

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• More than 40 years experience fitting Taxis 

Schmidt Electronic Laboratories Pty Ltd 

907 Princes Highway, Springvale, Vic. 

Ph: (03) 9546 6990 — Email: info@schmidt.com.au 

Website: www.schmidt.com.au 

Leases Wanted - Brisbane 

We are expanding in Brisbane. If you have 

assignments to lease we will pay $100. Call into our 

office in Salisbury and ask for Tuna Guclu or call 0419 

484 666 to discuss price and terms. 

CPV Centre 

For all your CPV requirements 

• Security cameras and equipment installation 

• 30 years Master Mechanic 

• RIDESHARE Mini Internal Cameras CPVV approved 

• Taxi Domes / Taxi stickers 

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www.cpvcentre.com.au - call 0434 423 423 

Business Opportunity 

We are expanding in Brisbane. If you have 

assignments to lease we will pay $100. Call into our 

office in Salisbury and ask for Tuna Guclu or call 0419 

484 666 to discuss price and terms. 


Approved industry cameras 

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Book your next appointment on our website at 

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• 30 years Master Mechanic / Technician 

• ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL CPVs 

Visit www.taxiservices.com.au or call 0434 423 423. 

Best Prices - Call us Last!

Owen Magnetic 

1916 HYBRID CAR 

The Toyota Prius may have 

popularised hybrid cars, but it was 

by no means the first hybrid to 

reach production. This 1916 Owen 

Magnetic predates the Prius by 

about 80 years. 

The Owen Magnetic isn't just 

remarkable for being an early 

hybrid. It also used a type of hybrid 

powertrain that automakers are still 

working to perfect a century later. 

This car is a series hybrid, with the 

engine acting solely as a generator— 

with a small battery to be used as 

a buffer—rather than driving the 

wheels directly, as in series-parallel 

hybrids like the Prius. 

A gasoline inline-6 engine provides 

power to an electric motor by 

spinning a horseshoe-shaped 

magnet attached to its output shaft. 

A selector on the steering column 

allowed the driver to choose 

different speeds, and the car even 

features regenerative braking. 

The Owen Magnetic was conceived 

more as an extended-range electric 

car than a hybrid as we might think 

of it today. 

By 1916, however, petrol was 

already viewed as the propulsion 

system of choice for mass-market 

automobiles. In comparison to a 

gasoline-only powertrain, the Owen 

Magnetic hybrid was heavier and 

more expensive. 

1916 Owen Magnetic is part of American TV host, Jay Leno's massive car collection 

Advertisers’ 

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39

TOYOTA FOR BUSINESS 

GREAT FLEETS COME 

IN SMALL PACKAGES 

Yaris ZR Hybrid and Yaris Cross Urban electric AWD Hybrid shown. 

Have it all with the Toyota Yaris range 

Low emissions, incredible fuel efficiency, plus a powerfully safe 

drive. That’s our commitment to re-imagining your business 

mobility in the Toyota Yaris range. Power up your new fleet in the 

Yaris, packed with smart onboard infotainment features, doubledecker 

cargo storage and intuitive design. Yaris Cross is our 

nimble city car engineered with the freedom of an SUV, that’s 

brimming with new connected features. 

When it comes to safety, our Yaris range protects your people with 

Toyota Safety Sense, our intelligent on-road safety technology. 

To find out more, visit your local Toyota Dealer or call 

1800 679 247 

toyota.com.au/fleet 

1 

Driver assist feature. Only operates under certain conditions. Check your Owner’s Manual for explanation of limitations. 

Please drive safely.

DRIVE NOW April 2021

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