Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport John Watkins today announced a trial of a bonus payment to pay taxi drivers when they carry passengers in wheelchairs, expected to cost $1.5 million.
"There are already incentives to run wheelchair accessible taxis with lower license fees and grants in country areas, but it’s hard to ensure passengers in wheelchairs are given priority," Mr Watkins said.
"That’s why from December 1 we’ll be trialling a per job bonus fee of $7.70 to drivers every time they carry a wheelchair passenger in a wheelchair accessible taxi.
"The trial will be funded from the Taxi Advisory Committee fund, at no cost to passengers.
"The payments are designed to improve reliability and response times for passengers, and to support drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis in achieving these improvements.
"With wheelchair accessible journeys in taxis growing at a rate of between 4 per cent and ten per cent each year, it’s vital we encourage taxi operators to cater for this strong growth in demand.
"We trialled a similar system on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday since Christmas 2005, and it has been successful.
"There’s definitely evidence it’s an incentive for wheelchair passengers to be given priority."
Mr Watkins said the $7.70 payment was equivalent to 10 minutes of waiting time in metropolitan Sydney.
He said that disability support groups had supported the trial, and hoped wheelchair passengers would benefit from the extra incentive payment.
Mr Watkins said that including wheelchair accessible trips, total taxi bookings had risen by 1.5 per cent over the last year, the equivalent of 191,000 extra bookings.
"Along with an increase in patronage, taxis are also enjoying a reduction in complaints, with 11 per cent fewer complaints in 06/07 as compared to 05/06, that’s 990 fewer complaints," Mr Watkins said.
"To continue this improvement in customer service, new network standards will be introduced in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast from January 1 to take effect from July 1 and would reinforce "best practice" targets.
"The Standards will include requirements for call answering, pick up times, complaints management and lost property."
Mr Watkins said the Ministry of Transport had consulted widely with the taxi industry and consumer groups on the Standards, and would continue to consult while they were bedded down.