❓ The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure addresses interest in taxi lease plates, announcing overwhelming driver response and a fare increase to support drivers, while cautioning against lease fee increases.
AnsweredQoN 1390Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Will the minister please advise the level of interest that has been shown in taxi lease plates, which the Government advertised recently? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
As members will be aware, we have blazed a trail in the taxi industry. We have made a commitment to open up the taxi industry to try to take it back to an industry that offers real opportunities to those who want to run their own business, and not an industry that is dominated by investors. It is unfortunate that that is the direction in which the industry has gone. I am pleased to say that the legislation that will allow the lease of taxi plates directly to taxi drivers finally passed through Parliament today. In advance of the legislation being finalised, we advertised the lease of plates and we wrote to every taxi driver in the metropolitan area offering this opportunity to see whether they were interested. There are currently 48 lease plates. The response has been overwhelming. A total of 712 taxi drivers have contacted us asking for the package on lease plates; that is, 712 taxi drivers in the space of one week have sought the documentation and expressed interest in participating in this new project. The sceptics on the other side of the House, who said that the industry and taxi drivers did not want this opportunity, have been comprehensively proved wrong by this extraordinary take-up rate. I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
I use this opportunity to announce today that I will be allowing an increase in taxi fares. There has been no increase since 2000. We have made a commitment that we will allow regular price increases in accordance with the motoring index. Originally we intended to do that at the beginning of next year. However, a number of representations have been made to me from taxi drivers. I know that many drivers do it tough. They do a difficult job and some, if they are lucky, earn only $6 to $7 an hour. We have therefore approved - I can hear the member for Dawesville acknowledging this - a modest fare increase of some three per cent for the taxi industry. I flag clearly to the industry that this is not to be taken as a signal to increase lease fees. We will not approve any increase in lease fees. The increase in fares that we are approving today is for drivers. It is important that we be able to offer a decent return to the men and women who drive taxis; they do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. The increase in fares is part of that recognition and we will not allow it to be taken away by an increase in lease fees.
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