BRIMBANK taxi owners fear the recommendations of a Victorian taxi inquiry will destroy lifetimes of hard work.
An inquiry into the industry was commissioned by the state government after a Transport Department survey found fewer than 60 per cent of customers felt safe or were satisfied with taxis.
The inquiry, headed by former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Professor Allan Fels, made 145 recommendations, including that the cost of licences be slashed to $20,000 a year and restricted to five years. Licences now cost $470,000 and don’t expire.
It is predicted the changes would put an extra 300 to 400 cabs on the road.
Operators have until tomorrow to comment on the inquiry’s final report, which was presented to State Parliament last month.
The government says it will decide on the recommendations before June.
Keilor Downs taxi operator Demetre Chrisafis, 62, who paid almost $600,000 for two licences, said he felt ripped off.
“My licences are my superannuation and my life savings,” he said.
“This is my life’s work. The recommendation to reduce the cost of licences has the ability to put me out of business and put my wife and I on the pension.”
Mr Chrisafis said increased petrol, insurance and car maintenance costs were adding to the pressure. “I’m not against the majority of the recommendations of the inquiry — I understand there’s a need for changes to help people with disabilities and to make sure drivers get better training,” he said. “But when I sell my licence it will be worth nothing. Everything I have worked for for my family will be destroyed.”
Tryfon Pantas bought a single taxi licence in 2003 for $320,000. He said most of his drivers were struggling migrants living in the west. “They are taking away the money and livelihood of people already in the industry. More taxis means no business for anybody.”
Mr Pantas said he had written to the Taxi Industry Inquiry, asking it to reconsider licence price changes. He warned long-standing operators would be left in extreme financial hardship with no compensation.
Driver Jascoinder Singh-Virk welcomed extra training for new drivers but wanted safer working conditions. The Sunshine resident said he feared for his life at the beginning of each shift.
On January 8, he was attacked by a group of men in Lester Avenue, Deer Park. They lured him down the secluded street before holding him down and choking him until he gave them his wallet and phone.
“It was terrifying,” he said. “I thought they were going to kill me. We all feel the same; there’s no protection for drivers when they are out on the road.”
Professor Fels said the reform would lead to better, more knowledgeable, customer-friendly drivers, safer cabs, better service for people with disabilities and more availability of taxis.
More details: taxiindustryinquiry.vic.gov.au.
THE REFORMS
■ Drivers to receive a mandatory 55 per cent split of fares and fairer terms and conditions under a new agreement
■ Drivers trained to assist passengers with disabilities
■ Hundreds more taxis on Victorian roads
■ A central booking office to handle bookings for people using wheelchairs
■ More taxi licences available for a fixed annual price between $20,000 and $40,000. Licences to last five years
■ Changes to fare structures to discourage drivers from refusing short trips
