ACTTPOA appeal to ACT Minister to prevent ACT flooding market with additional issue of taxi licenses
Dear Minister,
We again write to you urgently with an immediate request to halt the issue of any new additional taxi license Plate leases until the matters below are addressed.
In meeting yesterday with officers of your department we strongly informed officials in attendance that the ACT taxi industry is in dire circumstances that have evolved over the past three (3) years. The economic, personal and social damage from the policy shift in facilitating the entry of ride sharing has been substantial and catastrophic for our members.
We advised the officials (Mr. David Pryce, Mr. Adam Stankevicius, Mr. Richard Watson and Ms. Chantel Potter) in the strongest terms that:
1. The review that was undertaken was not effective. To our knowledge it failed to even contact any of our members or the actual operators of taxis let alone achieve an effective process of discovery of the financial and economic impact of the policy shift. The economic and social analysis that may or may not have been performed is founded on unreasonable economic assumptions in relation to our sector. The financial distress that the industry has suffered is not reflected in the current assessment by the ACT Government. The basis of determining taxi caps, lease rates, economic and social need, social benefit and impact is neither defined nor transparent to allow an effective policy framework to progress sustainable transport options in the ACT.
2. Any new additional taxi licenses must not be released at this time, as such an event will likely lead to catastrophic impacts on the financial viability for taxi operators and taxi plate owners. Many are already in bankruptcy, unable to find drivers, have the plates on the shelf and of their perpetual taxi plates. Should you proceed to issue additional plates at this time the foreshadowed impacts will indeed break many businesses that are on the edge. The ACT Taxi Plate Owners are not operating or suffering from substantial psychological strain due to the heavy losses already incurred in the value Association Inc. on behalf of its members would have no option but to enter a phase of immediate action to achieve redress.
3. That in order to resolve the matters the ACT Plate Owners Association Inc. (ACTTPOA) is willing to provide a critique of the current policy paper; to provide evidence from case studies of current ACTTPOA members and operators to clarify the position in the industry;and to provide an economic impact review of the sector to progress an effective and co-operative dialogue to place the ACT Taxi Industry on a more sustainable footing. We would be willing and able to undertake this work and provide this submission by the end of November 2018 and would welcome effective dialogue with your staff to ensure that the said submission is of a standard and framework that is acceptable for rigorous policy analysis.
We ask that you concur with the above requests and allow a meaningful resolution and implementation of a sustainable transport policy framework for the ACT which is based on quality transport options to residents and tourists with ACT Taxis as part of the policy mix. The ACTTPOA has no preconceived ideas about compensation, remuneration options, or policy outcomes. Our genuine interest is to provide a viable future for our industry, and to collaborate in identifying issues of economic justice and achieve social equity in the ACT taxi Industry.
The ACT public and our valued tourists deserve a strong, sustainable, safe and efficient public transport sector. The social and economic impacts have had,(and are now in an accelerated fashion continuing to have) severe stress on the industry. Furthermore, merely pressing on with proposed policy is likely to ensure reductions in both quality and quantity that our taxi industry could otherwise offer.
We seek to work with your government to provide insight, case studies and assessments to enhance the policy direction for ACT taxi operations. We believe that this can be achieved in a relatively short timeframe through a collaborative manner. To this end we request that you concur with our requests and you make available suitable officials who can aid the quality and value of our work over the next 2 months. Your prompt advice would be welcomed as there is plenty of work for us to do in order to ameliorate the current tensions in the sector.
Yours sincerely,
P. M. Button
Chairman
ACTTPOA
26 September, 2018
Attached is the document sent to the Minister
