The Australian Taxi Drivers Association
Representing Australian Taxi Drivers and their Regional Associations.
TAXI ACCESS TO PICK-UP AND SET-DOWN PASSENGERS
TAXI DRIVERS ARE 'PINGED' FOR SIMPLY DOING THEIR JOB
All around Australia taxi drivers are regularly infringed by Police or Local Council Rangers when they do what is required of them by way of picking-up or setting down passengers where there want to be. Often it is an elderly or infirm passenger who needs rather than wants a particular spot. The fines are up to $250 for that passenger service.
The ATDA and all professional drivers have no issue about cabs creating and standing illegally on"ranks" that do not exist. They may well be frequently used pick-up points, but unless it is a desiganted "rank" it is illegal. Certainly there should be more ranks around the City, but we must all respect the law.
We have, howeever, the right to seek changes to laws that should not have been made, or which need a bit of tweaking and updating.
For that reason we are promoting a Parliamentary Petition to change the Road Rules and permit taxi to stop to pick-up or set-down when and where it is safe to do so, and in Bus Zones and No Stopping Zones. We specifically exclude "ranking" and /or awaiting passengers.
The ATDA requests all drivers to download and print out copies of this Petition and get support from their passengerds.
Fill it up and send it in !!! Many times over ...
In most other international cities, taxis can stop, briefly, to do their job. Our job is the "point -to-point" carriage of the travelling public. If you want a bus or train , you go to the Bus Stop or Train Station. If you want a plane, you go to ther Airport. But if you want to be picked up at a particular location and to go to another particular liocation , you hail or book a taxi. And as a part of the fare, you reasonably expect that service.
But in Australian towns and cities, if the driver provides that service, he is at risk of a fine, worth more than two days work !
If the user is Garbage, Milk, Cash or Mail there is no problem. If the user is a person, or a person in need of assistance, tough !