The State Government has taken immediate action to help ensure access taxis turn up when they should, with an immediate ban on preferential bookings.
Outlawing this practice will help encourage more drivers to join the industry and improve services.
From Monday, 19 May preferential bookings for access taxis will no longer be accepted during dedicated hours, helping create a more reliable and consistent service for all passengers.
The new rule will mean passengers can no longer request specific drivers between 7:30am and 6:30pm Monday to Saturday and between 9:00am and 5:00pm on Sundays.
Currently, passengers can call the Central Booking Service and request a specific access taxi driver to pick them up, regardless of how far away they are. While the majority of drivers do the right thing, the Government has received a number of disturbing reports of drivers using coercion to ensure their passengers call them directly for future trips.
This practice has resulted in more than half of all access taxi bookings being preferenced to a small group of drivers, rather than being allocated to the closest vehicle. Not only has this caused wait times to balloon, but it has also discouraged new drivers from entering the industry.
Banning preferential treatment during dedicated hours will unlock a large portion of work that until now has been taken or reserved by a small minority of drivers.
Booking specific drivers is already banned in South Australia on Christmas Day when demand for services is at its highest. During this busy period, access jobs are better shared across a large pool of drivers, helping reduce customer wait times.
Where there is a genuine medical or behavioural condition which requires a specific driver, the passenger will be able to send in a written request to the Department's access taxi transport team via email: [email protected].
Each month, more than 500 people with a booking are forced to wait more than 30 minutes for an access taxi, with no certainty that it will arrive. This is despite some taxi operators claiming that there is not sufficient work or that there are too many vehicles operating.
The Malinauskas Government has been committed to improving the access taxi industry for several years, including through new initiatives such as paying a $25 lifting fee on eligible trips statewide.
Despite these incentives, issues of fare fraud, overcharging customers and defrauding the State Government are continuing to appear, with around 60 per cent of operators having attempted to falsely claim the lifting fee for jobs they did not complete.
This latest change comes on top of a broader package of reforms currently being delivered, following a landmark review into taxis, access cabs, chauffeur and rideshare services.
The report, released last year, highlighted several failures within the industry and recommended key changes, including the buyback of taxi licences from metropolitan and access taxi licence holders.
These reforms will help to further address longstanding issues that restrict new drivers from entering the industry and will allow the ability to further expand the taxi fleet in response to demand.
In a groundbreaking step to ensure this vital service is delivered appropriately, the State Government is taking market soundings for an entirely new service model to help deliver accessible transport across South Australia.
We have already received considerable input after asking experienced and interested organisations to register their interest late last year, with a formal expression of interest process to begin soon.
As put by Tom Koutsantonis
The taxi industry plays a pivotal role in keeping our community connected and on the move, but there is a clear need for reform.
There is no easy solution to fixing these problems for people with mobility issues, but it is clear – and I have long said – that the current model is broken and is simply not working.
We cannot have people left stranded or unable to leave their homes for fear of being left without a ride back, and we have already committed to identifying and addressing the issues as a matter of urgency.
Cracking down on preferential bookings is an immediate step we can take that will help ensure bookings arrive when they are requested – and that is what's important for all access passengers.
