Clampdown on cabbies

Taxi drivers may be required to sit an English language test and know the area they work in better under a new government plan to weed out incompetent cabbies.

Tighter licensing rules and wider powers to improve the service provided by taxi drivers have been put forward by Land Transport New Zealand in response to complaints about cabbies.

Land Transport spokesman Andy Knackstedt said taxi drivers may be required to sit a language test or complete an approved course if they were found to have an ongoing inability to communicate adequately in English.

Taxi drivers who worked in the major cities would also have to show they had sufficient knowledge of streets and landmarks where they operated.

A taxi driver in Auckland is required to hold an area knowledge certificate for the North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland city, Manukau and Papakura.

Mr Knackstedt said: "There's been a fair bit of input from the public, as well as the taxi federation, saying taxi drivers' knowledge is not as good as it should be. You don't have to talk to many people to find someone who has had a taxi driver who didn't know where they were going or got lost."

He said it was not unreasonable to allow cabbies to consult a map from time to time. "There's not an expectation that they have a photographic memory. But there's an expectation that they will know landmarks and the quickest route.

"They should be able to understand directions given by the passenger and be able to read the map properly. And, if they do get lost, the meter should be switched off."

The taxi industry has been under intense scrutiny after record numbers of drivers had their licences revoked or suspended for offences ranging from indecent exposure and inappropriate sexual advances to fraud.

Last year, the Auditor General made 61 recommendations to Land Transport, which oversees the taxi industry, to clean up the service. This included the need for a formal notification process between police and the immigration service to Land Transport of any criminal convictions or mental illness of anyone applying for a taxi licence.

Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said the industry welcomed the changes to help tidy up many of the flaws identified by the auditor-general. The changes are estimated to cost the industry an initial one-off $756,000 for existing drivers and an extra $672,000 a year for new drivers - a cost Mr Reddish said could be passed on to passengers.

We put taxi companies to the test

New to the city or travelling to a suburb you've never been to? A taxi will get you there as quickly and cheaply as possible. Right?

Not necessarily, as I found out when I asked three different cabs to take me to three destinations.

The cab company names promised much: Express, Reliable and Economy. But things did not start well with the Economy taxi when I asked to be taken to 39 Garnet Road.

Saying I was new in the city and did not know the way, the driver reached for his map book. He did well, identifying which end of the street we needed to get to. Twelve minutes later, a few of which he spent reading the map at the wheel, I arrived at my destination for a comparitively cheap $18.70.

Next stop was 100 Valley Road, near the 24-hour Foodtown. This time the driver, who lives in Sandringham, knew exactly where to go - but not the quickest route. It took 15 minutes and a whopping $20.10 to travel 5km.

Off to check out a flat in Emily Place, it took a few minutes for the driver to realise he had taken me to Eden Crescent instead. He backtracked but did not switch off the meter and made no offer to reduce the fare.

The ride was a little smoother with the second trip in a Reliable Taxi cab. The driver had to look up the map for Garnet Road, but did not switch the meter on or start driving until he found it.

He took a different route, heading up College Hill and down West End Road - to the wrong end of Garnet Road. It also took 12 minutes, but cost $21. Things improved, though: he knew the Bond Street shortcut to Valley Road, which saved me $5 more than the other cabs, and got to Emily Place without a hitch.

The Express Taxis driver knew all destinations without having to look at a map - although maybe he should have. The experience did not live up to its promise: it was the most expensive trip. However, it was the most pleasant, with the driver giving this Auckland "newcomer" plenty of advice about the different suburbs. .