More taxi drivers being stripped of licences

7.50am - By STEPHEN HULL

A record number of cabbies have lost their licences for offences including sexual assault, drug dealing and immigration breaches.

A Herald on Sunday investigation has uncovered new figures showing 102 drivers were stripped of their passenger endorsement licences in the past 12 months - more than double the number of five years ago.

Standards of service have dropped so low that drivers now struggle to navigate their way around town and communicate with customers in English.
Investigations into 40 other suspended drivers, following allegations of sexual assault, drug offences, drink driving and violence were also launched during the same 12-month period to July 31.

Nine taxi companies were also investigated after being discovered either running illegal cab services, not having area knowledge or fiddling driver logbooks - but the Land Transport Safety Authority has refused to name them. The Herald on Sunday is appealing this decision to the Ombudsman.

"Deregulation [in 1989] was supposed to mean a better deal for the customer - not allow ratbags into the industry," said Consumers Institute chief executive David Russell. "Passengers should not feel like they are taking risks when getting into cheaper cabs.

"Lower price should not mean greater risk. While people do have more choice, there are problems which must be addressed."

Despite promises to improve the industry, the figures from the Land Transport Safety Authority prove it is getting worse.

Glaring problems with the taxi industry were tragically highlighted last week, with the investigation into missing Auckland model Iraena Asher. Police admitted they called for a taxi to pick up the distraught 25-year-old instead of sending a patrol car.

But a separate investigation has been launched after claims a 13-year-old boy took the call at Auckland's Discount Taxis and the cab was sent to the wrong address. Yesterday Discount Taxis said its director, Alan Webster, had gone fishing and was not available.

The LTSA has said it is satisfied that only adults were operating the phones at the time.

There are currently around 23,000 taxi drivers in New Zealand, who make two million trips each year.

Grahame Webb, managing director of cabbie training school Taxis United, said there were major problems in the industry. "It's got to the point where some drivers are running riot and getting away with it. Drivers know the dodgy schools where they can just pay for their paperwork without sitting the test," he said.

"This is causing a massive problem because drivers are on the road and haven't got a clue where they are going. We have told the authorities about what is going on but we are told they haven't got time to investigate."

LTSA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said: "With 23,000 drivers on the road compared to the number of complaints we receive, it does not stack up that there's a huge problem."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY