KEY POINTS:
People have a high level of confidence in the taxi industry, according to a survey released this week.
The survey, carried out for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), canvassed 800 taxi users in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Key results include:
* 94 per cent of respondents rated the physical condition of taxis as "very clean" or "acceptably clean" and of "reasonable" or "very good" physical condition;
* 82 per cent felt "very safe and secure" or "reasonably safe and secure" using taxis;
* 78 per cent felt drivers were "professional" or "very professional".
But while most rated their most recent experience of using a taxi highly, 27 per cent also reported having had a negative taxi experience sometime in the past.
However, only a quarter of these respondents said they had lodged a complaint about the negative experience.
NZTA commercial road transport manager John Doesburg said while that might indicate that the majority of negative experiences were of a relatively minor nature, taxi users were urged to let companies know any time they received poor service.
"All taxi organisations are required by law to maintain a register of complaints, and make it available to NZTA. We're committed to improving standards in the industry, and the more information we have from the public the better."
Mr Doesburg said if the service people received was not up to scratch, they should make a complaint.
He said that if the complaint was not resolved, taxi users should contact their nearest NZTA office, and any serious incidents should be immediately reported to police.
He urged taxi users to note the taxi company's name, the taxi's fleet number and the driver's unique ID number. The easiest way was to ask for a receipt, which by law must carry all those identifiers.
Other highlights from the survey include:
* Consumption or planned consumption of alcohol was the most common reason for taxi use.
* Patrons were twice as likely to choose a taxi firm based on reputation as they were on price.
* More than half considered it important that their chosen taxi company make an effort to be environmentally friendly.
- NZPA
