Monday, February 11, 2008

Monopoly and de-Regulation of the Taxi Industry

NSW TAXI DRIVERS ASSOCIATION
INCORPORATING BAILEE DRIVERS, OWNER DRIVERS AND LESSEE DRIVERS
Inc.no. 9882558 ABN 98 653 928 763 PO Box 322, Alexandria NSW 2015


'A Fair Share of a Fair Fare'



Monopoly and de-Regulation of the Taxi Industry




Once upon a time taxi plate licenses were free. Many were issued to returned soldiers who looked after the cab, worried about fares being too high, and earned a modest living.
That fairytale ended in 1980’s when the Government decided to “sell” the taxi plates to the highest bidder. Many of these new owners lived overseas, concerned only about the value of their investment. Mr. Reg Kermode "bought" many plates from ex soldier widows, became Mr. Taxi Big and invented the unfair and oppressive monopoly called the Cabcharge system. Taxi drivers became the short term cannon fodder, losing their long term skills, earning a pittance waiting on ranks most days and nights, with passengers grumbling at peak times.
Now Prof Allan Fels suggests the economists' doctrinaire "deregulate", double the number of taxis, reduce the value of taxi plates and make the drivers' lot even worse. Unfortunately such taxi deregulation has succeeded in few if any places in the world, but instead has given the public fly by night

COWBOY TAXIS.
The NSW Taxi Drivers Association solution is to issue new free, non tradeable taxi plates in response to proven passenger demand to 5 year experienced taxi drivers to build careers and continue to improve decent taxi services to the public.
Plates will completely lose their value and taxi fares will reduce as Allan Fels suggest. However, why deregulation of any kind is another fairy tale is because the 'Mr Kermodes' will lose their power and the Govt its lucrative plates revenue.





Faruque Ahmed
Media Manager, Mobile: 041 091 4118
Email: union_faruque@yahoo.com.au
Monday, 11 February 2008

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