Help fix the crisis in the ACT taxi industry

To the Speaker and Members of the legislative assembly of the Australian Capital Territory.

This petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws to the attention of the assembly that:

1. The ACT taxi industry is in crisis.

2. At 7:45am on Monday the 23rd of July, only 87 of Aerials 228 cabs were on the road, at which time there were 197 outstanding jobs. Aerial's CEO said that "the difficulty in servicing peaks was not caused by a shortage of taxis but by a shortage of drivers".

3. The average ACT taxi driver, working Monday to Friday, from 4am to 3pm (excluding public holidays), is lucky to average more than $350/day on the meter, over the course of a year. Half is paid to the taxi owner, then after GST is paid, and award conditions considered, it equates to a permanent pay rate of less than $9.00/hr.

4. Action bus drivers pay rate is approximately $26/hr, and the ACT Government subsidise Action by tens of millions of dollars/year because they can't run at a profit.

5. The ACT Government raises $800,000/year by leasing out 40 taxi plates, and puts very little back into the industry.

6. After the recent fare increase, fare rates for ACT taxis (set by the Government) are back to approximately what they were two years ago when the booking fee was scrapped.

7. Over the last two years, running costs for ACT taxis have increased by up to 50%, and ACT housing rental prices have increased by up to 50%.

8. The lack of drivers means many drivers are working double shifts of up to 18hrs/day and this is putting at risk the safety of the ACT public.