аЯрЁБс>ўџ CEўџџџBџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС5@ №ПaCbjbjЯ2Я2 "R­X­Xa;џџџџџџˆŠŠŠŠŠŠŠžТТТТ Ю,žX Жз й й й й й й $ R` N§ Š§ ŠŠ ‡‡‡^ŠŠз ‡з ‡Ш‡OўУИŠŠЋ њ €НшœСТw{ Ы ( 0X “ Ў ‡Ў 0Ћ žžŠŠŠŠЎ ŠЋ ‡§ § žž$Т‡žžТ INQUIRY INTO RESPONSE TIMES FOR WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXIS The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) has authorised the Disability Discrimination Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the Response Times for Wheelchair Accessible Taxis. The Victorian Taxi Directorate is the regulatory authority in Victoria for the administration of the Transport Act 1983 and subordinate regulations applicable to the administration of Victoria’s taxi industry. The Directorate is responsible to the Office of the Director of Public Transport within the Department of Infrastructure and to Victoria’s Minister for Transport. The Victorian Taxi Directorate also administers the Multi Purpose Taxi Program which provides a 50% subsidy of the taxi fare, up to a maximum subsidy of $25 per trip, for permanent residents of Victoria who have a severe and permanent disability which denies them independent access to bus or tram services. Victoria’s Multi Purpose Taxi Program makes a significant contribution to the cost of taxi travel by people who have disabilities and who are unable to access other forms of public transport. It is understood that the level of contribution is greater than the rest of Australian States and Territories combined. Expenditure on subsidised taxi travel under the Multi Purpose Taxi Program during 2000/01 was $36.5m. Program membership at the end of June 2000 is 170,000. The membership includes 20,000 (11%) people who use wheelchairs as a mobility aid. Responses by the Victorian Taxi Directorate (VTD) to the issues identified by the HREOC as relevant to this Inquiry are set out below. Response times: Are response times significantly longer for passengers requiring wheelchair accessible taxis than other passengers making taxi bookings in any part of Australia? The VTD does not, as a matter of course, measure the performance of the taxi industry, as a whole, in terms of specific response times for taxi bookings. Market research has been undertaken on an ad-hoc basis to measure consumer satisfaction levels with taxi industry performance. Recommendations arising from Victoria’s National Competition Policy review of the provisions of the Transport Act applicable to the taxi industry are expected to introduce performance monitoring criteria for taxi depots. The delivery of wheelchair accessible taxi services will be included in this program. In December 1996, the VTD contracted Central Booking Service Pty Ltd to operate a single booking facility for all wheelchair accessible taxis in the metropolitan taxi zone. The contract was re-tendered in 1999 and again awarded to Central Booking Service Pty Ltd. Prior to December 1996, customers often had to call up to 6 taxi depots and any number of the 70 wheelchair accessible taxi drivers with mobile telephones in order to negotiate a booking. The new contract prescribed tighter performance criteria including telephone answering response times and for the arrival of the taxi at the passenger’s pick-up point. Arrival times were specified as within 20 minutes for “as soon as possible” bookings (allowance is made for exceptional circumstances). Advance bookings, made 15 hours or more ahead of the nominated time were required to be met at the booked time. Provision was made for financial penalties to be applied to the contractor for non-compliance. Full measurement of the performance of the metropolitan wheelchair accessible taxi fleet is not possible as an estimated 70% of bookings are made directly between the customer and taxi driver, by-passing the central booking system. The VTD has no objection to private booking arrangements and recognises the preference of many users of the service to deal directly with a preferred driver. It should also be noted that the contract with Central Booking Service Pty Ltd ceased on 17 April 2001 due to irreconcilable differences between depot management and the operators of wheelchair accessible taxis. A major issue of contention was the adequacy and cost of the communications system used by Central Booking Service Pty Ltd. Wheelchair bookings are now being channelled through the two major taxi networks, which provide GPS network coverage for all but approximately 170 of Melbourne’s 3200 taxi fleet. This arrangement is providing a more equitable distribution of accessible taxis across the metropolitan area and, therefore, reduced response times for on demand bookings. The two networks manually transfer bookings between each other if the originating network cannot immediately get a booking covered. By September 2001, this function is expected to be automated and, despite the option of two telephone booking numbers, effectively provides a centralised function behind the scenes to access all metropolitan wheelchair accessible taxis with one phone call. The VTD and taxi industry are convinced that customers should not have to make more than one phone call to place a booking for a wheelchair accessible taxi. At this point in time, arrival times of pre-booked wheelchair accessible taxis are improving, but there is no doubt that, in the majority of cases, response times for on demand bookings are significantly longer than for conventional taxis. Proportion of taxi fleets accessible: What proportion of existing taxi fleets is wheelchair accessible? Attachment A sets out the size and distribution of Victoria’s taxi industry and identifies the number of wheelchair accessible taxis within the fleet. Are these proportions sufficient: Is the proportion of taxi fleets which is wheelchair accessible insufficient in any areas of Australia to enable services to be provided to passengers requiring wheelchair accessible taxis, with equivalent reliability and waiting times to those for other passengers booking taxis? If so, what proportion of taxi fleets being accessible would be sufficient? The Statewide ratio of wheelchair accessible taxis to wheelchair user population (as calculated from the Multi Purpose Taxi Program membership) is 1 accessible taxi for every 80 wheelchair users. Regional Victoria Victoria’s experience is that in regional areas, the cost of procuring an accessible vehicle to use as a taxi and the level of business (determined by the local population of wheelchair users plus the ability to generate other, conventional, taxi bookings without adversely impacting on existing taxi income) are the key factors faced by operators in initially deciding to bring an accessible vehicle into service. However, for those areas which have accessible taxis, the service is regarded as being of a high standard and the VTD has little or no complaints about response times. Experience has also shown that where service complaints have been evident, it is usually the local operator who draws them to the VTD attention, not the service users. Taxi operators in regional Victoria are seen as pro-active in seeking additional licences to keep pace with demand. Consequently, the growth in the number of accessible taxis in regional areas has been generally more rapid than previous increases in the number of conventional taxis, reflecting the community and industry support for multi functional vehicles in country Victoria. As indicated in Attachment A, many localities in regional Victoria which have a local taxi service do not have an accessible taxi available. Invariably, these locations have low demand for accessible taxis and mandating the provision of an accessible taxi would constitute an unnecessary and unjustifiable hardship to the taxi operator. In some instances, it is considered likely the local operator would cease service altogether if compelled to introduce an accessible taxi. Metropolitan Melbourne Metropolitan Melbourne (including the Outer-suburban taxi zone), has a ratio of 1 accessible taxi for every 64 people in wheelchairs. In contrast, the total number of taxis serving the general population in the metropolitan area is a ratio of 1 to 1000. The proportion of wheelchair accessible taxis in the fleet is less critical than the way they are managed and utilised. The VTD is of the view that a smaller fleet of wheelchair accessible taxis used solely for wheelchair bookings could be far more effective than a larger fleet performing a mix of wheelchair and non-wheelchair jobs. However, the cost of providing a dedicated fleet is significant and the current arrangement of mixed jobs enables operators to derive a reasonable income without further Government contribution. Measures to ensure sufficient proportion accessible: What measures have transport authorities taken or could they take to ensure that a sufficient proportion of taxi fleets is accessible? The last issue of metropolitan taxi-cab licences for the use of standard cars as taxis occurred in 1986/87. Since then, all taxi-cab licences to operate in the metropolitan taxi-cab zone have been conditional upon the operation of wheelchair accessible vehicles. Fifty wheelchair accessible taxi licences were issued in 1990/91 and a further 100 of these licences offered for issue in 1999, of which 98 have been taken up. In mid-2001, people who operate wheelchair accessible taxis under an assignment agreement (licence lease) will be offered the opportunity to apply for a licence in their own right. This will provide them with long term security over a licence enabling them to commit to replacement vehicles etc. and reduce their overall costs by eliminating lease payments to other licence holders. Licence conditions applicable to the operation of all wheelchair accessible taxis require operators/drivers to give priority to wheelchair bookings. Licence conditions also permit a longer vehicle age limit for accessible taxis compared to conventional taxis. The increased operating life provides more scope to amortise the higher purchase and running costs associated with accessible taxis. In 1999 the State Government amended the Stamps Act to reduce the amount of stamp duty payable on the purchase of new wheelchair accessible taxis vehicles. For the purposes of calculating stamp duty, the market value is reduced by $24,000 and stamp duty is payable on the lower amount. This represents a saving of some $1600-$2000. The VTD also provides a financial incentive for drivers of accessible taxis to support wheelchair users. The VTD pays a surcharge of $6.60 (inclusive of GST) for each trip carrying a person in a wheelchair and which attracts a subsidy under the Multi Purpose Taxi Program. The taxi user does not pay or contribute to this surcharge. The surcharge is designed to compensate the driver for loading and unloading time thus ensuring the cost to the passenger is consistent with the metered fare for an able bodied person. The availability of this surcharge is likely to be a significant incentive when operators, particularly in regional Victoria, are considering the introduction of a new accessible taxi. Consideration is being given to a funding bid to increase the level of surcharge paid to operators when a wheelchair is carried under the Multi Purpose Taxi Program. Economic factors: Are there any economic disincentives to provision of wheelchair accessible taxi services (either in provision of accessible vehicles or in their use to serve passengers using wheelchairs) which could be addressed either by taxi regulatory authorities or by other relevant government agencies? As indicated above, a number of economic disincentives to the provision of accessible taxi services have been addressed in Victoria through: a reduction in stamp duty on new vehicles; increased vehicle operating life compared to conventional taxis; discounted metropolitan licence issue fees (compared to the cost of a conventional taxi-cab licence on the open market) and free issue of licences in regional Victoria; and the payment of a Government funded surcharge in addition to the metered fare when a wheelchair passenger is carried. Effective use of accessible fleets: Are there any regulatory or technical measures being taken or which could be taken which would ensure that a given level of accessible taxi fleet meets demand for wheelchair accessible taxis more effectively (whether through more effective implementation or enforcement of priority systems or through dedication of accessible taxis to meeting wheelchair accessible taxi requirements)? In Melbourne, taxis are dispatched through computerised booking systems which have GPS facilities to identify and allocate the booking to the closest vacant taxi. This, together with the ability to, if necessary, feed a job to an accessible taxi in order to place it near a waiting wheelchair job are seen as important tools in providing a prompt and efficient service to people in wheelchairs. Pre-booked jobs can also be allocated well in advance to enable drivers to plan their day by compiling “runs” that will fit in with permanent bookings and/or place them close to the next pre-booked job. A common disincentive for drivers to covering some wheelchair bookings is the number of unpaid kilometres between jobs, often requiring drivers to pass up other, possibly more lucrative, nearby non-wheelchair bookings. This produces lower levels of income than that generated by conventional taxis and most operators believe a mix of wheelchair and non-wheelchair jobs is necessary to maintain a viable level of income. An alternative (as discussed previously) to the combined use of accessible taxis for wheelchair and conventional bookings would be for the booking network (or agent) to exclusively “hire” the required number of accessible taxis to cover demand between (say) 8.00am and 6.00pm. These taxis would then be used exclusively for wheelchair bookings and as the drivers would be paid continuously during the hired time, could be directed to cover all bookings irrespective of location or length of journey. In a manner similar to the mainstream public transport route services, the fares collected from the passengers would be used to partially off-set the cost of providing the service. It is estimated that an arrangement of this type in metropolitan Melbourne would add around $2.4M annually to the Multi Purpose Taxi Program budget. A consultant engaged by the VTD to report on the National Competition Policy Review of the taxi provisions of the Transport Act supports this alternative and observes that “it would be wasteful, inefficient and extravagant to continue down the path of issuing further wheelchair accessible taxi licences simply to comply with an arbitrary figure set by the Commonwealth. The issue is not about inputs, it must be about service outcomes”. ATTACHMENT A DISTRIBUTION OF TAXIS IN VICTORIA Metropolitan taxis 3209 includes 168 wheelchair accessible taxis (WAT) Outer Suburban taxis (Frankston & Dandenong) 139 includes 16 WAT’s Ballarat 55 includes 5 WAT’s Bendigo 42 includes 4 WAT’s Geelong 125 includes 13 WAT’s Country taxis 433 includes 48 WAT’s TOTAL 4003 includes 254 WAT’s @ 01/05/2001 >o€%&­ЎЦ  ФŽ)Ф)і+ї+x-y- ..//U0V033Ф3й37D7зAћACC4C>CaCќёчкчкчкчкчкЯчкчкчкчкчкчкчкчкчкчкчёчФчёчh]\>*CJOJQJh]\6CJOJQJh]\56CJOJQJh]\CJOJQJh]\5CJOJQJh]\(>?@  } ~ Е Ж ё ђ ц ч no€#w@Jге&њѕѕњњњњњњњњњњњњњњњ№шшшрњрр$ & Fa$$ & Fa$$a$$a$$a$aCўЎžŸЦ  ЁФ*ю Ђ!m#v$Z&\&s&v'Ž))Ф)L*їїђђђъђђхнлггггђлгЫђђх$ & F a$$ & Fa$$ & Fa$$a$$ & Fa$$a$$ & Fa$L*ї+y-./V03Х3Ц3й3џ4Œ5З5ј5њ5Љ677D7Ц8T:;Ц<С>їїїїїїїђђэхддђддђђэЬЬЬЬ$ & Fa$$ & F ЦЁа„—^„—a$$ & Fa$$a$$a$$ & Fa$С>@ШAЩAзAиAњAћAќACBDBYBŒBBДBЕBлBмBCC0C1CSC`CїїъхрррлйллллллллллллЬх $-DMЦ џџa$$a$$a$$a$ $&dPЦџa$$ & Fa$`CaCњ$a$ &P Аƒ. 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