Taxi Industry report

**Lou Girardin** · 24th June 2005, 08:23

The Auditor general has just released his report into the Taxi industry, it's pretty disgusting stuff. The LTNZ has been hammered for not doing their job. (surprise, surprise) apparently 30% of cabs are not up to standard and drivers do not know their areas or even speak english well enough. Again, no surprise if you've used an Auckland cab recently.
It's about time this happened, it was the LTSA in 2001 that instructed driver testers to allow taxi applicants to use interpreters!
It was an added bonus seeing Andy Knackered squirming like a speared eel while trying to avoid the difficult questions.
It begs the question, who is the real danger to road safety. Us killer speeders or an organisation that encourages incompetents onto our roads?

**ManDownUnder** · 24th June 2005, 12:18

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

The Auditor general has just released his report into the Taxi industry, it's pretty disgusting stuff. The LTNZ has been hammered for not doing their job. (surprise, surprise) apparently 30% of cabs are not up to standard and drivers do not know their areas or even speak english well enough. Again, no surprise if you've used an Auckland cab recently.
It's about time this happened, it was the LTSA in 2001 that instructed driver testers to allow taxi applicants to use interpreters!
It was an added bonus seeing Andy Knackered squirming like a speared eel while trying to avoid the difficult questions.
It begs the question, who is the real danger to road safety. Us killer speeders or an organisation that encourages incompetents onto our roads?

Lou - I'll have you know those incompetents all bought their licences fair and square!

Actualy - I caught one last night and it wasn't good.. "Kumeu please"... to which I got something like "Near Albany?"

aaa yeah, then left for 25 Ks..

Yeesh. Least I got home dry

**Lou Girardin** · 24th June 2005, 12:26

Originally Posted by ManDownUnder

Lou - I'll have you know those incompetents all bought their licences fair and square!

Actualy - I caught one last night and it wasn't good.. "Kumeu please"... to which I got something like "Near Albany?"

aaa yeah, then left for 25 Ks..

Yeesh. Least I got home dry

One I got asked how to get to Hobson St, City. Which exit!

**Jackrat** · 24th June 2005, 21:33

One I got smelt like curry an didn't know were Onewa Rd Northcote was.

**MikeL** · 24th June 2005, 22:04

And a few days ago my wife took a taxi from the airport to Onehunga. She had to direct the driver the whole way, including which motorway exit to take...

Can someone explain exactly what the rationale was behind deregulation of this particular industry? If it was to promote competition and therefore result in lower fares I don't think it has worked...

**Ixion** · 24th June 2005, 22:12

It is not only in NZ, but.

Last year I got into a taxi at Sydney Airport. "Take me to XXX Some St, Rydelmere" . "Ahh. You want to go to hotel?" " No to XXX. It's a business in Rydelmere" "Ahh.Which way would you like to go?" " I've no idea, I don't know where it is, just the usual way" "Ahh. You know which is direction" "No, I've no idea at all. I don't know Sydney at all". Rinse lather repeat.

Then he pulled out a road map . Which he didn't know how to use. Opened it at random and stared vacantly at the map, looked round with some sort of strange hope that he would see a grid marked on the ground, back at the map, try another page, nope no big marker saying "You are here" on that page either.

I had to navigate for him, from the road map, clear across Sydney, with not the slightest idea of the city topology.

I don't think he knew how to get anywhere except from the airport to the city centre hotels.

**Wolf** · 24th June 2005, 23:15

Both my parents were taxi drivers. When we moved to Hamilton both had to take Topography tests to demonstrate they knew the town and its buildings well enough to go from anywhere to anywhere else.

Some I've seen lately, I don't think they were tested on how to read the fucking street directory - nor on the road code, for that matter. They were probably the "bee knees" riding their motor-rickshaws around back home, but they haven't a fucking clue here.

**Zed** · 24th June 2005, 23:32

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

The Auditor general has just released his report into the Taxi industry, it's pretty disgusting stuff. The LTNZ has been hammered for not doing their job. (surprise, surprise) apparently 30% of cabs are not up to standard and drivers do not know their areas or even speak english well enough. Again, no surprise if you've used an Auckland cab recently.

Not good at all! Once upon a time many years ago there was a formal standard of dress for all 'respectful' taxi drivers and it was compulsory to know the city roads and especially the important locations, eg. hospitals, police stations, etc. Nowadays with all the horror stories I hear and see involving foreigners taxiing the populous around I'm not encouraged to use them one bit! If I got in a Taxi and realised that the driver didn't know where he was going without been shown the way by his customer I'd promptly get out and hail another one or at least ask for a discount (yeah right)!

If I was forced to use a Taxi service I'd probably try Corporate Cabs, but I get the feeling from the name and the presentation of their vehicles that their fares are a little too pricey for my liking?

**justsomeguy** · 24th June 2005, 23:52

Originally Posted by Zed

If I was forced to use a Taxi service I'd probably try Corporate Cabs, but I get the feeling from the name and the presentation of their vehicles that their fares are a little too pricey for my liking?

Unless your company gets the tab give Co-op cabs a pass......

They have like a $2:00 flag fall and a pretty high per km rate.

In my experience discount taxis are best - ask them for one of their black disount cards and use it - bloody cheap fares... and the drivers are ok too.

Mt Roskill to the City(Aotea Sq) was like only $12

NC · 25th June 2005, 09:10

I fucken HATE taxi's

They should make them go through the same licencing procedures as the taxi's in London, that'll learn the fuckers good.

**Pixie** · 25th June 2005, 09:53

Originally Posted by Ixion

It is not only in NZ, but.

Last year I got into a taxi at Sydney Airport. "Take me to XXX Some St, Rydelmere" . "Ahh. You want to go to hotel?" " No to XXX. It's a business in Rydelmere" "Ahh.Which way would you like to go?" " I've no idea, I don't know where it is, just the usual way" "Ahh. You know which is direction" "No, I've no idea at all. I don't know Sydney at all". Rinse lather repeat.

Then he pulled out a road map . Which he didn't know how to use. Opened it at random and stared vacantly at the map, looked round with some sort of strange hope that he would see a grid marked on the ground, back at the map, try another page, nope no big marker saying "You are here" on that page either.

I had to navigate for him, from the road map, clear across Sydney, with not the slightest idea of the city topology.

I don't think he knew how to get anywhere except from the airport to the city centre hotels.

It's been a few years since I've been to Sydney,but they used to have taxi fuhrers directing the public to wait in a orderly cue.I would have exited the cab with the retarded driver and demanded the fuhrer find me a driver who knew his job.
I think they created the fuhrer position because the punters would all try to get cabbies who were white as they would be more likely to know where to go.

**Ixion** · 25th June 2005, 10:05

Originally Posted by Pixie

It's been a few years since I've been to Sydney,but they used to have taxi fuhrers directing the public to wait in a orderly cue.I would have exited the cab with the retarded driver and demanded the fuhrer find me a driver who knew his job.
I think they created the fuhrer position because the punters would all try to get cabbies who were white as they would be more likely to know where to go.

Didn't realise he hadn't a clue until after we were rolling . Just jumped in the front seat "Hi ya mate lets go". He pulled out and as we were exiting the airport said "You go hotel , yes".

Never thought of there being a problem, never had one before. (ctually been to Sydney quite a few times, but always in the other direction, tis a honking big place, didn't have a clue where Rydalmere was , still don't really, just looked up Rydelmere int he index , then the Airport, and worked my way across the map, through heaps of suburbs I'd never heard of. I think it's somewhere to the north.)

**Skyryder** · 25th June 2005, 17:35

Originally Posted by MikeL

And a few days ago my wife took a taxi from the airport to Onehunga. She had to direct the driver the whole way, including which motorway exit to take...

Can someone explain exactly what the rationale was behind deregulation of this particular industry? If it was to promote competition and therefore result in lower fares I don't think it has worked...

Just another deregulation that has not delivered what (the freebooters, Act, Buisness Roundtable etc) the proponents of the level playing field have tried to pass on as econimc growth, competition, diversity etc. This was meant to deliver cheaper costs in all sectors on NZ society. The only thing cheap that has been delivered 'is' the society that we no live in. Cheap as in tacky, common and a general lack of respect to rellow citizens, be what they drive, what they think and how they dress etcetera etcetera etc. Mind you there are worse place than here. And it's still home.

Skyryder

**myvice** · 25th June 2005, 20:06

Taxis, hate em or lothe em you cant dirve on the same road as them.
Got realy shit faced one night, did the stager to a cab bit and was 1/2 way home when it dawend on me that he was more pissed than I was, or he had about 2mins driving experience.
Scared me sober he did.