Taxi safety scheme at risk after protesting drivers withdraw funding

Wednesday 19 July 2017

A scheme aiming to make taxi queuing safer and curb queue-jumping has been put in jeopardy after public rank drivers withdrew more than £2,000 of funding in protest over controversial taxi fare reforms.

Minister Eddie Noel had moved to “simplify” tariffs and absorb all ‘extras’ into a fee of just 20p in May, sparking industrial action and calls for a “mediation” between the disgruntled drivers and Department for Infrastructure (DfI), which has responsibility for the industry.

But that move has since come under fierce criticism from the Jersey Taxi Drivers Association (JTDA), who say that the controls on the amounts they can charge will cause them to lose out.

In response, they blocked town streets in protest yesterday and have pulled their £2,500 funding from the Q-Safe Taxi Marshal Scheme, which was set up alongside the St Helier Community Group to reduce conflict and disorder at ranks. 

Pictured: The taxi marshal scheme, which helps residents and visitors feel safer when queuing at public ranks like the Weighbridge, could come to a halt.

DfI has since hit back at allegations of being “stubborn and unreasonable”, claiming that the Minister had to balance the interests of other parties.

He said that the taxi drivers had opposed the changes, in part, due to their aversion to handling small change, and that their demands to continue being able to charge for items of luggage would “reduce fare transparency.”

JTDA had argued that the fares had been calculated using inaccurate data, even though they were based on readings taken from JTDA meters. However, with meters not standardised across all cabs, DVS have suggested some drivers had the option to “manually zero” amounts charged for extras, which, if done, would make it appear that drivers earned less. They wrote to the JTDA to ask why this should be, but said that "no informative comment" was received in response. 

Pictured: DVS are now "working closely" with meter suppliers to standardise future meters, after concerns that drivers could have tampered with their meters and made it look like they earned less.

Despite calls to halt the changes, Deputy Eddie Noel told Express yesterday that that there was no way to reverse the process of rolling out the charges. He commented: "This is now set in law and the changes are in process of being rolled out. Now, even if he wished it, the Minister could not stop the changes without annulling the legislation ahead of the States debate, in accordance with the Proposition he opposes."

Nonetheless, he has offered the JTDA a "review point" in six months to discuss the charge's impact and any potential changes that can be made.