Page 3651 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 September 2018
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and the number of hire cars has increased from 30 to 58. More providers of booking services supports competition and positive outcomes for consumers in the long run.
While consumers are experiencing the benefits of innovation and elements of new competition, I am happy to say that, as reported by Access Canberra, the safety of the consumer and the community, and that of drivers, has been firmly upheld. This was a critical objective of the reforms. Another critical objective of the reforms was that the quality of on-demand transport services for people with a disability not decrease. I am very proud to say that we met that objective.
More than 670 members of the taxi subsidy scheme, or TSS, have provided us with input on WAT services and the centralised booking service used by WAT passengers. Across wait time, service quality, safety and pricing factors, the vast majority of respondents saw the same level of quality or better quality.
TSS recipients spoke of the high quality of the majority of WAT drivers. They spoke of how drivers took great care of them during their entire travel experience, from loading and unloading to driving. They spoke of how much they trusted their drivers. They spoke of how safe they felt and how important this service is.
TSS members said that the WAT service continued to provide that vital link between themselves and healthcare services, amenities, social networks and family. Finally, TSS members spoke positively about the centralised booking service that supports WAT services and the caring and patient service it provides.
The reforms have benefited others in the ACT economy. Hotels reported that, with the introduction of ride share, the use of on-demand transport from hotels had increased, and wait times for taxis had decreased. Some spoke of the high quality of ride-share service specifically and the courteous behaviour of ride-share drivers on hotel properties.
The introduction of ride share has provided an additional choice of work for on-demand transport drivers. Anecdotal evidence from stakeholder consultation shows that a growing number of taxi drivers also choose to drive for ride-share services. It has provided a new form of income for members of the broader community. Operators, too, have more choices, post reforms, as to what transport booking service they affiliate with. As I noted earlier, more booking services are operating now, and Access Canberra noted that some operators are acting on those choices.
These reforms, by and large, can be seen as successful in providing improved consumer outcomes to date, via innovation and competition, against the initial expectations. However, there remain further market and operational matters that will require attention to support the industry over the longer term.
While there has been success in developing greater competition through the introduction of ride share, there remain barriers to the service potential for taxi services, with the government maintaining regulation over licence numbers and fares in the taxi market.
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