Vic: New laws mean big fines for taxi touts

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2008
Vic: New laws mean big fines for taxi touts

MELBOURNE, April 21 AAP - Taxi drivers face fines of more than $5500 for jumping the
queue at Melbourne Airport.

New laws banning touting, which involves aggressively chasing customers, is aimed at
protecting law-abiding drivers who wait in line for business while protecting the safety
of customers.

The new laws come as the Victorian government revealed there had been a jump in complaints
about taxi and hire car drivers to the Victorian Taxi Directorate between July and December
by almost 600 compared to the previous year.

Touting is now banned at Melbourne Airport, Avalon Airport, Station Pier at Port Melbourne,
Southern Cross railway station and Crown Casino.

Operators and drivers found touting face a maximum penalty of $5,506.

"As new touting methods develop, we recognise the need to keep step with this illegal
practice, and these amendments make it more difficult for illegal and unlicensed operators
to do business," Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said today.

"Currently, law-abiding taxi drivers wait in line for an hour or more at airport taxi
ranks for a fare.

"Touting is unfair to honest taxi drivers and the passengers that use the established
system which has been set up to ensure a fair and orderly distribution of work."

The government has also funded an extra 13 Transport Safety Officers who enforce regulations
that must be followed by the state's 15,000 active drivers and operators.

The forecourt of Melbourne Airport is used by 40,000 cars a day while its taxi ranks
hold 1000 cabs at any one time.

Airport spokesman Geoff Conaghan said there were enough taxis for customers and laws
to stamp out touting were welcomed.

"Touts make a particularly unpleasant impression for arriving passengers, as they illegally
approach airport users in an unsavoury manner," he said.

"The new laws give airport police and agencies the authority to act more swiftly."

AAP gr/pmu/wf/mn

KEYWORD: TAXI

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