To ensure the safety of drivers and passengers in metropolitan areas all taxis providing rank and hail services must be fitted with a complying operational duress alarm and a system to monitor and respond to the alarm system quickly if activated.
Throughout this year the Point to Point Transport Commission has issued sixteen prohibition notices to taxi companies due to safety concerns that their vehicles weren’t fitted with a complying operational duress alarm and a system to monitor and respond to the alarm system quickly if activated.
There are more than 280 taxi service providers in NSW and all taxi services must have operational and compliant systems and safeguards in place to protect their drivers and passengers. In Metropolitan (Sydney), Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast this includes all taxi services being fitted with an approved duress alarm system and an approved vehicle tracking device.
The sixteen prohibition notices were issued to the relevant service providers to stop rank and hail taxi services immediately until the identified issued was fixed.
Following the issuing of prohibition notices, seven taxi service providers have now complied with the Commission’s directions and improved their duress alarm systems.
The following service providers are no longer prohibited from conducting rank and hail passenger services, having demonstrated to the Commission that they have compliant duress alarm and monitoring systems: 15cabs, AI Cabs, Taxi1 Pty Ltd, ASPD Cabs, Geo Taxis, Infinite Cabs and Oopal Cabs.
Several service providers have decided to surrender their authorisation, and others are still working towards improving their safety systems to comply with the law. – prohibition notices remain in place for these providers.
Royal Cab Services, Harbour Cabs, Taxi Plus and Cloud Cabs are all unable to carry out rank and hail passenger services. A prohibition notice remains in place for Flying Cabs who is suspended and cannot conduct any passenger or booking services
United Cabs Network, Aatish Cabs, X Cabs, Premier Alpha Cabs are no longer authorised.
The Commissioner’s website maintains an up-to-date list of prohibition notices issued for non-compliant duress alarms.
Safety is the Commissioner’s priority, and NSW has strong safety laws to ensure the safety of taxi, rideshare and hire vehicle passenger services, and every provider must comply with these safety standards.
The Commissioner's Compliance team will continue to check duress alarms, monitoring systems and vehicle tracking systems in taxis providing rank and hail passenger services as a matter of course in their day-to-day work.
For further information please go to the Commissioner’s website or call our Industry Contact Centre on 131 727.