Taxis

Taxis in Melbourne come under a lot of scrutiny. The public at large is dissatisfied with the industry as a whole, as I'm sure are the drivers and owners and operators.

The public complain of dirty taxis driven by taxi drivers who don't know where they're going and who "can't speak English" and rip them off.

The drivers must be very disappointed when they look at their take home pay (average $7 -8 an hour - less GST). They have put up with an ungrateful, rude, sometimes racist, drunk, fare-dodging travelling public for appallingly low pay working all hours of the day and night.

The operators must cringe when they open their fuel bills to see their meagre profits shrinking.

The solutions seem simple...

1. Clean the cabs
2. Fix the perception of the public regarding driver standards. ie. recognise that low pay = low motivation. The fare is on the meter - how can they rip you off?
3. Raise the fares so the drivers can live off their earnings and the operators can pay the bills and make some money too.