Taxi: New legislation will deal with concerns - Nicky Wagner
The minister was speaking at a protest organised and attended by around 150 taxi drivers in the City against the company, Uber.
As reported by The Migrant Times earlier, more than 150 taxi drivers carried out their protest against Uber in Christchurch outside the office of Minister Nicky Wagner, at Salisbury Street, on July 4.
Noting the concerns of the taxi drivers relating to the requirements of P-endorsements, work-time limits, vehicle Certificate of Fitness, and in-vehicle cameras, the Minister informed, “While the first three requirements need to be fulfilled by all small passenger service drivers including those working for Uber, companies can apply for exemption from in-vehicle cameras requirement.”
“The purpose of the review was to ensure that the regulatory system for small passenger services was fit-for-purpose to meet NZ's future needs. As part of that, the Government wanted to ensure that emerging business models such as ride-sharing were appropriately regulated within the new framework. At the same time, we wanted to promote innovation, competition and safety. Rules that impose costs on operators, but no longer provide any significant benefits, will be removed for all operators,” the minister assured.
Background
- Review of the small passenger services system was carried out in mid 2015
- Consultation on the review proposals were undertaken from December 2015 to February 2016
- Cabinet has agreed on the policy changes for the new system and these are being included in the Land Transport Amendment Bill, which will be considered by a select committee in 2016
- A number of Transport Rules are also being changed, details of which will be released soon
