Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Blue Taxi Company owner Helen Pachos says the industry is dealing with shortage of drivers, rising costs of fuel and crime, which is leaving locals worried about going out

Transcript

Blue Taxi Company owner Helen Pachos says the industry is dealing with shortage of drivers, rising costs of fuel and crime, which is leaving locals worried about going out · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I do want to raise so another issue that is
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: a concern at this point, and don't taxi drivers fear
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: that the industry is on the brink of collapse with
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: a shortage of drivers who are often subject to assaults.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Rising fuel costs and competition from ride share companies just
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: part of the problem. Now, Helen Pachos from a blue
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: taxi company, joins me on the line right now to
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: tell us a little bit more. Good morning to you.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Helen, Good morning, Katie.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Helen. Tell me a little bit more about some of
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the issues that your company and taxi drivers are dealing
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: with at the moment.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: The eternal issue of crime is always on the agenda, Coatie,
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: but we've got some other issues as well. And I
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: mean to put it bluntly, this argument of we have
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: we have as everybody knows, like really consume the cost
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: of fuel. Yeah, we don't to go into that. Everybody
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: knows the fuel's going up, and somebody's got a paper
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: and at the moment the industry is being absorbing it.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: We did get a seven point nine percent, which was
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: just swallowed up as soon as that was granted when
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: the excise is lifted, So the petel has gone up again,
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: and so we're back to square one with the fuel.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: You know, we're absorbing the cost. It's an uneven playing field.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, the fact of the matter is that, yes,
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: you know it was put to me in a previous interview.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: So why should you guys get the fifteen the one
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: five percent increase when you may be a bit more
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: expensive than road chair And my response to that cave
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: is quite blunt the differences. The differences are that you
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: may get a cheap fare with a ride chair, but
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: you also will it's unregulated and you're so would be
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: slogged at peak times, whereas with the taxi industry, and
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: we're only talking if we talk about fifteen percent on
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: a thirty five dollars fare, we're only talking three three
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: three to four dollars three fifty, all right, So what
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: I'm saying is that for three we're squabbling over three
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: fifty for the consumer, the passenger to pay. But when
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: you give the options to the consumer, and we've spoken
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: that links to our passengers. That's that's the difference between
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: the industry becoming competitive again and the driver is making
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: a different income, not absorbing all the costs. And we're
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: talking about a regulated interest industry. We're not talking about
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: deregulating the taxi industry because the industry needs to be regulated.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: It evolved for a reason. You're getting a safe journey.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: You're getting CCTV cameras in the You're getting a GPS
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: monitoring system, leading edge technology that's monitoring the car, the driver,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: everything that happens in the car is monitored twenty four seven.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: A safe, comfortable journey. You're getting a person on the
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: other line that's listening to you. You don't get any
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: of that with alternatives. And for the government to the
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: government regulates the fairs, and for the government to flatly
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: refuse to listen and to and to up the fair,
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: the fair or the ship the neeted fair for the
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: for the driver, that to us is unfair. It is
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: makes it into competitive because then we're not being able
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: to compete, and it gives consumers a choice. Let them
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: decide whether they want to pay the three dollars extral
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: and have a taxi industry. Let them make the decision.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Let the vulnerable. Is it fair now that all these
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: people are being stranded and not having a third Is
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: that that's the alternity?
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Helen has it reached a tipping point for the industry
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: right now. I mean, you touched on the fact that
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: crime is a you know, it's an issue that you've
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: been dealing with for such a long period of time,
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: and obviously touching on those fuel prices, and you know,
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: then you know plenty of other factors at play. Has
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: it reached a tipping point for the industry.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: We're at the crossroads of the industry collapsing. And the
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: crunch is that a forum was set up to discuss
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: a review that was conducted prior COVID, which were completely
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: different issues, as anyone could tell you, You're coming out of
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: the pandemic and things are very very different for businesses,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: and to be having a forum to implement recommendations from
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: that review, and then being told at the forum that
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: the current issues we're trying to raise, that's not the
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: purpose of the forum. That's not where we raise these issues.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: You know, you say the word shafted, shafted a few
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: minutes ago, and I'm thinking that's exactly what's happening here.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Yea industry is not getting a voice to say, look
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: and the vehicle aged they've reached nine years and you
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: know that's this predetermined right age. Limma manufacturers are increasing
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: their warranties up to ten years, and I put it
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: out there that where's empirical data to support these age limits.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: And those vehicles did not get the wear and tear
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: for three years while they were passed during the pandemic.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: And we have like a third of the fleet packed
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: up because they've reached their nine years, but they haven't
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: had the wear and tear over the pandemic. Surely an
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: extension of three years to cover that period should have
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: been automatic. We shouldn't be fighting for it and being
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: and being shafted bobbed off about it. There's no acknowledgment
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: to when we sent written submissions. We try to raise
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: them at the fullest. It's not a decision I feel
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: that should be may without consultation with the industry, and
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: it will provide some relief for the industry to recover.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: And at the end of the day, do we want
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: a taxi industry? It's as simple as that, really.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: And Helen, what would the impacts be if the industry
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: doesn't survive?
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: Well, do I need to spell it out? I mean
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: already we have no cars. I mean, look at the
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: tees at the airport. The shuttle was put on to
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: to shuttle people to the air from the airport to
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: the hotels. But as a local resident, I'm sure everybody
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: that's listening has had that experience of not being able
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: to catch a cab line they're there. You don't get
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: cabs at night, it's happening during the day. People are
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: left stranded. You can't get cabs because people are leaving
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: the industry. It's not worth their while.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Helen, what would those.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: We're asking for is a fair goal?
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Helen, you're not.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Asking you know, we're happy to be competitive, but let
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: us be competitive so we can attract drivers. Yeah, we
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: do the conditions of the driver, which.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: I think is entirely fair enough. And then the fact
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: that there's been a forum but you're not actually been
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: able to raise the issues that you're most concerned about,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: to me is astonishing.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: Helen.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: What would those with a disability and other concession holders have,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: you know, what would like what would sort of happen
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: if there wasn't an industry for people like that, because
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: I think that that sometimes gets forgotten as well.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: Well, we're getting those calls every day. I had a
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: call the other day where a client that my son
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: have just recently been confined to a wheelchair and he's
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: very depressed and we would like to have a stand
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: in booking every day so I can take him somewhere
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: different every day for his mental health. And I said,
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: I'm sorry, I can't take that booking. We're seeing the impact,
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: We are seeing the impact that The problem is nobody
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: else is willing to listen. Yeah, you will pack now.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: The people are not going out because they're scared they'll
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: be stranded and won't be able to go home.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Helen.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: We've seen We've had enough coverage from vulnerable groups and
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: aged people that are very dependent on our services to
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: get up to the doctors and get up on you
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: and do their shopping and they're confined. You know, We've
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: had calls for mothers saying, but I'll run out of
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: baby mills baby for them. You know, can you come
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: and because up And I say, well, I've only got
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: two cars on them. There's I'll try and prioritize your booking.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: But the problem is we're getting more and more desperate
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: calls and we just can't cover the work.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: That must be really difficult for you, Helen. I know
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: that you you know, you've been in the industry for
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: a long time and you're pretty passionate about what you do.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: I've met you on a few occasions. It must be
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: pretty difficult for you then, you know, and for your
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: company to be to be turning people away. I know
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: it's not it's not what you'd like to be doing.
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: You talk to anyone in the Indus street at the moment,
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: Katie Wolfin, It'll tell you it's one of the most
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: depressing worksplaces.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: Oh, Helen, the.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Issues on a daily basis, Yeah, where we're in this
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: in this mode of apologizing, apologizing, but that the apologies
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: are empty now and the industry's hands are tied. We
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: can't do anything without assistance, without a lot, without the
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: government listening to us.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Helen, I do want to ask you briefly as well.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: You know, can you sort of quantify the driver shortage
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: at the moment? You know, how many drivers are you
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: short or what are you seeing right now when it
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: comes to that driver shortage, Well, we.
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Have one hundred vehicles or close to one hundred, or
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: but we only have forty drivers. Does that put it
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: in PERI? We stagger, the we stagger, the ships of
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: the day shift, we had no drivers. We occasionally we'll
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: get someone to sale and you'll come in the airport booking,
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: so you've got to stay on and do that. But
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: it's safe to say that we don't have a service
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: at night and during the day. The drivers we do have.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: We've got twenty taxis on the road during the day,
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: but we stayble it because they can't work twenty four hours.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: So some of them start quite early and finish early.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: So at any given time you have out of the
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: twenty cars, you have sort of five start very very early.
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: During the middle of the day, you might get the
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: ten cars and then the other ten cars will log
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: on two three o'clock them work. It's all about ten
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: at night. So at any given time you don't even
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: have those twenty cars on the road, which is what's
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: affecting the driver short the transport shortage. You know you're
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: not getting that service. And it's not the territory and
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: way we don't know people vulnerable and standing in the heat.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: It's the locals now that are paying your guide. They
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: can't get home from the airport, I go up to
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: the shop. It's how vulnerable it's our aged and that's
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: that's the issue here that we do we want to
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: tax the industry and do we want to give them
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: if they go and other public happy to party. I
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: mean to pay for a regulated industry where they do
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: get that safety and you know.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: What other people would be happy to Helen. You know,
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: I actually think that the points that you've made.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Are you happy to pay a few more dollars? And
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: they go, well, if I'm going to get picked up
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: like I'm strained of now, if I'm going to get
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: some service, you know, and it's about choice, It's about
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: letting the public make that choice. I mean telling me
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: that ride shair will be cheaper than me, and I'm
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: going to be anto competitive. You're not getting a ride
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: share with the industry. You're getting a regulated, safe, secure,
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: a transport service that is there for everyone, not just
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: to select few.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Helen, I really appreciate your having a chat with
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: me this morning. Can I just if there was one thing,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: you know, one message that you can get across to
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: the government right now when it comes to the way
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: in which the industry is feeling, what would it be.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: Get the industries one hundred percent of the industry has
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: a consensus on this, get the industry collectively and sit
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: down and talk to them.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: Helen, I think it makes a lot of sense to
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: do just that. I really appreciate your having a chat
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: with me this morning, and I'm you know, it's it's
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: actually really sad to hear the situation that you're in.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Like I said, I know I've met you on a
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: few occasions. You're really passionate about the business that you run,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: and I know that you would not like being in
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: a situation at all where people are having to be
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: turned away.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: That's where we were at.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Helen, thank you for your time this morning. It
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: is very much appreciated. Thank you.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: Thank you for the opportunity to voice our
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: Concerns Ayton Anyton