Conditions For Sharing Hire Of Taxi Drafted

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28742, 13 November 1958, Page 13

Conditions For Sharing Hire Of Taxi Drafted

“The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND, November 12. i The first person to hire a taxi shall have the right to its exclu-1 sive use but may. under certain) conditions, allow one other hirer to share it, the Commission of Transport (Mr H. B. Smith» has' ruled in draft regulations. The regulations, restricting multiple hiring of taxis, have been received by the Auckland Metro-' politan Licensing Authority. The: regulations were for amending the definition of a taxi-cab under the Transport Amendment Act. 19"»:». The "certain conditions” for, multiple hiring are:— Within 30 minutes immediately before the departure ori arrival of an express train. 1 rail-car, steamer express or

inter-island ferry; Between 6 p.m. and 8 p in. daily i except Sunday; At periods when sudden bad! weather creates a demand for taxis in excess of the sup-1 ply, the onus of proof to be on the driver. Under these conditions, says the draft, the driver may inquire of

ithe first hirer whether he or she i'is prepared to share, without sub- ■ stantial departure from the orii ginal route, the use of the cab • with one—but not more—other ’*prospective hirer who is near the J cab at the time of inquiry. I If the first hirer agrees explicitly ■ to the request, but not otherwise, i the driver may then authorise the •'cab’s use by the second hirer ■i with his or her accompanying • passengers up to the total capac- • ity permitted in the certificate of ( fitness. •| Where the taxi is hired to a second party under the conditions I set out the scale of charges is I also specified. ’ Each hirer shall be charged at • the rates set out in the schedule ’ in which the taxi is operating, less (discount. The discount ranges 'lfrom (id to 25 per cent, for fares ‘from 2s 6d to more than 10s. r