TAXI SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23489, 28 October 1939, Page 13

TAXI SERVICES

CHANGE IN CONTROL PERIOD OF TRANSITION OUTSTANDING MATTERS CLARIFICATION AWAITED The control of taxicab services in Aucklancl is at present in a transition stage, having been transferred from the City Council to the Auckland Transport Board, in its capacity as Metropolitan Licensing Authority under the Transport Licensing Act. The change was made by the recent Transport Law Amendment Act, and regulations governing the issue of licences were gazetted last week. Taxicab organisations and individual owners are going into the position, but it is not expected to be clarified until niter the first meeting of the licensing authority, which will probably be held about a fortnight hence. The regulations prescribe an annual licence l'ee of £2 for every taxicab and require the authority to fix fares on the basis of time or of distance calculated by taxi-meter or otherwise. Licences are to be issued subject, to a comprehensive set of conditions setting out the duties of licensees and drivers. Hours and Wages In particular .-it is provided that no one shall drive any taxicab for more than five and a-lialf hours continuously, or without defined daily and weekly rest periods or intervals for meals. Drivers employed on wages are to be paid award rates, and, where no award is in force, payment is to be at the rate of not less than £4 10s a week, 15s a day, or 2s an hour, according to the period of engagement, with an additional 2s an hour for work in excess of ten hours in any period of 24 hours.

When the licensee himself drives the taxicab, the licensing authority may review the licence if it is satisfied that he has failed to earn an amount corresponding to the wages specified in the regulations. Every licensee is required to keep adequate accounts, and make statistical anil financial returns on the prescribed form when called upon to do so. Dearer Petrol A number of matters involved in the new system will probably require to be settled before it comes into full operation. Among these is the inspection of taxicabs for certificates of fitness. A request was made to the City Council bv the Commissioner of Transport, before the regulations were issued, that it should undertake the inspection, but the council this week decided to reply that, in its opinion, the Transport Board, as the licensing authority, should he made responsible. Auckland taxi-proprietors at present do not know how the change will affect their businesses, as much naturally depends upon the policy adopted by the licensing authority in regard, to fares and the organisation of services. Within a comparatively short period the price of has risen by 5d a gallon, and it is possible that the effect of this will come up for consideration