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Greens Cab has been convicted of several charges relating to its failure to ensure its drivers provided a safe and secure service for the public.
Green Cabs Ltd was fined a total of $6.300 after pleading guilty in the Auckland District Court to four charges under the Land Transport (Operator Licensing) Rule 2007.
Three of the charges related to Green Cabs’ failure to provide a 24 hour 7 day a week service, and the fourth to the company’s failure to maintain adequate control over its drivers.
The conviction of Green Cabs Ltd followed an NZTA investigation into the way the company was fulfilling its legal obligations as a licensed Approved Taxi Organisation (ATO).
There were multiple occasions at night where the 24/7 service was not provided. Drivers were working as they saw fit and the company appeared to have taken no steps to ensure that they followed their rostered hours of work.
“This not only meant that the 24/7 coverage lapsed, it also meant that some drivers were working beyond the maximum 13 hours a day permitted by law, increasing the chances of fatigue-related crashes and putting themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk,” Mr Thackwray says.
The NZTA says it was told by the company that it had had difficulty providing the 24/7 service because of the number of drivers leaving the company. The Court said the company’s behaviour raised issues of public safety.
Green Cabs, on its site, says of its drivers: “All our drivers are uniformed and receive ongoing training and checks to ensure both the vehicle and driver are up to the standards required. Your safety as a passenger in one of our vehicles is very important. Therefore all our drivers must pass a police check and a few other checks before they get to wear the green cabs globe.”
Andy Thackwray, Regional Manager for Access and Use – the NZTA’s regulatory group responsible for monitoring the taxi industry – says the fines send a clear and simple message to the industry ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
“For many thousands of visiting rugby fans, the door to a taxi is likely to be the first they will open when they arrive in New Zealand and this court case will help ensure that they will be able to do so with confidence in the taxi industry and its drivers, “ says Mr Thackwray.
Regular readers will know my long campaign against dodgy cabs so I welcome the NZTA action and hope it continues to monitor hard.
The driver of the cab I got the other night delighted in telling me about his drink driving convinctions which included being off the road for a year.
I use cabs rarely. Maybe I just strike the dodgy ones.
2 Comments
Good grief, -.-’
there seems to be no end in dodgy drivers in the main centres are there? The only Taxi drivers i met in Timaru are nice ones, however once in Wellington the first Cab we got was one which reeks of Vodka! That was years ago now, and im not sure which Company it was, but im positive it was not Green Cabs.
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