Dodgy Drivers on Notice

• Taxi and Ride Share drivers repeatedly refusing jobs or over charging to face loss of authorisation.
• TMR taking tough stance on law breakers.
• Crackdown continues following community complaints.

Cowboy Cabbies and rogue Ride Share drivers will face the full force of the law to stop Queensland customers from being ripped off.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads has reviewed the legislation and will begin suspending driver authorisations on public interest grounds for repeat offenders.

Rogue drivers caught overcharging or refusing service could be issued with a notice of proposal to suspend their accreditation.

Repeat offenders issued with multiple Penalty Infringement Notices (PIN) will face even longer periods off the road.

Rogue drivers will have the opportunity to lodge a right of reply before the suspension is introduced.

TMR has the discretion to determine the suspension period which can range from 1 month to indefinitely, depending on the severity of offending. 

The crackdown follows an increase in customer complaints and covert compliance operations.

More than 750 PINs were issued to Taxi and Ride Share drivers between November 2022 and January 2023. The offences included charging above the maximum fare, refusing to provide service, stopping in non-designated areas, and failing to display correct authorisations.

The compliance activity continues, and more than 600 further infringement notices have been issued to June 2023.

More information on the complaints process is available on TMR’s website.

Quotes attributable to Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey:

“My message to dodgy drivers that continue to break the law is clean up your act, stop ripping-off hard working people and leaving people with a disability on the side of the road or else your income will be at risk.   

“The compliance operations by my department are a real wake up call for some of these dodgy drivers.

“In December 2022 we saw nearly 28% of intercepts by TMR staff ending with a penalty infringement notice.

“That fell to just 6.2% of intercepts in May this year, this is a clear sign that rogue drivers are getting the message.

“Every Queenslander deserves the right to a fair fare and to have the confidence that when they need a taxi or ride share service it will be there.

“This strong enforcement will give them that certainty and we want them to report those drivers that continue to break the law.

“So, take this as a final warning, overcharging is an unacceptable offence and for those drivers caught it could cost them significant time off the road.

“These driver authorisations are a privilege not a right, we want the industry to remember that”.

ENDS

Media contact:  

TMR Media - (07) 3066 7060

Charlton Hart (Minister Bailey) - 0400 431 443