Natalie Ward
Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads
Sadow Minister for Infrastructure
Shadow Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast
The NSW Opposition is proposing the NSW Government roll out QR codes into the Sydney Taxi Fleet as a solution to ensure customers can pay a fair fare.
The proposal would see unique QR Codes placed into taxis to enable customers to choose to pay via the meter or via the QR Code.
The QR Code would be linked to the driver, the vehicle, and the customer to balance the security of payment for drivers with a passenger's priority of paying the correct fare and having a safe journey.
The proposal would balance security to passengers who choose to utilise it and ensure both drivers and passengers are accountable for a safe journey at a fair price.
The proposal follows ongoing concerns over the past twelve months regarding dodgy driver behaviour affecting the positive reputation of the NSW Taxi industry.
The Opposition would support the required regulatory or legislative change to implement the QR Code solution.
Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads Natalie Ward commented "Government can't be in every cab, every time but a QR code can be."
"You can order a beer with a QR code, why shouldn't you be able to pay a fair fare in a taxi."
"This proposal delivers confidence and security to potential victims of dodgy driver behaviour including tourists, seniors and women using taxis at night."
"I know the majority of taxi drivers do the right thing, so this is a simple step to ensure confidence in the wider system."
"This isn't about a carrot or the stick approach, this about a real solution that is easy to implement and puts customers at the centre of Government policy."
NSW Taxi Council Chief Executive Officer Nick Abrahim commented "This is an innovative solution towards giving passengers financial certainty when using taxis and improve the passenger experience."
