Taxi service returns to local base

Northland's largest taxi company is bringing its call centre back to Whangarei after customers were dissatisfied with an Auckland centre's "poor service".
In 2000, Kiwi Cabs employed the Auckland Co-op Taxis call centre to dispatch Whangarei taxis. However, Kiwi Cabs is reopening its Whangarei call centre after complaints about the Auckland service.
The call centre and new global positioning system (GPS) technology will cost the company about $200,000. The call centre will open this month with the updated technology to be installed in the middle of next year.
The move contrasts that of Northland's emergency service providers who have all moved their call centres to Auckland since 1997.
Kiwi Cabs manager Fraser Cann said customers had complained that call takers lacked local knowledge and took too long to answer the phone.
Some customers had stopped using Kiwi Cabs due to the "poor service", such as call centres failing to give priority to booked taxis and getting mixed up with street names such as Kaiwaka Rd in Onerahi and Kauika Rd in Maunu. And taxi drivers were getting instructions for Tauranga pickups or given Auckland destinations, such as "downtown" Bank of New Zealand.
The company had initially moved the call centre to Auckland to take advantage of Auckland Co-op Taxi call centre's GPS technology, which tracks taxis via satellite.
However, dispatching Whangarei taxis from Auckland had proved too difficult.
"Centralising is a bad idea. You lose touch with the local area and activities - it all comes down to service," Mr Cann said.
The new call centre, based in Morningside, will create four new jobs and the new GPS system will allow customers to be notified by a machine when a taxi is nearby.
Meanwhile, Mr Cann was not "exceedingly worried" by a November 27 attack on a Kiwi Cabs car. The male driver had tried to stop four teenagers from allegedly beating a 29-year-old when the attackers turned on his car, causing $1100 worth of damage.
Mr Cann said the increase of attacks was making cab driving "more unpleasant". However, as all Kiwi Cabs were tracked by GPS technology , Mr Cann was not "exceedingly worried" about attacks.
Hidden panic buttons meant call centre operators could ring through on the radio to frighten off potential attackers.
"A lot of our drivers are quite experienced and are good at picking up the warning signs," he said.
Excessively drunk or abusive callers would not be picked up.
Kiwi Cab driver Loui Holloway was not intimidated by the attacks, saying the problem existed 30 years ago. "I don't have a problem myself. I'm not easily intimidated. You've just got to make sure you don't get stuck in the middle," Mr Holloway said.
Auckland Co-op Taxis could not be contacted.