KEY POINTS:
Around 60 taxis have been ordered off the roads in less than a month, as officials try to clean up the industry. But even with new regulations, Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ) can't guarantee every cabbie is fit to be on the road.
A combined swoop in Auckland two weeks ago by LTNZ's new Taxi Enforcement Officers and Immigration officials found 14 out of 16 taxis checked breached either taxi industry regulations and/or vehicle safety legislation. Three were immediately sidelined with serious safety defects, such as bald tyres and structural damage.
This followed a joint operation with police in Auckland on September 29-30, in which 289 taxis were found to be not complying with the rules. Fifty-two were sidelined with serious safety defects.
LTNZ's manager commercial road transport, John Doesburg, says the agency's new 10-strong enforcement team - costing $1.3 million a year - is uncovering an extensive range of offences, from faulty brakes, tyres and seatbelts to GST fraud, unlicensed operators, over-charging and filthy vehicles.
Faulty, worn or bald tyres was a significant issue, he said. One taxi was found to have four tyres that were so bald they did not have a trace of thread left on them.
LTNZ has vowed to clamp down on cowboys, but despite the enforcement team and a raft of licence and vehicle rules in force, Doesburg can't guarantee it can keep that promise.
"We are concentrating on Auckland and Wellington but whether 10 [officers] is enough, we don't know."
Last year, 223 complaints were made to LTNZ about the country's taxi drivers. So far this year, 105 complaints have been made, mainly involving Auckland operators.
Dodgy practices included drivers taking party pills to keep them awake, cabbies propositioning passengers, fisticuffs between drivers, unlicensed drivers, drivers using illegal signage to tout for business, and fare rorts.
In Wellington, two drivers have been kicked out of the industry for improper behaviour, and this month a driver was found guilty of the abduction and rape of a teenager.
Tim Reddish, chairman of the Taxi Federation, says the rules should have been in place 18 years ago when the industry was deregulated.
"Some guys out there have been breaking every rule and operating outside the laws for a very long time." He was also critical of information-sharing around "unfit" drivers.
Paul Cafferkey of Auckland's Alert Taxis agreed. "LTNZ needs to keep information on file so every time these guys renew their licences the information is there."
Cafferkey wants LTNZ to follow up breaches with more than just a slap on the wrist. "The regulations have to have teeth. There are some shockers out there. People are losing faith."
Doesburg hoped his officers would prove their worth: "We are trying to have the industry seen as a professional provider of public transport - and we have to admit the image isn't as good as it could be. If we take away the enforcement, the industry will just revert to where it was."
Cab facts
* 15 million taxi trips are taken in New Zealand every year.
* Now, NZ has 8000 cabbies, compared with around 2500 in 1989.
* Auckland has about 3500 taxi drivers.
* Wellington has 2000 taxis serving a population of 370,000. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which has a population of just over 300,000, has 235 cabs.
* By next October, taxis must have interior signs in braille.
* Drivers can work a maximum of 13 hours in any 24-hour period, but a 10-hour break must be taken after those 13 hours.
* Anyone setting up a new taxi company must pass a proficiency test.
* Of 26 complaints about Wellington cabbies received by LTNZ this year, nine involved three drivers.
* 1200 cabbies have been removed from the industry in the past eight years.
