Vanessa Ceeger and Jessica Jameson attempt to hail a cab on George Street in the CBD. Picture: Richard Dobson Source: The Sunday Telegraph
NEED a cab in the city? You could be in for a long wait.
Overzealous parking rangers, massive fines and burgeoning no-stopping zones are making it nearly impossible to hail taxis in parts of the CBD.
Struggling cabbies, who earn just $10.90 an hour on average, are refusing to risk $199 tickets, leaving vulnerable young women, busy businesspeople or over-laden shoppers with no easy way of getting transport.
But drivers claim they are sick of receiving massive fines, often long after the offences are committed, from rangers armed with cameras they never even see. The problem has become so bad that Sydney City Council is to review popular taxi pick-up and set-down areas, such as George St in the CBD, which have been virtually declared no-stopping zones.
"Drivers take a significant personal risk when people want to be picked up," Sydney City councillor Irene Doutney said.
"Most people are not aware of the rules and flag down drivers wherever they may be.
"Drivers have the choice of giving up a lucrative fare or getting a fine of $199 or more. It's not a choice that can be made lightly."
Sydney taxi driver of five years Kaled, who requested that his surname not be revealed, was fined $199 after picking up a $7 fare when he helped a sick man out of a cab in a no-stopping zone on George St.
"I had a passenger who was sick, he could not talk, he could not walk," Kaled said. "I opened the door to help him get out and the ranger took a picture. I said 'look at the guy, he is a sick man'. The ranger said 'it's not my problem'.
"I couldn't say I can't drop you there because of the rules - he could not walk, that's why he caught the cab."
Sydney City councillors this week vowed to find more spots for cab drivers to pick up and drop off passengers, dubbing them a "critical component of our transport system". The move means any work by the council, including the $180 million light rail on George St and the state government's City Access Plan, will have to "address the needs of taxi drivers and their passengers".
Sydney City Council ran a trial of one-minute pick-ups in no-stopping zones, with another 20 new zones to be gazetted. Cr Edward Mandla refused to back the review, blaming taxis for most of Sydney's congestion.
"They stop anywhere with no regard to no-stopping signs, they effectively block off two lanes," Mr Mandla said.
"Anyone who has been to Singapore and asks to be dropped off outside a legal area knows they will get hostile resistance and it won't happen. If you do (stop in a no-go zone, drivers) you face a flogging."
Vanessa Ceeger and Jessica Jameson struggled to hail a cab on George St last week. Ms Jameson, of Lane Cove, said the city needs more taxis.
Taxi Council of NSW deputy CEO Jill Lewis said the no-stopping zones were a huge problem: "If you pick up a passenger from the airport, they get very upset when they can't be dropped off at the front door. Especially along George St, trying to get a cab is impossible."
Cr Angela Vithoulkas said the huge fines on taxis was big bureaucracy "coming down on small business".
"People catch taxis for convenience which may not be an official taxi rank," she said. "It's a thankless living and they earn $10.90 an hour."
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