States Members are this week due to debate a proposition from Senator Sarah Ferguson, who has called for a mediator to be appointed to resolve a dispute over fare structures between drivers and the Infrastructure Minister, as well as to repeal industry reform that came into effect this summer.
Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel signed off the changes by ministerial decision. They included a 4.6 per cent fare increase in line with inflation but removed extra charges, including those for additional passengers and baggage.
He has also introduced a maximum tariff, which is a flat rate of £3 plus 21p for every tenth of a mile, with higher maximum fees for late-night and bank holiday fares.
The changes prompted anger among the Island’s rank taxi drivers, who held short strikes in protest. However, Deputy Noel, in response to Senator Ferguson’s proposition, has said the wider travelling public must take precedence over the small group of drivers who want to delay or disrupt reform of the Island’s taxi industry.
He said: ‘The taxi-cab industry is in need of reform and my team at the Infrastructure Department have worked hard with the industry to bring this about.
‘We have already made several concessions and opted for a phased, transitional reform as opposed to a “big bang” approach. These transitional measures are purely for the benefit of the industry and have no meaningful benefit to the public, and as such, any further delays or concessions are not in the public interest.
‘The Jersey Taxi Drivers Association is now reneging on this agreement in bad faith.’
He added that Senator Ferguson’s proposition to repeal the changes would ‘undermine service improvements’ and was not in the interest of customers. He said that making no changes to the fare structure was ‘not an option’ and that the reforms must be allowed to stand to give the public a fairer, easier-to-understand system.
‘My door is always open for further discussion with the JTDA and the wider industry,’ he said. ‘However, I cannot neglect the public and allow a vocal minority of rank taxi drivers to disrupt or delay any much-needed further reform of the industry.’
