Cabbies on course ‘for better service’

ERIN PEARSON
GEELONG’s taxi drivers are undertaking refresher sessions to improve services, according to their boss.
Geelong Taxi Network chief executive officer Peter Valentine said about 40 drivers a month were attending sessions since the program began in July.
The program coincides with Victorian Taxi Association (VTA) recommending compulsory monthly training for new drivers to a state inquiry. Premier Ted Baillieu has said the inquiry would investigate improving public confidence in the industry and enhancing driver support.
Mr Valentine said Geelong had its “own training regime”
“It’s quite detailed for an urban or country depot,” he said.
“A driver doesn’t have to do anything else once they have their driver’s authority because they’ve technically allegedly attached themselves to a network but drivers are always learning and we encourage them to come to our new refresher training.”
Mr Valentine said the sessions would refresh drivers on changes to regulations, dispatch systems, safety ranks, street names and laws.
“We would also support compulsory training in Geelong. It’s been on the cards for a while.”
VTA chief David Samuel said the inquiry submission suggested 12-month training licences, anger and stress management courses and half-day sessions for metropolitan drivers.
“There have been a few incidents recently in Geelong, so it’s very important to get on top of issues. A vast majority of drivers are great, we only receive one complaint for every 9000 trips state wide, but incidents can have a big impact on the way the industry is perceived,” Mr Samuel said.
“We want to make sure new recruits are equipped to deal with situations and know what’s expected of them.
“In Geelong things have been going really well for a long time – we don’t want to see problems and patterns that that we’ve had in metropolitan Melbourne appear. We must be proactive.”