Open letter to CPV industry stakeholders
Yesterday the Minister for Transport, Melissa Horne, requested that I join a Parliamentary Advisory Panel with Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Steve Dimopoulos, to create a set of Covid-19 support recommendations to take to the Minister for consideration.
CPV fees dropped and trip levy under review
Permit fees for commercial passenger vehicles and drivers will be waived and the $1 trip levy is under review following pressure from national industry group Transport Alliance Australia and Transport Matters Party leader Rod Barton.
Support needed to keep essential taxis working
A support package to keep taxi drivers working is essential to maintain transport options for Victoria’s elderly, disabled and vulnerable according to Eastern Metro MP and Transport Matters Party leader Rod Barton.
“Drivers have had it tough for the last few years and for many this will be the last straw.”
Action plan for CPV
Don’t wait until it’s too late. There are rough times ahead but there are some things drivers can do now to help them through these tough times.
Unfair cross-border Taxi regulations
I ask the minister to review the new cross-border CPV rules that allow New South Wales operators to register and operate in Victoria for the low cost accreditation fee.
Requests for Covid-19 support for taxi industry
The taxi industry is at the coal face when it comes to arrivals into Australia and the risks associated with close social contact during this Covid-19 crisis. This week Rod has written to the Premier and asked in Parliament for support for drivers who are ill or must self isolate. With no sick pay and no holiday pay these are the hard workers who are getting Victorian’s home safely and they and their families deserve our support.
ADJOURNMENT – Increase maximum cap on taxi prices
This week I asked the Minister for Public Transport to give cabbies a pay rise and increase the maximum cap set by the Essential Services Commission on taxi fares.
Barton calls for fair price increase on taxi fares
Transport Matters Party leader Rod Barton has called for an increase in the maximum regulated taxi fares of 10 percent immediately with annual CPI increases in the future.
“These Victorian public transport drivers are slugged with increasing costs on all sides and no way of improving their working conditions.”
ADJOURNMENT – Redbook Inspections
The commercial passenger vehicle industry knows that the RedBook inspection makes a mockery of VicRoads’s roadworthy standards. So I ask the minister to take immediate action and stop the regulator undermining the government’s road safety initiatives and VicRoads’ standards on licensed roadworthiness certificates.
Heartbroken industry encouraged to speak out
Heartbreaking tales of financial and personal ruin have been flooding into the office of Eastern Metropolitan MP Rod Barton after he called on the taxi and hire car industry to tell their stories to the Parliamentary Inquiry on the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Reforms.