25/11/05
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan today welcomed Swan Taxis’ decision to provide a dedicated Yellow Cabs service to the outer Armadale area.
Ms MacTiernan said the move would see a branded taxi fleet operating in the Armadale region in a bid to improve taxi services in the area.
“I have been meeting with the taxi operators and drivers to identify issues affecting services in the Armadale area and to find ways to get a better deal for local passengers,” she said.
“This development has come out of my discussions with Swan Taxis.”
The Minister said with increasing community demand for taxi services across the metropolitan area, customer complaints and the level of jobs not covered continued to be a concern.
“This is particularly so in the outer suburbs, like Armadale, where the level of work has increased by 16 per cent in the June quarter compared with the corresponding period last year,” she said.
“The management of the taxi fleet is crucial to rectifying this situation in outer suburban areas and we are committed to working with taxi companies to provide better services.
“The Government has already increased the number of taxi services available for the Armadale area.
“We have issued additional outer suburban taxi plates and allowed peak period taxi operators to work in the area on a full-time basis.
“Passenger amenities have also been a priority, with the Government providing funding to build a taxi shelter opposite the entrance to the Armadale train station earlier this year.”
The Minister congratulated Swan Taxi managing director Kevin Foley on the initiative, which will encourage local taxi operators in the area to join the fleet and build up their client base in the local Armadale community.
Mr Foley said Swan Taxis and its franchise, Yellow Cabs, aimed to ensure that the service they provide was the best it could be.
“Having local drivers supplying a service to the local community will promote efficiency and offer better security to customers in the local Armadale area,” he said.
“A similar Yellow Cab service has been in operation in the Rockingham area for the past five years, with great success.
“Service to customers has improved and drivers are happy with having developed a well-established clientele.
“Yellow Cabs has a proud history and operates nationwide with the call banner 13 19 24, 1924 being the year Yellow Cabs, originally an American icon, moved to Australia.”
Minister's office: 9213 6400
