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Country Taxi Services Are VitalGippsland MP Peter Hall is urging country people to make a contribution to the upcoming review of the taxi in regional Victoria, saying that country taxi services are vital. By Peter Hall - 5th August 2005 - Back to News "The Government has come part of the way, following months of lobbying by The Nationals, by increasing the cap for multi purpose taxi program users to $1,000 a year," Mr Hall said. "While this has been offset slightly by the eight percent rise in taxi fees that will come into place next month, it is a small step in the right direction – but there’s still a long way to go in country Victoria.
"The recent fare increase is of some assistance but will not relieve the financial crisis some taxi services face, and we must remember, taxis are a vital service in many regional areas."
Mr Hall said maxi taxis for transporting people with disabilities are not adequately funded by Government and "blatant discrimination" was occurring against country people.
"In its announcement this week, the Government has failed to address the inequities of subsidies for wheel chair access taxis. Melbourne based taxi operators still receive generous subsides of $1,300 per year, per car, plus booking subsidies of $3.30, for which country operators are not eligible.
"This is just one area that must be addressed by the regional review."
Mr Hall said the multi purpose cap increase from $550.00 to $1,000 would still not address the needs of aged people living out of towns.
"Some people will be limited to total taxi fares of $40 per week, which for some is one round trip per week.
"What the Government still doesn’t seem to understand is that in many country areas, taxis are the only available public transport system and the Government should be subsidising their operations to the same extent as it subsidises Melbourne’s trains and trams," Mr Hall said.
He added that The Nationals would continue to pursue the Government on the issue, through input into the regional review and by pushing forward the concerns of regional Victorians. "I would like input from as many constituents as possible, so that we can put the facts before the Government and force it to improve the situation."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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