1 NSW DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT INTERIM STANDARDS FOR AUTHORISED TAXI-CAB NETWORKS FOR NETWORKS IN COUNTRY AREAS FEBRUARY 1993 The Authorised Taxi-Cab Network Standards have been developed by the New South Wales Department of Transport in consultation with the New South Wales Taxi Council under Division 1 of Part 4 of the Passenger Transport Act, 1990. ********
2 TXNASTD.CTY February 1993 COUNTRY INTERIM AUTHORISED TAXI-CAB NETWORK STANDARDS Taxi-Cab Networks are required to be authorised by the Director-General of the Department of Transport and to meet various standards and levels of service on which the authorisation is based. The Department of Transport is aware of the recent emergence of the use of mobile telephones in taxis. Although these interim network authorisation standards relate to the operation of radio communication networks, the Department and Taxi Industry are jointly looking at the operation of mobile phones, their impact on the provision of quality taxi services to the public and to the development of an optimal outcome. The Interim Authorisation Standards below have been prepared and adopted by the New South Wales Department of Transport. They represent the required level of performance for taxi-cab networks in New South Wales and will be used during determination of any actions relating to variation, revocation or suspension of the authority. These interim authorisation standards are currently required to be met with more stringent standards of performance being required after a phased introduction of one year. The interim authorisation will allow networks a year to plan for compliance with the improved standards such as: # continuous access to mobile units forming the network in the event of breakdown; # guaranteed provision of service in entire licensed area through self-coverage or, if applicable, through agreed allocation of hirings to other networks. Half-yearly targets for meeting the improved standards are: # telephone answering standards; # guaranteed levels of service delivery. Applications for an authority are to be made to the Director-General of the Department of Transport. The Director-General may refuse to grant an authority if: # The application does not contain sufficient information to enable a decision to be made; or # The network seeking authorisation does not meet the requirements of the Act, the Regulations or standards published by the Director-General; or # It is not, in the Director-General's view, in the public interest for an authority to be granted. The Authority, if granted, can be subject to conditions or restrictions prescribed in the regulations or imposed by the Director-General in the public interest. These conditions or
3 restrictions can also be varied, revoked or new conditions imposed by the Director-General from time to time, by notice in writing to the holder of an authority. If the holder of an authority fails to comply with all conditions or restrictions required under the authority, the Director-General may revoke the authority or suspend its operation for up to 12 months. Boards of Directors, partnerships or sole operators ("the operators") of networks, are to apply for authorisation on behalf of a network. It should be noted that in all cases, the operators are responsible for ensuring that the network continues to meet network authorisation standards. FIT AND PROPER The operators of networks must be of good repute. They may not be authorised if they fall within the category of persons defined by Sections 229, 230, 599 and 600 of the Corporations Act, 1989 relating to insolvency and civil convictions (for instance, fraud or conviction for an offence under the relevant companies legislation). Applicants are required to declare whether they fall within these categories: # If any of the operators are directors of a company that has been wound up or is in the course of being wound up because of its inability to pay debts, the Department of Transport has the discretion to examine any factors which may be taken into account. # Operators are required to declare whether they have been convicted of any criminal offence in the last five years or if there are any criminal charges pending. If convicted, or if a charge is pending, full details must be provided with the application. Criminal convictions may be examined by the Department of Transport and considered in relation to the potential of the specific offences to militate against the application. FINANCIAL VIABILITY Applicants to provide: # a statement from an accountant reporting on the applicant's financial capacity to operate a taxi-service radio communication network in accordance with the performance criteria published by the Director-General; # an opinion from the applicant's principal banker stating the bank's credit assessment of the applicant or the applicant's relevant business; # existing taxi networks to provide annual audited statement of accounts, as lodged with the Registrar of Co-operatives, the Australian Securities Commission or the Australian Taxation Office for the preceding five years, or for the preceding years of operation if less than five years - (if applicable). A network's authority will be reviewed should the network and/or any of its operators become insolvent or fall within the categories of persons or corporations referred to in Sections 229, 230, 599 and 600 of the Corporations Act, 1989.
4 TECHNICAL COMPETENCY LICENCE # Provide a copy of the appropriate licence to operate as a radio network issued by the Federal Department of Transport and Communications. EQUIPMENT # Full details and specifications of equipment to be used are to be supplied together with a report from a communications engineer that such equipment is reliable and will provide adequate transmission and reception throughout the area for which the taxis in the network are licensed to operate. # Networks must define the areas currently covered by their transmission/reception system to meet current performance standards. Networks must have the ability to transmit and receive in 90% of the area for which the network's taxis are licensed to operate. After one year the network will have the ability to transmit and receive throughout the entire licensed area. MAINTENANCE/REPAIRS # Applicants must provide details of a regular maintenance program for communication equipment. Skilled personnel must be available at all times, or details of a service contract with an appropriate service organisation to ensure that faults/breakdowns with transmission can be addressed immediately and/or rectified within one hour. # Applicants are also required to have facilities (internal or by contractual arrangement with an appropriate service organisation) to expeditiously service/repair mobile radios and base transmitter or other communication equipment. BREAKDOWNS Network authorisation will require that after one year, suitable contingency arrangements must be in place that will provide continuous access to mobile units forming the network in the event of breakdown of the central radio unit(s). Existing taxi networks will be able to achieve this in two stages: STAGE 1, to be in place immediately, is for minor breakdowns. In these cases arrangements are to be in place to notify customers and mobiles of the failure within one hour of the breakdown. Customers are also to be advised of alternative networks that they may contact (if applicable). STAGE 2, to be in place within one year is for major breakdowns. Authorised networks must have back up arrangements or procedures in place within one hour which will allow bookings to continue by some other means.
MANAGERIAL COMPETENCY 5 Applicants will need to demonstrate that they, or their employees, have proven managerial skills and the necessary expertise to operate a taxi-cab network at a highly efficient level. Applicants are required to provide full details of: # the standards and published rules that will govern the operations of the network, particularly those in relation to the booking and despatching procedures and the operation of mobile units by taxi drivers. # these will need to be regularly updated and readily available to all network personnel and taxi drivers. Member participation in the development and review of procedures is to be encouraged. # a training program in the use of equipment and customer care by taxi drivers and radio operators/dispatchers. Applicants will also need to demonstrate an ability and commitment to effectively discipline drivers, radio operators/dispatchers and network personnel for failing to meet industry standards and to comply with the rules and procedures for processing radio hirings. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OPERATIONS Networks in country areas will be required to provide a booking service 24 hours per day, 7 days a week - or as otherwise determined by written agreement between the operators and the Department of Transport. TELEPHONE ANSWERING STANDARDS After six months, networks must provide sufficient telephonists and telephone lines to enable 90% of calls to be connected to the booking service immediately. Of these, 70% are to be answered within 1 minute and 90% answered within 2 minutes. Networks must strive to provide a telephone service whereby 100% of calls are responded to instantly. After one year, network telephone answering standards will be increased closer towards this goal. Networks should immediately introduce reporting mechanisms for recording current and future telephone answering rates. Networks in country areas that incorporate a radio telephone interface system must provide a continuous telephone answering service whereby 100% of calls are responded to within 1 minute. Networks with radio telephone interface systems that do not operate a 24 hour 7 day a week 'on road' service must provide and use (where vehicles are 'off road' but 'on call'). 1. An alternate two-way radio access system for external answering of telephone calls; or
6 2. A provision within the system to monitor and redirect incoming calls so that they are answered within one minute. DELIVERY STANDARDS Networks should strive to provide a 100% guaranteed prompt service and 100% arrival. While this is the goal, it is acknowledged that for practical reasons this is not always achievable. The standards below must nevertheless be viewed as minimums. These standards will apply to provision of normal services in country areas. Any minimum performance standards for Wheelchair Accessible Taxis will override the following standards for those services. In areas that networks claim to service they must guarantee the following minimum level of service, however, the expectation is for 100% delivery: Within 3 months; # 75% arrival within 10 minutes of booking being made, # 90% arrival within 15 minutes of booking being made. Within 6 months; # 85% arrival within 10 minutes of booking being made, # 98% arrival within 15 minutes of booking being made, # 100% arrival within 20 minutes of booking being made. Existing networks will have a lead time of up to six months to achieve these service delivery standards. After one year, networks must provide service to these standards to all areas for which the taxis operated by the network are licensed to operate in. Networks should immediately set up reporting mechanisms by which current and projected performance to service delivery standards can be recorded. CUSTOMER SERVICES Networks will need to provide: # facilities for dealing with lost property according to approved procedures, including a secure storage area and staff resources. The existence of this service, contact officers and numbers must be provided to the Department of Transport and publicised to the extent that passengers are not hindered in attempting to recover such items, # facilities to provide customers with prompt information as to the status of their bookings, # the means to ensure that customer complaints are dealt with quickly and responsibly. These complaints are to be integrated with complaints received by the Department of Transport, # a call-back service to customers for hirings proving difficult to fulfil and a dedication to off-load these hirings to other networks servicing the area (if applicable).
INFORMATION 7 Networks are required to provide the following: # access by Department of Transport officers to monitor the processing of telephone bookings, # details and means of identification of any destination zones currently used for dispatch of radio bookings. The following statistics and information is to be maintained (including those for WAT's, if applicable) by the network in the form of six monthly reports (end June - end December - end June). Previous reports, and information relating to a particularly urgent issue from the current reporting period, must be made available to the Department of Transport within 24 hours of the request. In all other circumstances, networks will be provided with seven days notice for information from the current reporting period. # number of taxis operating on the network; # number of telephone bookings requested; # number of bookings for which no car was available (N.C.A.); # full details of N.C.A.'s including time and location of the pick- up point; # total averages for telephone answering standards; # total average delivery standards; # full details of delays in excess of thirty minutes including time and location of pick up point. Statistics and information for Wheelchair Accessible Taxis operating on the network: # number of WAT's operating on the network and their registration number/s; # number of telephone bookings requesting a WAT; # number of hirings carried out by each individual WAT for people who use wheelchairs; # number of bookings for people who use wheelchairs which a WAT was not available; # full details of those instances when a WAT was not available, including time and location of the pick-up point; # full details of delays for WAT's in excess of thirty minutes, including time and location of pick-up point; # average delivery time for WAT's; # kilometres travelled during the reporting period by each WAT. The following information must also be retained, so that it too can be presented to the Department of Transport, if requested: # copies of all written complaints received by the network about taxi services/drivers and the network's written response. # details of occasions in which members have been expelled or booking service access refused. # annual audited financial statements, if available.
8 WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXIS Networks are to abide with the Government's and the Taxi Industry's policy on the management and operation of WAT's. Networks must ensure that WAT's under their control give preference to hirers who use wheelchairs and participants of the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme. DRIVER SAFETY The network must dedicate facilities and maintain equipment at a level that will ensure the efficient operation of a taxi radio alarm system and guarantee prompt responses by radio operators when an alarm is activated. This will apply if and as alarm systems are introduced into country taxi cabs. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS Authorised networks must: # ensure that taxis operating through the network are only operated by accredited taxi operators and driven by drivers who hold a current driver's licence and an appropriate taxi driver's authority issued by the Department of Transport. # not accept operators from other networks unless they can demonstrate that they meet the Department of Transport's taxi operator accreditation standards. # accept responsibility for action by their Approved Industry Representatives and Taxi Driver Authority Endorsement Officers when providing an attestation of an operator's good repute and knowledge of relevant legislation for an operator's application for accreditation, or when endorsing an application for driver authority renewal. # monitor the performance of their Authorised Enforcement Officers and report any instances of irresponsible behaviour or abuse of the authority to the Department of Transport to review the officer's appointment. # accept responsibility for the management of Industry Vehicle Inspection Stations and for meeting any standards required by the Roads and Traffic Authority. # not engage in any radio procedures which disadvantage the public. VARIATION, REVOCATION, SUSPENSION If an authorised taxi-cab network does not continue to meet the standards described in this document and any additional standards that may be introduced by the Director- General from time to time, the authorisation may be varied, revoked or suspended.