Taxi ‘eye’ delay anger
Approval lag costs cab owner
THE Department of Transport and Main Roads’ refusal to approve the use of a video surveillance system has left a Cairns wheelchair taxi driver thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Taxi owner Graeme Lawler bought a state-of-the-art Streamax video camera system worth close to $4000 but the unit sits idle waiting to be installed while approvals are sought from the department.
Cairns Taxis managing director Layne Gardiner said Mr Lawler had been waiting on approvals for the system since December last year.
“He couldn’t install it because it is not legal in Queensland but it is legal in Victoria, NSW, the Northern Territory and the ACT,” he said.
“And the Victorian specifications are exactly the same as Queensland.
“This is the latest technology and far superior to any other camera on the market and yet we can’t use it. “
To stay on the road Mr Lawler has been forced to hire a standby taxi at $200 a day.
Mr Gardiner said he believed the approval had not been prioritised by the State Government.
“And because Graeme’s is a wheelchair-accessible taxi it is even worse,” he said. “He is trying to look after his customers and it has cost him all this money.”
Also a member of the Taxi Council of Queensland, Mr Gardiner said the organisation’s CEO, Blair Davies, contacted the head of TMR about approval system.
“’When we get around to it’ was the response we got. They don’t seem to be in any great rush,” he said.
TMR said the department was aware of the Streamax technology and confirmed an application to use the system of the Streamax was “currently under review”.
There are four security camera systems approved by TMR and applications for new systems are “welcomed”, the department said. But a TMR official said the applications “must be assessed to ensure the system meets the requirements of the specification”.