Submission to the Taxi and Chauffeur industry review

October 2015

COTA SA welcomes the independent review of the taxi and chauffeur industry in South Australia. COTA SA has canvassed opinions from its own policy council and, through them, the community of older people in South Australia to inform the contents of this submission.

Transport is a fundamental need for all South Australians to enable full participation in the life of our community. Older people, particularly as they decide to reduce or stop using their own cars, rely upon other forms of transport. While it is important not to consider older people as an homogenous group, they are significant users of taxi services often as a replacement for private transport or because public transport options either become inaccessible or don't exist. For many older people too, the use of taxis complements their private car use as they self regulate their driving (for example, choosing not to drive at night, in low light, rush hour traffic, etc).

While older people see value in taxi services and appreciate the contribution to their lives made by having access to taxis, many report that there are significant barriers to using the standard taxi service as it currently operates.

The concerns and experiences of older people are outlined in this submission using the review's terms of reference.

Read the full submission.