Taxi driver award highlights driver safety

The safety of Perth taxi drivers was highlighted as a key issue by Transport Minister Simon O'Brien at the 2008 Taxi Driver of the Year Awards.

Mr O'Brien today announced Clark Marshall of Palmyra as the recipient of the 2008 award which recognises outstanding service in the taxi industry.

The awards, held at the Burswood Entertainment Complex, recognised outstanding service by a taxi driver, but also encouraged and rewarded the excellent work of the entire industry.

The Minister said, however, he was greatly concerned about ongoing intimidation and violence towards taxi drivers by their customers.

"We all rely on taxi drivers to get us home safely at night and it is only fair a taxi driver's working environment should also be safe," he said.

"The Liberal-National Government takes driver safety very seriously and I will be working to develop ways to improve safety in the industry."

Mr O'Brien said the Government was investigating issues of driver security including security cameras, fare evasion, taxi rank security and protection screens.

"We will be making the public aware that under the Criminal Code, taxi drivers are viewed and treated as public officers and that assaults on taxi drivers attract serious penalties," he said.

The Minister said as a first step, the Government would undertake a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing acts of violence in the taxi industry.

Mr O'Brien said he was looking forward to a productive relationship with the taxi industry.

"Unfortunately, the relationship between the industry and the previous government wasn't a happy one," he said.