Extra 10 'Maxi Plus' taxi plates to be available by public tender

14/5/99
An additional 10 'Maxi Plus' taxi plates are to be made available by public tender this Saturday.
The Maxi Plus Taxis (MPTs) principally service the transport needs of people with disabilities, in particular people using wheelchairs and scooters. MPTs are also available to service the transport needs for individual or group taxi travel by the general public.
Announcing the tender today, Transport Minister Murray Criddle said the decision is based on the findings of a recently-conducted review on the current fleet of 46 MPTs.
The review, which involved consultation with industry and the community, revealed that no new plates had been issued for the MPT fleet since 1995. Demand for the service, however, had substantially increased.
"The release of these additional 10 plates by public tender will assist to meet the strong demand for the MPT service," Mr Criddle said.
"There has been a 13 per cent increase in daily MPT trips in the past year. The MPTs do a higher number of trips than standard taxis, though the trips themselves take, on average, 51 per cent longer.
"The result is, of course, that the MPTs are significantly busier than standard taxis."
Mr Criddle said the availability of more MPTs should mean shorter waiting times for MPT customers.
"We want to ensure that people with disabilities are not disadvantaged in access to the taxi service," he said.
The tender will be advertised in The West Australian on Saturday, May 15 and Saturday, May 22.
Media contact: Doug Cunningham 9321 7333