Returning from an overseas trip last weekend , a Darwin man had an unnerving experience getting from the airport to the city in a taxi. As the taxi pulled away from the airport, it seemed there was something wrong with the front wheels as the vehicle performed strangely, meandering about on the road.
Turning into Bagot Road, the taxi veered across two lanes . The driver was falling asleep at the wheel. So tired was he , he hunched over the steering wheel . If the passenger had not been sitting up front and been able to grab the wheel and wake the driver there could have been a tragic accident. As a result of this incident the taxi companies and the transport authorities MUST act.
If , as it seems, the driver had been doing a double weekend shift, what are the rules and regulations regarding such an action . Long distance drivers must have compulsory rest breaks . What about taxi drivers doing long weekend shifts?
While on the subject of taxis, a South Australian taxi driver told Little Darwin it would be good if Australia could produce taxis which can stand up to the wear and tear of the trade. He said the taxis he was asked to drive were in and out of workshops about every two weeks because something had broken . As he spoke, a piece of the moulding over the front door was askew. It could be that taxi drivers and the vehicles they drive are being driven into the ground. Melbourne taxi drivers held demonstrations to protest over the poor pay they received .
In Brisbane, we are told, it is widely believed that some taxi drivers are ghost drivers , stand ins for mates, and as a result are often poor drivers with little knowledge of the city.
