In NSW...

NSW government is exploring innovative options available for the taxi industry to assist with contact tracing.

This comes on the back of nine untraceable passengers who travelled in a 13cabs Silver Service taxi on September 7-18, 2020 in NSW, with a driver who was COVID-19 positive. These passengers are yet to be identified, with health authorities finding it increasingly difficult to trace them, as they got into the taxi from a rank or hailed it and did not pay with a credit card.

Although most trips are GPS tracked, it still does not identify the passenger. For instance, if a passenger went from a shopping centre in the East to a shopping centre in the North, we would still be none the wiser on who the passenger was.

Currently, NSW Health is liaising with the NSW Point to Point Transport industry to establish whether passengers should be scanning QR codes as they enter taxis. It would be essentially introducing a mandatory "check-in" system similar to QR codes used for patrons at restaurants and other venues. Though there is a catch. What if the passenger's mobile phone does not have a scanning function or they do not have a mobile phone?

Perhaps a better solution should be considered, like making all vehicles in our industry cashless. This would ensure that there is always a card used for each trip, therefore enabling tracing back to the passenger.

Regardless, a system must be agreed upon and implemented soon, at least in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. If action is not taken soon, the industry risks potential passengers curtailing their use of taxis and catching other means of public transport. Our industry has suffered so much this year — we need solutions — not more problems.

More in our October Issue here.