Outrage over cabbie's licence

The Taxi Federation is outraged that a driver who served jail time for burglary and multiple protection order breaches has been given back his taxi licence.

Land Transport New Zealand was ordered to reissue Vonrick Chrisford Kerr's passenger licence by a Wellington district court judge.

Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish called the findings outrageous.

"It really flies in the face of how the federation and Government have been working together to clean up the industry," Mr Reddish said. "If he (Mr Kerr) lost his P-endorsement for inappropriate behaviour with women passengers, then the judge is irresponsible in granting him it."

The director of land transport originally disqualified Mr Kerr from driving taxis for 10 years, after convictions for his conduct toward women passengers in the late 1990s.

That was reduced to three years after he appealed against the decision.

Mr Kerr was imprisoned for breaching protection orders against his wife, including for a burglary during which he smashed his way into her home in 1998.

This year the director of land transport declined Mr Kerr's latest application to issue his licence, a decision Mr Kerr also appealed against.

However, Judge Tom Broadmore ruled Mr Kerr a "fit and proper person" to hold the licence in August.

Mr Kerr acknowledged that "in operating his taxi business and driving a taxi he would be "walking on eggs", Judge Broadmore said.

Mr Kerr has two companies registered under his name - Wellington Combined Taxis 2007 Ltd and Wellington Combined Shuttles 2007 Ltd.

Both companies were incorporated on September 28. Mr Kerr used a public notice in The Dominion Post last week to register his intent to seek approval as a taxi organisation under the Transport Services Licensing Act.

Land Transport New Zealand transport relationships manager Michael Cummins said it had not yet received an application. He would not comment on the issue.

"All I can say is the judge, having all of the evidence, decided Mr Kerr was fit and proper, therefore we followed his findings."

Mr Kerr hung up when telephoned yesterday and would not return calls.

- © Fairfax NZ News