Editorial: Taxi safety industry fare

OPINION: Hiren Mohini and his wife, Falguni, came to New Zealand in 2003 from India in search of a better life. His two daughters, Yashvi, 5, and Hetvi, 3, were born here. Mr Mohini doted on them and worked hard as a taxi driver to provide everything his family needed. Today they, with hundreds of others, gathered at Waitemata Cemetery, in Auckland, to farewell their beloved "Papa".

Mr Mohini was killed in a brutal and cowardly attack by a passenger – someone he was helping get home safely – at 1.20am on Sunday in View Road, Mt Eden. Police are still hunting for the murderer, who repeatedly stabbed him.

It was the latest in a long line of violent attacks on taxi drivers. In Hamilton, taxi drivers have echoed the Taxi Federation's call for the Government to subsidise the purchase of cameras or protective screens to help ensure their safety. Cameras cost about $1200 and screens up to $2000.

Hamilton taxi driver Arthur Hawes, who was badly beaten by a customer a couple of years ago, says patrons are getting increasingly violent and drivers shouldn't be going to work scared. He says they can't afford the extra costs and the Government should step in.

Transport Minister Stephen Joyce has agreed to look at taxi safety rules and will soon meet industry figures to try and reach a consensus on what needs to be done. However, he says the onus remains on the industry to provide a safe workplace. Prime Minister John Key, apparently, has not ruled out any options but taxpayer funding can surely not be one of them.

Mr Mohini's firm, Auckland Co-op Taxis, has vowed that it won't be sitting around and waiting for a handout.

General manager Barry White says "regardless" of the Government's decision it will take steps to ensure the safety of the fleet. "Driver safety is paramount, so we have to move quickly. We will supply and support the driver's choice for any security measure a driver wishes to put in place for themselves."This is what should happen. Mr Mohini's death is a terrible loss but it is not the taxpayers' job to be subsidising safety measures for taxis. If it starts with taxis, where does it stop? Should we subsidise protection for bank tellers? Petrol station attendants? Dairy owners?

No-one wants to see anyone hurt but businesses, as the law rightly dictates, have to ensure workers operate in a safe environment. So change the safety rules for taxis by all means, but don't shift the cost for buying the cameras and screens to the Government coffers. If the industry can agree on mandatory measures – the screens are the most effective at stopping violence – then ultimately the costs should be borne by it and passed on to customers through higher fares. Obviously some people won't like that either, but it's a much fairer way of addressing the situation and ensuring the safety of drivers.

- © Fairfax NZ News