Driving safety message

KATINA CURTIS

KIAMA Cabs is trialling a night safe taxi voucher scheme that is being used across the State.

With the scheme, people at licensed premises who want to use a taxi have to first get a voucher from the club or pub’s staff.

The staff will record either the customer’s driver’s licence or club membership number against a particular numbered taxi voucher.

When ordering a taxi, this issued voucher number has to be quoted.

Kiama Cabs owner Kay McNiven said the company had started trialling the scheme in conjunction with Kiama Leagues Club.

She said it would make things safer for taxi drivers because they could be confident the club had a record of the person they were picking up.

“It encourages the cabs to come back to a venue because they can pick up easily and know who they’re carrying,” Ms McNiven said.

“It also enables us to clearly identify the passengers there to pick up … and allows us to clearly pick up people in order.”

The scheme was first started in Campbelltown in early 2001. In that area it has decreased the risk of attack or robbery on taxi drivers because night patrons have to have provided identification.

Ms McNiven said that if the trial with the Leagues Club was successful the taxi company planned to roll out the vouchers through all other licensed premises in the Kiama Municipality.

“Our aim is to have every person who calls from a licensed venue travelling with one of these vouchers,” she said.