Queensland’s Taxi Council claims the state government is moving to lower the standard of taxi drivers.

From now on, they won’t need to pass an English or geographical test.

And that applies to all commercial drivers, including UBER.

Anisha Mistry reports.

TRANSCRIPT

The Taxi Council believes getting from A to B could be more difficult and the changes will prove to be detrimental to everyone.

Benjamin Wash, Queensland Taxi Council: “The government had a choice, they could have either brought everyone up to the same standard, or by removing the english testing it just becomes a race to the bottom.”

But the government moved in a bid to create an equal playing field, with all passenger transport treated in the same way.

Vox 1: “I think it could be a little bit of a problem because communication is always very difficult.”

Vox 2: “I’m fine with that as long as they know where to drive, I don’t really need to converse with them, as long as there are no problems.”

UBER doesn’t require drivers to take any form of English tests.

It says the new changes won’t lower the bar.

Sam Bool, UBER QLD General Manager: “The feedback we receive from riders in Brisbane specifically is incredibly positive. That being said, when we do receive feedback that is constructive, we do share that with drivers to see if they can improve their driving on the road.”

Benjamin Wash, Queensland Taxi Council: “We believe, that the English standard, by removing the test across all platforms whether they’re taxis or ride-share, are likely to suffer over time.”

In the long run it will come down to passenger satisfaction or dealing with a frustrating journey.

UBER is moving to capture more market share by launching an UBER EATS take away delivery service.

Anisha Mistry, QUT News.