Taxi company hails drivers’ response

YARRA Valley Taxis have moved to assure the community their current driver shortage and service delays are being addressed.
A company spokesman told the Mail in February that the service was close to reaching crisis point with a driver shortage and customers experiencing long delays in peak times.
Earlier this month, the company’s new spokesperson, Christian Steele, called on local residents interested in making a contribution to the service to come forward.
Mr Steele told the Mail last week that the company had received a good response from its call for more drivers and that the service was back on track.
“We had a least 20 people call us interested in driving work, and we are putting about 10 people through training at the moment,” he said.
“We’ve still got three of our nine cars off the road, but we are confident that we can fill shifts with these new drivers and get the cars back on the road.”
Mr Steele admitted there were still a number of problem areas the company was working to address.
“We are hearing reports of people experiencing longer than normal waiting times and we are under pressure to accommodate the jobs coming through,” he said.
Mr Steele said customers in Warburton had reported experiencing waiting times of up to and more than an hour, while the maximum waiting time in Healesville was reported to be around 45 minutes.
“The waiting times are manageable at the moment, but not acceptable and we are working hard to reduce them dramatically,” he said.
“We are turning the situation around with good leadership and vision, and we are working towards being one of the best country taxi services in the state.”
Mr Steele said the company was aiming to operate five taxis along the Maroondah Highway and four along the Warburton Highway.
“Despite the good response, we’ve had to our call for new drivers, we are still keen to hear from others,” he said.
“We are looking for reliable drivers who want to be part of a professional fleet.”
Mr Steele said the company expected it would take up to eight months to overcome its current difficulties.
“We are confident that the driver shortage is just a phase and that the service and quality will be improved,” he said. “We fully appreciate the understanding and patience of our customers while we get the service back into top gear.” For more information about becoming a taxi driver, contact Yarra Valley Taxis on 5962 4722.