Advertiser survey shows what life is really like for Adelaide taxi drivers Taxi driver Peter Abrey lines up in the rank at the Adelaide Airport. MORE than one-third of Adelaide taxi drivers have been attacked by a passenger in the past year, and more than 80 per cent have been racially abused, a survey of drivers has found. THE Advertiser-Sunday Mail survey of 100 taxi drivers, conducted at taxi ranks around the city over the past week, found 38 per cent had been physically assaulted in the past year and 88 per cent had been verbally abused over the same timeframe. The respondents were mix of day and night drivers. They represent a large sample of the estimated 5000 drivers licensed to drive taxis. Political polling is often based on the surveys of as few as 400 people among millions. Click here to see all the results In response to the survey, SA Taxi Council president Jim Triantafyllou said the results would be taken to the council's driver welfare committee. "Of course taxi drivers should be able to go to work without fear for their safety and the community needs to send a clear message that violence against them will not be tolerated," he said. A quiet taxi rank at the Adelaide Airport. The taxi industry has been working closely with senior police to address violence against taxi drivers and we commend SAPOL for this. Taxi Driver Operators Association president Deepak Bhardwaj said protective shields should be installed in taxis, as they were overseas. We should have this protective shield, I think it is really important because you never know when a bad thing is going to happen, he said. Take our taxi passenger survey here The shields they use in America which cover the space between the passengers in the back and the driver would be the best. One driver, Abdalla Ali, said the existing system of security cameras was proving ineffective. "The cameras may help with some passengers but there are some who just do not care that their picture may be taken," he said. Mr Ali welcomed the survey, and said the media should do as much as it could to highlight the problems faced by drivers. Poor training to blame for abuse "They have to tell all sides - the police, transport industry, ministers - that we are people, we do a good job and we deserve better," he said. We are part of the community and we have children, rights, bills to pay - we are human beings. Mr Triantafyllou said the vast majority of taxi trips in SA happened without incident. "More than 5000 taxi drivers provide a vital service throughout metropolitan Adelaide and regional SA to about 12 million passengers each year," he said. SA taken for a ride over taxi costs The vast majority of those drivers take their passengers to their destination without incident. Commissioner for the Victims of Crime Michael O'Connell said it was unacceptable that people believed taxi drivers worked in a risky occupation and therefore some violence and some theft was to be expected. "Crime takes an enormous physical, financial and emotional toll on taxi drivers," he said. Taxi drivers, as victims of crime, should be treated with compassion and respect. They are entitled to prompt redress for the harm suffered, through access to the criminal justice system, reparation and services to assist their recovery. Managing director of Suburban Transport Services, Wally Sievers, expressed caution about the result because only 100 drivers had been surveyed. "There would be very differing results for some of the questions ... if they were day or night drivers," he said. Minister for Transport Service Chloe Fox said people who assaulted taxi drivers would soon face harsher penalties under the criminal law because taxi driving was being classified as a "vulnerable occupation," meaning that any offence against a taxi driver would be regarded as aggravated. "The Taxi Council SA works closely with SAPOL and established the Taxi Driver Welfare Committee, which directly addresses these issues," she said. A number of measures have been adopted to improve driver safety which include all metropolitan taxis having the ability to continuously record images in taxis, with external images also recorded from the driver's door when the vehicle is stationary or travelling at under 5km per hour to capture people approaching the driver. How safe do you generally feel driving a taxi around Adelaide during the day? Very safe 17 Mostly safe 65 Mostly unsafe 15 Very unsafe 2 Did not answer: 1 How safe do you generally feel driving a taxi around Adelaide during the night? Very safe 0 Mostly safe 30 Mostly unsafe 42 Very unsafe 25 Did not answer: 3 In the past year, have you been verbally abused by a passenger? Yes 86 No 12 Did not answer: 2 In the past year, have you been physically assaulted by a passenger? Yes 37 No 61 In the past year, has a passenger run off or attempted to run off from your taxi without paying their fare? Yes 92 No 6 In the past year, have you experienced racist comments from a passenger? Yes 80 No 17 In the past year, has a drunk passenger thrown up in your taxi? Yes 84 No 16 How regularly do you not pick up a passenger or passengers for fear of being assaulted, robbed or ripped off? About once a shift 13 About once every few shifts 31 About once every 10 shifts 23 Rarely 25 Never 7 How regularly do you experience an unpleasant incident with a passenger - ie. a physical or verbal altercation? About once a shift 7 About once every few shifts 21 About once every 10 shifts 28 Rarely 33 Never 5 Did not answer: 6 Which category of passengers generally creates the most problems for taxi drivers?* Young women (under 35) 21 Young men (under 35) 88 Older women (over 35) 3 Older men (over 35) 4 No one particular group/no opinion 14 Did not answer: 4 Some selected more than one Do you think violence and crime against taxi drivers is ... More of a problem than three years ago 39 About the same as three years ago 39 Less of a problem than three years ago 7 I wasn't in the industry three years ago 15 Are there any suburbs or pick-up hotspots you tend to avoid? No 19 If yes, where?* Far northern city suburbs 36 Far southern city suburbs 21 Salisbury 18 Elizabeth 22 City 4 Hindley Street 4 Mansfield Park 4 Hackham/Hackham West 3 Taperoo 4 Sturt 1 Seaton 2 Woodville 1 Edwardstown 1 Henley Beach 1 Munno Para 1 Ingle Farm 1 Pennington 1 Ottoway 1 Largs Bay 1 Reynella 1 Noarlunga 2 Ashford 1 Seaford 1 Pooraka 1 Western Suburbs 1 Port Adelaide 3 Kilburn 3 Smithfield 2 Dudley Park 1 Rosewater 1 Para Hills 1 Wingfield 1 Kilkenny 1 Christies Beach 2 Hotels with pokies 1 Ranks with long waiting times 1 Some nominated more than one area Do you prefer to take night-time fares to and from the city, or between suburbs? City 27 Suburbs 20 No preference 52 Should security shields around the driver be mandatory in SA taxis? Yes 79 No 21 If yes, who should pay?* The taxi company 21 The taxi owner 24 The taxi driver 1 The Taxi Council 28 The State Government 41 Some provided multiple answers Do you think security cameras inside taxis help deter crime against drivers? Yes 71 No 28 Are the current taxi queuing arrangements at Adelaide Airport working well? Yes 35 No 47 I don't have an opinion 16 How would you rate the general standard of customer service and navigation knowledge of your fellow taxi drivers? Excellent 17 Good 57 Average 17 Poor 3 Very poor 2 What's the biggest fare you've ever had and what was the starting point and finishing destination? Highest $800 - Adelaide to Kangaroo Island. Second highest $600 Flinders Medical Centre to Nelson. Third highest (equal) $450 - Rose Park to Barmera; Airport to Laura; and Daw Park to Port Pirie. Fourth Highest $390 - Bedford Park to Ardrossan What's the biggest tip you've ever received from a grateful passenger? Highest $400 Second highest $223