Govt raises concerns with Taxi Association over weekend service outage

The Ministry of Transport has raised concerns with the Gibraltar Taxi Association after taxis were unavailable in Gibraltar last weekend, describing the disruption as an “unacceptable and entirely avoidable” failure of service.

Government officials met with the GTA Committee on Monday and requested an explanation for the disruption, as well as assurances that the problems would be rectified.

The Gibraltar Government said residents and visitors were entitled to a reliable taxi service at the frontier, airport and across Gibraltar throughout the day.

According to the GTA Committee, the disruption occurred while it was implementing a new taxi booking app and failed to transfer its telephone lines to the new system before the weekend, leaving calls to its usual numbers unanswered.

The committee has assured the Gibraltar Government that the issue has now been resolved and that the new GTA booking app will be made available to customers within the next week.

The Gibraltar Government said it would monitor the changes over the coming weeks while continuing to consider other options to ensure an adequate service.

Measures under consideration include suspending taxi licences where service requirements are not met and looking at alternative or additional provision if problems persist.

No decision has yet been taken while the Gibraltar Government reviews the improvements proposed by the GTA.

Members of the public who experience problems obtaining a taxi have been encouraged to report them to the Ministry of Transport at mt@gibraltar.gov.gi, providing the date, time and location.

The Minister for Transport, Dr John Cortes, said: "I understand the frustration felt by customers who are repeatedly reporting problems obtaining taxis and last weekend’s service outage was avoidable and unacceptable.”

“The Government has been investing and working with the GTA to improve the service offering, because Gibraltar needs a taxi service that is there when people need it. We value the work of our taxi drivers and will continue to engage with the GTA Committee, but we must see tangible results.”

“Services to the public must come first, and I am ready to look at every option to make sure that happens."