Research on the taxi industry

In August 2024, the Centre published a Policy Brief Regulation of taxis. A recent Freedom for Information response has revealed a research presentation on the taxi industry prepared for the Government’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Department.

A survey of islanders asked the question: “Thinking about your taxi experiences in Jersey over the past few years please score based on the following: (on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being extremely dissatisfied and 10 being extremely satisfied)”.  The responses were -

Cost and Value for Money                                 3.6

Convenience and Availability                            4.0

Comfort and Vehicle Quality                             7.4

Driver Professionalism and Service                  6.4

The presentation listed challenges for the industry –

1. Cost Concerns: perceived as extremely expensive, especially compared to other regions. Limited in upfront, transparent pricing.

2. Availability issues: perceived lack of availability, especially at peak times when participants actually want to book a taxi. Long queues at Weighbridge Place, lack of availability and coordination at airport.

3. Driver conduct: mixed experiences with professionalism. Inconsistent service quality. Examples of inappropriate conversations and negativity about Jersey, viewed by some as poor ambassadors for the Island to tourists and visitors. Lack of rating system/accountability for drivers perceived to contribute to this.

4. Technology and Modernisation Gap: Perception that Jersey's taxi services lag far behind other regions, some scepticism around the industry’s willingness to embrace innovation.

It also listed opportunities –

1. Decrease cost burden and improve transparency: Consider not increasing starting fees/fees per mile for journeys, introduce requirements for clarity over costs upfront or ‘pre-journey’, introduce fixed fares for common routes eg. airport to town or parish.

2. Enhance availability: Introduce coordination systems at key rank locations at peak times, particularly Weighbridge Place and airport. Incentivise wheelchair accessible vehicles and multiple child seats.

3. Consistent customer service: Consider standardised training for drivers to ensure courteous, professional behaviour, encouraging ‘ambassadors’ for Jersey. Introduce restrictions on radio use/discussions and tighter checks on speeding - requirements for GPS speed trackers, in-vehicle speed limiters.

4. Embrace technology and modernisation: Champion and create incentives for app-based booking and tracking systems like Ryde introduce a rating system for drivers to improve accountability.

5. Leverage positive experiences: Build on praise received for companies, features, services and drivers to create a new benchmark for the entire industry.

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