Perth Voice Interactive

MORE cultural training is needed to stop incidents such as taxi drivers pooing on verges, says WA Taxi Industry Forum chair Howard Lance.

Following our article last week about a taxi driver having a poo on a Leederville verge, despite a toilet being just 30m away, Mr Lance got in touch to say he’s heard many complaints stemming from a lack of awareness about Australian culture.

Usually these don’t involve using the verge as a toilet, but he cited unacceptable hygiene standards, unclean cabs, and drivers talking on headsets during entire trips as areas requiring training.

“Some of the industry recognises the problems, but trying to get anything to change is very difficult,” he says.

“We’ve been pushing for better training for years but the companies are reluctant.”

He says TIFWA approached the WA transport department to “ask for money to run a program to make immigrant drivers more aware of our cultural norms but as usual it fell on deaf ears”.

by DAVID BELL