Taxi! Or why Brisbane Is Still A Laughing Stock

It's been a while, but as usual, something happened last night to make me want to write.

Now, first things first, I fully accept that should I have opted to do so, there would have been plenty of public transport to service my exit from Suncorp Stadium and Caxton Street on Saturday night. But obviously I chose not to. And one would think that in this day and age, alternative arrangements should be fairly easy to come by...

But no.

So about midnight we decide to leave Hotel LA, which is on the corner of Caxton Street and Petrie Terrace. For those of you who have NO idea about Brisbane, that's on a fairly main road. There's also a taxi rank there, which was solid and not moving. Closest alternative is in the CBD so we start walking.

An hour later, we're at the Casino and waiting in the taxi rank there. Thirty minutes after that, we're in a cab to the Valley. So 90 minutes of fucking about to move from one area to another. And my legs hurt.

Then 3am rolls round and I can't drink anymore so I have to go. Join another cab queue in the Valley that's one whole block long and wait almost 2 hours. Home at 5am.

So where does the problem lie?

Taxi drivers don't want to pick-up these fares? Probably not. The chances are that at 3am in a taxi you'll get a vomiter, a runner or an arsehole in your cab. It's probably just not worth it.

Lack of taxis? Without a doubt. Other than the ones that don't want the fairs, there's a general lack of cabs on the road anyway. And at the busy times, the capacity is over-stretched beyond belief.

And so, what is the solution?

Temporary taxi licenses for private drivers - limited to short 8 hour periods. If you try and throw more cabs in total, then during the slow times, the guys lose money. If you deregulate, then it's madness. But if people can drive part-time in their own cars, with specific insurance and a specific license.

Boring, eh? The break between blogs has softened my brain. Haha. I'll think up something better to rant about next time.