Ms BURNET – Minister, in relation to that $445 million figure, that was a pre‑COVID figure and it was in the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report from 2020, for the record.
Mr ABETZ – To whom was that?
Ms BURNET – I think it was to the department from PwC. From the Hobart City deal.
Now my question, again, relates to modal shift. When we’re looking at the stadium calculations, the shift is 40 per cent private vehicle, 60 per cent public, so not cars. The concern that I have is that, you mentioned before that at Blundstone Arena there’s acres of buses and so forth, but really that that modelling is quite flawed. The 31 per cent share on bus is a minimum but will be very expensive to achieve, and the lack of developed public transport culture and services means local buses will be under extreme pressure. On AFL match Saturdays, the Metro networks normally fail, with extreme delays, because there’s just not enough services. How do you expect to deliver that significant modal shift, given that the education campaign to do that isn’t even costed?
Mr ABETZ – As I’m advised, according to the Macquarie Point Development Corporation’s multi‑purpose stadium transport study, rapid buses are only projected to provide around 3 per cent of the transport requirements for AFL games, whereas event buses are projected to provide around 25 per cent of the passenger transport, with regular bus services and ferries combined to provide a further 5 per cent of the transport requirements. That is the result of their study. With these things, there are always these very interesting studies. What human behaviour does at the end of the day will be what we can all talk about, and see whether these studies were right or not.
Ms BURNET – There are other predictions or calculations that there’ll be a 10 per cent taxi share, which seems excessive given the lack of taxis. Perhaps you can provide the committee advice on how many taxis are available, including access cabs, in the Hobart area?
Mr ABETZ – We’re now moving on to taxis and the-
Ms BURNET – It is part of your remit.
Mr ABETZ – It is indeed, but it is in a different area.
Right. Currently, wheelchair accessible taxi licences: 57; current standard taxi licences: 535; and driver licence holders: 1209.
Ms BURNET – Across the state?
Mr ABETZ – And that is across the state, yes.
Ms BURNET – And wheelchair‑accessible, I’d be surprised if we’d have half that number operating in Hobart. Do we have any idea of how many are actually operating?
Mr CRANE – That 57 is a statewide number. I’d have to double‑check on the southern number.
Ms BURNET – But operating, actually operating.
Mr CRANE -Yes, it used to be around 70. We’ve tidied that up and we’ve noticed that there has been a little drop in numbers across the state in wheelchair‑accessible taxis. But I would point out also, if I may, minister, the government introduced some changes to the wheelchair‑accessible taxis to improve accessibility, which means that the lift fee for taxi operators is now a flat $20. We’ve also put in place some requirements of drivers to take wheelchair‑accessible trips. We have seen some lift in the number of people being able to access wheelchair‑accessible services due to those changes.
I believe that 10 per cent also includes access to Uber ride‑sharing services, where there’s a number of people providing that. That ride‑sharing model is about people coming on board for events such as that to provide those services. So it is a combination of both.
Ms BURNET – But I understand –
CHAIR – Order.
Mr ABETZ – If I may quickly, before you ask your next question. I’m advised there are 34 in Hobart as of 30 June.
Ms BURNET – It would be good to have those figures, if I might request those for the committee.
Mr ABETZ – Sorry, which figures?
Ms BURNET – The figures as to how many are actually operating. It’s something that comes up quite often with constituents in relation to access to access cabs. It’s sometimes very difficult. There’s only a small amount, when you’re going to Bellerive, that use taxi and ride‑share. So it’d be interesting to see how that figure of 10 per cent is arrived at.
Mr ABETZ – Yes, I think there is an extra payment.
Mr CRANE – We pay a $20 lift fee.
Mr ABETZ – Yes, $20.
Mr CRANE – Which has significantly increased from previous numbers to incentivise taxi drivers to undertake wheelchair‑accessible trips. That, as I said, has seen a lift in the number of services provided across the state and in the regions.
Ms BURNET – Have you got that information available?
Mr CRANE – I think I have got some information on this, percentage increases in trips available. I will find that for you and pass it to the minister.
