V/Line forks out hundreds of thousands of dollars for replacement taxis

V/Line says $300,000 of its annual budget is allocated for passenger taxis across the entire network.

Information obtained by The Standard revealed V/Line had a total annual operating budget of more than $600 million each year, with $300,000 allocated for passenger taxis.

The allocation represents .05 per cent of V/Line's total operating expenditure.

There are strict policies and processes in place to ensure taxis are used appropriately, and this is subject to auditing.

A V/Line spokeswoman said the transport service's top priority was to ensure passengers arrived where they needed to.

"We will not leave passengers stranded so we use taxis occasionally if required," she aid.

"While we make every attempt to ensure train and coach services are accessible, there are times when taxis are also used for passengers with a mobility aid to ensure they can get to where they need to go.

"Coach replacements are used predominantly when trains are not running but at times, taxis are the most viable option to ensure passengers can reach their destination as quickly and safely as possible."

In the event of an unplanned train cancellation, replacement coaches are usually the first option to help passengers get where they need to go.

Taxis are also utilised, often as a last resort, to ensure passengers aren't stranded.

Information obtained from V/Line revealed that replacement coach services were not always available at short notice, and during school or peak times.

On some occasions, patronage volumes may be better suited to utilising a taxi service when compared to the cost of running a full replacement coach service.

Taxi services can also be used from time to time during planned disruptions.

V/Line said this is usually done in situations where it is more practical for a taxi to transport passengers than a coach, for example short distance journeys to and from stations with low patronage levels.

Taxis may also be used for passengers who would otherwise experience long waits for a coach service, such as passengers with mobility aids who cannot board a coach because the mobility aid space is already taken or the coach is not equipped to carry their mobility aid.

Earlier, Monday: Taxpayers are forking thousands of dollars for replacement taxis as a result of constant train breakdowns and delays on the Warrnambool line.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by the state's opposition Minister for Regional Public Transport Steph Ryan show V/Line spent $343,589 in an 18-month period on replacement taxis.

There were 24 taxi trips totalling $7662 along the Warrnambool and Geelong train lines, including from stations at Warrnambool, Terang and Sherwood Park.

One trip from Warrnambool station cost $861.84.

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Ms Ryan said it was an indication of just how often country trains were being cancelled, breaking down or were inaccessible for people with a disability.

"V/Line trains are breaking down so often that hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxis have had to be called in to ferry passengers around the state," Ms Ryan said.

"People travelling on the Geelong or Warrnambool lines deserve a reliable, fast, modern, comfortable service, but we are missing out because the Andrews Labor government isn't prepared to make the investment needed for better train services."

V/Line data shows there were 184 trains cancelled on the Warrnambool train line in 2019 and 2020.

Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell said the most common cause of taxi trips was trains not being accessible to people in a wheelchair or other mobility aid.

"There are only 14 wheelchair accessible carriages suitable for use on the Warrnambool line - and these are shared among services on the Warrnambool, Shepparton, Bairnsdale and Swan Hill lines," she said.

"That means most of the time people who use mobility aids cannot access the train - and when they have been told one of these carriages will be available, they often arrive at the station and find there isn't an accessible carriage available."

Ms Britnell said she had raised the matter in parliament several times

"The minister has simply said it will be fixed when V/Locity trains are in use on the line," she said.

"But there is still no timeline for when those trains will actually start running on the Warrnambool line or when line upgrades will be completed - more than 1000 days after those announcements were made.

"Like we often see the government is failing to address the root cause of the issue and rather than addressing the accessibility problem it opts for an expensive alternative."

Ms Britnell said everyone deserved to have access to the public transport network.

"The Andrews Labor government needs to actually address the problem, not just simply say it will be fixed at some time in the future and not be able top provide a timeline," she said.

"Until we fix the accessibility issues on our train line we will continue to see taxi trips charged to the taxpayer."

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