Taxi survey report

Perceptions of personal safety and security amongst taxi users

Print version: Taxi survey report (PDF, 1.08 MB, 28 pages)

3.   Results and findings

• 3.1   Identify opportunities for interventions
• 3.2   Understanding the wider public's perceptions of safety around the use of taxis
• 3.3   Motivations for choosing taxis over other transport options
• 3.4   The overall standard of taxi driving and driver behaviour
• 3.5   The condition of the taxi fleet
• 3.6   The level of public knowledge and understanding of passengers' rights when choosing to use taxis

The results presented and addressed in this report will be generally grouped within the Business Objectives and Research Objectives themes of the research project. There is some overlap between objectives.

3.1   Identify opportunities for interventions

This is a key business objective of this research. The structure of the findings reported below incorporate areas of possible interventions where the findings are explained under that research theme. So, rather than a discussion of interventions here, these are alluded to where appropriate in discussions below.

3.2   Understanding the wider public's perceptions of safety around the use of taxis

The research instrument has a number of questions around the general theme of broad consumer perceptions of taxi travel. There are related research objectives under this theme to discover the public's perceptions of taxi safety and security. Chart 1 below provides an overview of taxi users' opinions about the safety and security of using a taxi.

Chart 1: How would you rate the overall safety and security of using a taxi?

Chart 1 above is self explanatory. Most of the sample felt either reasonably or very safe and secure in a taxi. This finding is supported with 78% of the sample also saying the driver was either professional or very professional. (Discussed later are the reasons why 7% of the sample thought the driver was either not very professional or very unprofessional.)

A related question seeks a further response to the safety question. This question is broader than the theme of safety and security in a taxi ride. The following results illustrate perceptions of taxi driving and driver behaviour (refer Chart 2).

Chart 2: Thinking of your most recent trip, how much do you agree or disagree with the following?

Chart 2 above reports answers to five questions on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The ‘mean’ values are at least 4 (agree) to each statement. These questions support the finding of the high overall professionalism of the driver as cited earlier. Two questions relate to safety and the other three are about the general perceptions of the experience of the trip. These results report the public's general disposition of their taxi experience. Yet, these are the sorts of sentiments that, discussed later, cause a poor taxi experience amongst some taxi users.

3.3   Motivations for choosing taxis over other transport options

Motivations for choosing taxis over other transport modes span two research themes – ‘perceptions of safety’ and Land Transport NZ ‘intervention’. It is important to identify consumer perceptions to understand the consumer behaviour process before results may inform intervention strategies (refer Chart 3).

Chart 3: What are the main reasons for you using a taxi? (% of responses)

Chart 3 above illustrates reasons why people use taxis. These results allow us to understand taxi user motivations, and may reveal areas where Land Transport NZ could look at additional public education activities.

This question was cross-tabulated with age and gender. The results are reported fully in the Appendix. Focusing on the main reason to catch a taxi (before/after alcohol consumption), there is a distinct pattern of taxi usage. 65% of the 25-34 age group cited using a taxi under these circumstances. This was followed by 15-24 year old age group (53%), then 35-44 (49%) then tailoring off in age 45-54 (37%) and 55-64 (25%). There is no discernable difference between males and females in this respect.

In a separate finding, older people are more likely to use a taxi to and from the airport than younger people.

Related to the reasons for using a taxi are the influencing factors on taxi choice. Chart 4 below shows there are a number of compelling influencing factors offered in choosing the taxi mode over other forms of public transport.

Chart 4: What influences your decision to take a taxi over other modes of public transport?

The factors that influence consumer behaviour sit in a context of public transport and the public transport system in general. The themes of convenience, reliability, comfort and safety cited in this result, point to the relative differences between modes, and ‘trade-offs’ will be made between the relative differences between modes where intervention strategies are developed.

3.4   The overall standard of taxi driving and driver behaviour

Chart 2 above presents the findings of this research objective as well, under the ‘wider public's perceptions of safety’ theme. Chart 2 presents the widely held positive perceptions of the taxi experience. There are less positive experiences as well. These were similarly canvassed in this survey. 27% of the sample said they had a negative experience from a taxi ride. The reasons that describe the negative experience, are cited in Chart 5.

Chart 5: What was the reason for the experience being negative?

The majority of reasons cited for negative experiences may be placed under the heading of driver behaviour. When expectations of driver behaviour, which consumers should be able to take for granted (such as the driver ‘knows the route’, ‘drives safely’ and is ‘pleasant’) are not met, taxi users may have a negative experience. Potential remedies for the factors cited above could include ongoing driver training, improving drivers' area knowledge and customer service.

27% of the total sample had a negative experience. Of these 221 respondents, only 25% of these made a complaint. The vast majority of these complainants did so to the driver direct and/or the taxi firm. Just over half (54%) of these complainants said the complaint was not satisfactorily resolved.

Another interesting result is the reason why almost three-quarters (73%) of the sample who had a negative experience did not formalise a complaint about it. The majority of these non-complainants (64%) ‘couldn't be bothered’ and/or ‘thought their complaint would be ignored’.

Another area of enquiry fits here as well under the overall standard of taxi driving and driver behaviour. Chart 6 below illustrates the reasons why 40% of the sample will not use certain taxi companies.

Chart 6: What are your reasons for not using these companies?

The findings in Chart 6 suggest that respondents already have an evoked opinion about why they would not use certain taxi firms. That is, the results reported here may be influenced by a past experience. Tempering these findings however, it is possible that some respondents may not remember precisely which company, in their opinion, uses unsafe vehicles or whose drivers do not speak English very well or who have a bad reputation. It is also important to keep in mind that these are respondents' perceptions. A respondent may be generalising any issues they had with one driver/driving experience, to the entire company's fleet.

3.5   The condition of the taxi fleet

The results here span both this research objective and a business objective of (possible) intervention. 94% of the sample cited the cleanliness of the taxi as at least acceptable (30% acceptable and 64% very clean). The physical condition of the vehicle recorded similar figures (29% said the taxi was in reasonable condition and 65% thought it was in very good condition).

3.6   The level of public knowledge and understanding of passengers' rights when choosing to use taxis

This series of questions explores public assumptions and knowledge of their legal rights. The following results overlap the theme of intervention as well.

Charts 7, 8 and 9 below illustrate the results of three questions seeking to measure respondents' knowledge about the rights of taxi passengers and drivers.

Chart 7: Thinking of your most recent taxi trip, was the . . ?

Chart 8: How important do you consider the following items?

Chart 9: As far as you know . . ?

Most of the findings in these three charts are comparable across all regions. The only other noteworthy finding is the lower level of awareness of the right not to take the first taxi in the line by Dunedin taxi users.

 

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Page created: 11 November 2008