Land Transport Amendment Bill passes second reading

The second reading of the Land Transport Amendment Bill passed in Parliament last night, chaired by Transport Minister Simon Bridges. Bridges said the amendment will “overhaul small passenger services by removing outdated provisions and bringing the sector into the 21st century.” “Safety will be maintained in the future system with the retention of the P endorsement, certificate of fitness, and work time limit requirements,” he said. “Although mandatory signage is being removed, small passenger services will still be required to have a transport service licence card displayed in their vehicle's window, and drivers will still have to display their driver identification cards.” The bill will also make alcohol interlocks mandatory for high-risk and repeat drink-drivers with the aim of improving road safety, and will increase penalties for drivers who fail to stop for police. Public transport was also targeted, and the bill will give enforcement officers new powers to prevent fare evasion. “I am proud of this bill,” Bridges said. “I think it futureproofs our land transport regime.” The recent popularity of Uber in New Zealand has put pressure on existing legislation, as traditional taxi services face stiff competition from app-driven passenger services. Labour’s transport spokesperson, Sue Moroney, supported the amendment, but remarked the party had strong reservations about two clauses in the bill relating to small passenger services. Under the amendment, Braille signage and in-vehicle cameras will no longer be required in passenger services. “For the majority of people, they are using these services when they are impaired one way or the other,” she said. “They are utterly dependent on this service and these services need to be safe for them because they are extremely vulnerable.” ACT MP David Seymour also supported the amendment, but said the bill could go much further in terms of regulating passenger services. “We could lead the world in technology. We could increase the vehicle occupancy rates in our cars, but this bill does none of that, and it is a terrible shame,” he said. New Zealand First was the only party to reject the bill. “We do agree, of course, that it is silly to have separate rules for taxis and Uber services and others involved in the industry,” said MP Denis O’ Rourke. “One set of regulations ought to mean a level playing field, and we support that. But that does not mean that we have to lower standards to provide a carte blanche for Uber services.” The bill passed 107-12, and has moved into the Select Committee.