Guernsey taxi industry will fold if no help - owners group

The review found the island's taxi and private hire sector was not sustainable and damaging to tourism

The president of Guernsey's Taxi Owner's Federation has said if help is not provided from government, the industry could fold.

A recent review found the taxi and private hire sector was "not fit for purpose", and made a number of recommendations for it to improve on.

The 333-page document was the first review into the sector in 20 years.

Leon Gallienne said there were "no surprises" in it and hoped it would help find the industry resolutions.

He said: "What this report says is this: If we do not act on it, the industry will fold, our industry, taxi drivers and everybody involved in it, we have not been recognised for the work we delivered to this island.

"Guernsey needs a good taxi industry, but it needs support from government, it needs support from other industries as well, they need to understand how we work we need to understand how they work."

Mr Gallienne said the report would help the industry move forward and benefit "all concerned".

President of the Environment and Infrastructure Committee Deputy Lindsay De Sasumarez described the report as "uncomfortable reading".

'Uncomfortable reading'

She said: "It's a very good report, it's very thorough, it's comprehensive, it's pretty forensic in its analysis.

"It makes a pretty uncomfortable reading but that's exactly what we need in order to move forward... there is so much more to it than just a description of the current situation."

Ms De Sasumarez said the report illustrated the industry's long "systemic issues".

"The report paints a pretty stark picture of what is not working well, in fact it was pretty damning in that respect, there's a real paradox at the heart of it, which is that there is inadequate supply, yet at the same time inadequate demand.

"It's a really tricky one, it's a lot of systemic issues that have built up over decades in some case," she said.

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