Des Mattei back at base with no taxis. 88367 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
By DANIELLE GALVIN
IT’S 1am on a Sunday morning and the pub has just closed, dozens of people are standing on the street waiting for a cab.
This is a common occurrence in Pakenham, but the town’s taxi service admits it can’t keep up with demand.
Manager Des Mattei responded to claims by long-time Pakenham resident Peter Aurish that the service was “going downhill” and that it was almost impossible to get a cab on Friday and Saturday nights.
Mr Mattei said Minister for Roads and Public Transport Terry Mulder should respond to the company’s need for more cabs to service Pakenham and surrounds.
“The situation is that we don’t have enough taxis to cover the calls,” he said.
“Especially on a day like Grand Final day, which is our busiest all year.”
Pressure on the service has increased in the last three to four years, but Mr Mattei said there had been a noticeable change in the past 18 months.
“We do want to supply enough cabs to the public, but the Minister approves the amount of cabs,” he said.
“Of course, we do want to provide the service that our customers want, but there are a limited number of taxis and it means most Saturday nights we just can’t do it (meet the demand).”
It was also difficult getting cab drivers to work the night shift after the recent attacks on cabbies.
“That affects the entire industry – they just feel unsafe,” Mr Mattei said.
Mr Aurish, who has lived in Pakenham for nearly 50 years, said it was an “ongoing saga” that was getting worse.
“It is a very badly run service, people are sick of it,” he said.
“We had a cab called on Grand Final weekend about 6pm; we rang several times and apparently there is no queue.
“My daughter was here as well trying to get to a party and she’d called a cab – neither of them ever came.”
Mr Aurish said he had missed appointments and trains and that it was “extremely frustrating” to not be able to rely on the service.
“Everyone who you talk to has a story to tell,” he said.
“Everytime you ring, there’s a drama.”
Mr Aurish said there was also the issue of not being able to catch a cab after drinking at the local pubs.
He said patrons leaving the pubs in the early hours of Friday and Saturday mornings always struggled to get a cab home.
“When they shut the doors, you have the situation where everyone is drunk and trying to get home and that’s when brawls happen, when you’ve got everyone piling out the front and not able to get home.”
