SYDNEY – Taxi drivers who overcharge or refuse fares could be blacklisted in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) as the state plans to roll out a centralised database tracking bad behaviour, the local media reported on March 17.

The Australian state’s point-to-point transport commissioner Anthony Wing will work with the taxi industry to expand the driver vehicle database to track illegal activity such as overcharging and fare refusal, according to 9News network.

The commissioner will look into improving how checks are performed on drivers, including any fare-related offences, in addition to eligibility, driving charges and criminal history, the report said.

Tougher penalties will also be considered, with repeat offenders to be kicked out of the industry altogether.

Mr Wing, who leads the Point to Point Transport Commission, the regulator for taxis, hire vehicles and ride-share services in NSW, said that his compliance team of more than 70 plain-clothes officers would be “out in full force”.

“A minority of taxi drivers are choosing to do the wrong thing by failing to use the meter during a rank or hail trip, overcharging their passengers or refusing a fare,” Mr Wing was quoted as saying.

NSW Taxi Council chief executive Nick Abrahim welcomed the move, saying a streamlined database will mean that service providers are better informed about the drivers they are onboarding. XINHUA