Taxi drivers in Sydney are facing scrutiny over their refusal to accept the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) as payment. This issue came to light when Adrian O'Malley and his daughter returned from a holiday in April. After arriving at Sydney's international airport, a taxi driver unloaded their luggage but declined to accept O'Malley's TTSS card, which subsidizes 50% of taxi fares up to $60.

O'Malley, who has half-blindness and has not been able to drive since suffering a stroke 19 years ago, expressed frustration over the situation. "When the scheme works well, it works well. When it doesn't, it works terribly. It means people with disability experience refusal of service, they receive abuse, they get kicked out of taxis," he told 702 ABC Radio Sydney. He noted that this was not an isolated incident, as he has faced similar refusals at least four times since April.

Working in the disability services sector, O'Malley pointed out a loophole in taxi regulations that allows drivers to refuse the TTSS as payment. He is advocating for a regulatory change to prevent such refusals. "Give me power. There are clauses about not putting the meter on, there are clauses about not accepting fares. There’s no clause to make it illegal to accept TTSS in whatever way, be it paper voucher or by card," he said.

The NSW Taxi Council is also calling for the closure of this loophole. CEO Nick Abrahim explained that taxi drivers are not penalized for refusing the TTSS because they still accept a fare, albeit not through the subsidized method. He noted that it is common for drivers to take passengers but then claim they cannot accept the TTSS payment. "It’s not necessarily a fare refusal, because he’s taking the passenger. I do not believe there are specific laws in place that target the TTSS refusal itself," Abrahim stated.

O'Malley believes that fines for refusing service should apply to both the driver and the taxi company. He argued that this would prompt the industry to improve its practices. "Industry will very quickly clean up its act," he said.

In response to these concerns, Lewis Clark from Transport for NSW apologized for O'Malley's negative experiences with the TTSS. He indicated that the agency is open to reviewing the legislation to address any loopholes. "Our expectation is that all drivers are expected to take, either the physical TTSS vouchers, or the TTSS smart cards as payment for taxi journeys," Clark said. He encouraged riders to report fare refusal issues to the Taxi Fare Hotline at 1800 500 410.

Additionally, ride-share operator Uber has been conducting a 12-week trial of subsidized trips for passengers with disabilities, aiming to provide more accessible transportation options.