00:02Rob Fletcher and his guide dog Hamish have been getting around Melbourne for years.
00:07Good boy.
00:08But fetching a ride can sometimes be a challenge.
00:12I think the record's been up to seven refusals in a row.
00:15It does make you feel hopeless.
00:16There wouldn't be a week that goes by where one of those guide dog handlers
00:21has provided information to us of negative experiences with rideshare, taxi or Uber.
00:29From next week, drivers who misuse the metre or fail to give receipts
00:34will lose their accreditation if it's proven twice.
00:37The government now rolling out even more punitive measures.
00:41The two strike policy will also hit drivers that refuse assistance animals.
00:45And from August, those that turn away short fares.
00:49We need to get places safely and these are the people we're trusting.
00:54If it was better regulated then these people wouldn't be able to get away with it.
00:58Unfortunately, we've got a number of drivers, quite a few, who have decided that this is a quick buck industry.
01:05It's not.
01:06While taxis already have cameras recording drivers and passengers every move,
01:11they'll soon have microphones listening in to conversations as well.
01:15The government says data from that will be held for two weeks at a time.
01:19Passengers can use mandatory QR codes inside vehicles to report misconduct.
01:25The bulk of drivers do the right thing, but there's a small number who don't.
01:29Turning around an industry.
01:31Any assistance has to be a good thing.
01:33That's for many, a crucial service.
01:35That's for many, a crucial service.
01:35That's for many, a form of enforcement officers.
01:36And that's for many, a half, the address of these people who live with that.
01:37That's for many, a few reasons.
