FC5397 - Taxi Provision

Initial Report

Company subcontracts taxi requirements for positioning crew. I have had drivers fall asleep on me in the past. During the last positioning journey the driver missed the exit off the motorway but swerved over the chevrons almost hitting the barrier to make the exit. Needless to say, l did not continue the journey with that driver. [Airline] send taxis that are too small for the number of positioning crew and their bags. Some of the taxis are not clean. My major concern is that our HOTAC department have no oversight of the vehicle or the driver when they arrive at the pickup point. How do they ensure the drivers are fully rested? How do they ensure a minimum standard of driver? Finally, l believe that the company is compromising crew safety for cost, and it is a matter of time before someone is injured or killed.

CHIRP Comment

It wasn’t clear from the report whether the taxi was used before or after a duty, which is an important detail. Use of a taxi for transport to a duty period can be considered a flight safety issue since the journey might impact how the crew member was subsequently able to perform when on flying duties. For example, having an anxious crew member reporting for duty after being driven by a dangerous taxi driver could adversely affect their performance/decision making in flight. However, a taxi journey after a flight is arguably a matter of duty of care/ employer safety. Notwithstanding, a company always has a duty of care to their employees even when some of its functions and roles are subcontracted, such as taxi/transport provision. When functions are subcontracted, the airline still needs to ensure sufficient oversight to be able to assess performance of the contract but also, as this reporter emphasizes, that safety aspects are also being met.