In an open letter to Deniliquin RSL Club members (see page 3 of today’s edition), the club said the decision was “not made lightly”.
Deniliquin RSL Club chairman Bob Crampton told the Pastoral Times that maintaining the service was simply not sustainable.
The decision comes just two months after Mr Crampton confirmed the service was operating at a loss, and had been subject to an external review.
This was revealed after a reduction in operating hours, with taxis not available on weekends and evenings since before Christmas. This was prompted by staff shortages.
Despite being a fiscally responsible move for the Deniliquin RSL Club, the decision to close the taxi business will leave the community without some important services.
Deniliquin Taxis is not the only passenger service available to the community, but it is believed to be the only publicly available service that can take authorised taxi services like Cabcharge cards, the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme, fares for Department of Veterans Affairs clients and accounts of care providers.
Other wheelchair accessible services in the community are available to registered clients of those providers only.
Concerns about the loss of these services are already being raised with NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton’s Deniliquin staff, and with the Deniliquin RSL directly.
“We do realise our decision will leave the community without a service, but there are other towns without taxis and so there must be some kind of arrangement for those specific users,” Mr Crampton said.
“We have already had some discussions with members of the public who require the wheelchair service in particular, and we believe they have already approached Helen Dalton’s office also.”
Mr Crampton said in recognition of the importance of the taxi service to the community, the club agreed to first reduce services as a cost saving measure.
But he said the club’s board and management could no longer justify the cost of the service.
“It’s simply finance,” he replied when quizzed on both the decision, and the timing.
“Our costs have not been able to be reduced to a number we thought our membership would be comfortable with.
“We have a responsibility to handle the club’s finances for our members, and we did not feel this was an acceptable loss.
“When you see money bleeding out, you have to stop the haemorrhage.”
Mr Crampton said he was not in a position to reveal the exact losses to the club in this article, but said they would be included in the audited financial reports presented to the club’s next annual general meeting.
He did, however, describe the losses as “significant”.
“If it had only been a few hundred dollars, me might have considered keeping the service,“ he said.
Anyone interested in purchasing the taxi business, or the fleet of cars, can contact the Deniliquin RSL Club on 5881 4455.
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