Taxi drivers bring Melbourne to standstill

Sydney Feb 27 (IANS) Australian taxi drivers caused massive traffic chaos on Monday on Melbourne roads for the second time in a month in protest of proposed industry reform a media report said.

Up to 100 taxi drivers blockaded two key Melbourne motorways by crawling into the city at five km per hours Xinhua news agency reported.

The convoy started at the Melbourne Airport leading many inbound tourists to remain stuck in traffic for hours.

The stunt the second of its kind by taxi drivers in February is to protest the Victorian Government s decision to deregulate the taxi industry and legalise ridesharing services such as Uber.

Under the proposed reforms the government intends to compensate taxi drivers to the tune of $76 000 for their first license and $38 000 each for second and third licenses a proposal taxi drivers say could leave them bankrupt.

--IANS
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