TAXI shortages on the peninsula and in Frankston are leading to increased violence and anti-social behaviour, police say.
People are facing lengthy waiting times to get safely home from late-night venues and many are getting frustrated in the process.
Senior Sergeant Stephen Burt of Mornington police said it was a long-standing issue on the peninsula, with some residents forced to wait up to three hours on Saturday nights for a taxi.
"It is a problem that has been experienced by all levels of the community," he said. "It creates a lot of lingering and leads to antisocial behaviour."
Senior Sergeant Burt said that police, in conjunction with the licensed venues' liquor accord, had been pushing to get more taxis servicing the peninsula.
"We would like to see more taxi licences granted. It would get people out of the main street of Mornington and reduce the dangers associated with getting home. We just want people to get home without getting into trouble."
Senior Sergeant Burt said police didn't want Mornington to gain a negative reputation. "This should be an enjoyable and fun place to come out. We want people to have a good night out, get home safely and have happy memories."
A lack of available taxis was also a problem for elderly residents who didn't have an alternative mode of transport.
"The ambulance services is already stretched so this would help to alleviate that and assist our senior citizens to get around and to and from medical appointments."
A NightRider bus service introduced as an alternative to taxis was helping to alleviate transport problems but more taxis were needed for a door-to-door service, he said.
Peninsula Radio Cabs has 31 taxis servicing the peninsula and Frankston Radio Cabs has 55 taxis in its fleet.
The Victorian Taxi Directorate says the longest wait times for taxis were experienced by people requesting wheelchair-accessible cabs.
The average response time for wheelchair accessible taxis on the peninsula is 11 minutes, compared to 20 minutes in Frankston.
Since January last year the Victorian Taxi Directorate had received a small number of complaints about taxi services on the peninsula, a spokesman said.
Taxi availability and cost of fares are two key issues raised through the state government's taxi industry inquiry, which began in May and is due to hand down its findings next year.
Mornington MP David Morris said he was not prepared to comment on the issue until the findings of a government inquiry into the taxi industry were released next year.
A number of licensed premises on the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port area also declined to comment when contacted by the Weekly.
One idea put forward at the inquiry was to use taxis in a more flexible way to help meet peak demand through share rides or flat fare shuttle-taxi services.
To complete a survey, visit taxiindustryinquiry.vic.gov.au.
Email a friend