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The Taxi Council of NSW is calling for a four per cent increase in fares across the board, 2GB revealed this morning.
That would mean the initial fare would increase from $3.60 to $3.74, while the per kilometer charge would increase from $2.29 to $2.38, presenter Ben Fordham said.
And waiting time will increase from 94 cents per minute to 97 cents per minute.’
NSW Taxi Council chief executive Nick Abraham said during the time taxi drivers had no pay rise, the consumer price index had risen 27 per cent.
“Let’s just give (taxi drivers) a modest relief to help them at least,” he told 2GB.
He said recent years have been among the toughest to run a small business, including for taxi drivers.
“We want to ensure that we maintain financial security for passengers, that’s absolutely important,” he said.
But he said taxis operate at an unfair disadvantage compared to ride-sharing operators.
Ibrahim told Fordham that a ride-sharing operator in Temora pays $4,000 in comprehensive insurance for a three-car operation, while a taxi company with the same amount of cars in the area pays $10,000.
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Changes are likely to be on the way for taxis in NSW regardless of the outcome of the fare increase.
Abrahim said the state’s Transport Minister Jo Halen had approached the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal for a wider review of rank and hail fares in the coming months.
“This is probably going to be the biggest fare review in the history of taxis,” he said.
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