Taxis of Australia
These also included hansom cabs, a more elaborate type with a closed-in cabin for passengers with two small front doors and glass windows and their driver sitting high at the back.
Hansom cabs were used in Brisbane until 1935, operating from a rank outside the Supreme Court in George Street.
Motor taxis were introduced into Australia not long after they were put into service in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The latter were mainly French built Renaults, which were designed as taxis, not unlike the hansom cabs.
As applied to the hansom cabs, the Renaults catered mainly for gentlemen of standing, including judges, barristers and other notables.
The progress through the years included many types of tourers from circa 1910 until the late 1920s, with British and American cars predominating.
Makes featured such names as Buick, Dodge, Talbot, Vauxhall, Saxon, Ford, Chandler, Studebaker, Chevrolet, Hupmobile, Whippet, Oldsmobile, Marmon, Pontiac, Hudson, Oakland, Erskine, Rugby, Essex and Chrysler.
General Motors built thousands in Australia, as did the other American companies including Ford and Chrysler.
In general, individual taxis are owned by small-scale operators who pay membership fees to regional or citywide radio communication networks.
Before 1924, all taxis plied for hire without a means of recording the mileage, other than the driver himself calculating the fare according to how far he drove his passengers.
The vehicle was the A2 Brougham (mustard pots)—a sedan with the driver separated from the passengers by a window with the baggage compartment in front beside him.
[15][16] Significant reforms were made to the industry in 1994 under the Kennett Government, including taxis being required to be painted canary yellow.
[17] In 2002, peak service taxis, which must be yellow and a green top,[18] were introduced to operate at night, between 3 pm and 7 am, and at special events only.
[2] More recently, the number of taxi licenses were: In 2018, Uber, DiDi, Shofer, Taxify, GoCatch, Shebah, and Ola Cabs were legalized in Victoria.
In September 2018, DRIVE NOW printed its first issue, and since has featured information on the Australian taxi industry for every State and Territory in Australia.
The location of taxi ranks in the southern district are around the main CBD area, with many others in suburbs close to Hobart.
In October 2008 Yellow Cabs began operating their first Toyota Prius, becoming Tasmania's first taxi company to run hybrid vehicles.
An additional fifty London-style taxis were introduced in late 2013, dispatched by Black and White Cabs.
The largest rural taxi fleets for 2014 were Kalgoorlie/Boulder (44), Mandurah (36), Bunbury (30), Broome (29), Geraldton (25), Port Hedland (23) and Carnarvon (23).
[32] Taxis in the Australian Capital Territory originated from hire cars, which began operating in Canberra from 1924.
The most well-known operators of the Canberra hire car industry at this time were Horrie and Alice Cleaver.
[34] Aerial Taxis was founded in 1957 by Ken Lambert, Bruce Lamber, Jack McCarthy, Bill Dennis, Clem Sykes, Alec Vince and Rex Brodie.
The founders created a telephone booth sized dispatch center and set up an antenna for their two way radios at the Ampol Service Station in Kootara Cres, Narrabundah.
The name Aerial Taxis came about, as each vehicle in operation needed a one metre long antenna fixed onto the roof.
A ballot is held every time taxi licences become available, with people receiving 3 weeks notice on when it will occur.
[37] Under the current legislation and the standards outlined by Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT), vehicles used as taxis must meet road safety and basic amenity requirements.
Taxis are to display the details of the booking service provider or operator and a vehicle inspection sticker on the left hand corner of the windscreen.
[38] On 1 October 2016, maximum fares for Adelaide metro taxis increased, for the first time within a period of 3 years, by 3%.
[40] The Cabcharge account payment system was established in 1976 to provide a way to pay for taxi fares throughout Australia and participating countries.
[41][42] The company is also facing criticism of profiteering for the 10% surcharge it imposes on taxi fares paid by card and the matter is currently being investigated by the Reserve Bank of Australia,[43] and the surcharge has been limited to no more than 5% in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
