Cairns faces shortage of taxi drivers as tourism bounces back

As tourism in Cairns bounces back from the pandemic, the city is facing another issue with visitors waiting for hours to get taxis.

AS Cairns bounces back from the pandemic, the city’s rideshare industry is facing a critical driver shortage, resulting in big delays for commuters at peak times.

Cairns Taxis which is running short of 70 drivers, is calling for drivers to meet the increasing demand.

After eight years behind the wheel, Cairns Taxis driver Harvir Hundal reckons driving a cab around the town offers him the perfect balance of work and family life.

However, it seems not enough job seekers are choosing to be in the driver’s seat, with reports of people waiting up to two hours for a cab to arrive.

Harvir Hundal with Cairns Taxis fleet service manager Chris Balsom. Picture Emily Barker

According to Cairns Taxis and 1300RideShare Cairns, there’s plenty of work available and demand is growing.

Cairns Taxis fleet service manager Chris Balsom said he needed dozens more drivers like Mr Hundal.

“We need another 70 drivers to reduce the extended wait times,” he said.

“At Cairns Taxis we have 137 taxis and we are unable to have them all on the road 24 hours a day to meet demand.

“We call on people who hold an open licence and like a varied workplace to consider the job, a casual, part-time or full-time driver.”

Mr Balsom said the work suited parents who could drive while their kids were at school.

“With more tourists coming in, we are interested in recruiting more drivers, so if anyone wants to learn more, please get in touch,” he said.

Cairns Taxis fleet service manager Chris Balsom is making a public appeal seeking more drivers in the region as demand is going from locals and visitors. Picture Emily Barker

At 1300RideShare Cairns, manager Cheryl Cook said there’s plenty of work for those wanting regular hours.

“We do lots of pre-bookings and are NDIS registered, so need to cover agreed hours,” Ms Cook said.

“We are similar to other rideshares and it suits a lot of semi-retired people.”

Ms Cook said she had been with the firm for four years and said there’s a genuine sense of community between drivers and regular clients.

Cairns Airport’s spokesman David Nye said as passenger numbers rise, there’s constant cab demand.

“During peak times there can be shortages, however, other ground transport services at the airport provide alternative options to get arriving passengers to their destination,” he said.

But Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen denied it’s an issue.

“I haven’t seen anything to suggest a shortage of taxis or rideshare is impacting on visitor experience,” he said.

“Looking at the tourism sentiment data and what challenges we might be facing, transport doesn’t appear to be an issue impacting our visitors.”

An Uber spokesman said the firm was aware of a rise in demand for new drivers.

Raintrees Shopping Centre manager Sheila Neil said she couldn’t find any taxi delays there.

“We have no problems with our customers catching taxis which is good,” she said. .

Originally published as Cairns faces shortage of taxi drivers as tourism bounces back