Business groups reveal top 10 ‘nightmare’ taxi hotspots in Sydney

Business groups warn Sydney CBD is fast becoming inaccessible for visitors catching cabs. Check out the top 10 worst locations to catch a taxi.

Multiple areas across Sydney’s CBD have been labelled as inaccessible “nightmares” for taxi drivers and passengers, with business groups warning a lack of accessibility could damage the city’s economy.

Peak bodies Business Sydney and the NSW Taxi Council are calling on the state government and the City of Sydney Council to increase the number of taxi ranks at popular destinations, so passengers can be picked up and dropped off without bringing traffic to a standstill.

The two business groups identified ten of the city’s most inaccessible hotspots, with the taxi rank on Market Street, opposite the State Theatre as one of the worst.

NSW Taxi Council chief executive Nick Abrahim said having a limited space for only three cabs in the heart of the city, between two hotels and a theatre was a joke.

As the space is often unlawfully used as a stopping zone for private vehicles, Mr Abrahim said it created an unnecessary choke point on the street.

“It creates an unsafe environment with people fighting for space,” he said.

“We often see passengers stopping vehicles in the middle of the street because all they want is to get where they’re going or get home.”

Allianz Stadium is one of the worst places in Sydney to get a cab.

At the Overseas Passenger Terminal passengers are forced to take a circuitous route following George Street North’s narrowing to a single southbound lane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Mr Abrahim said another major safety concern arising from lack of drop-off spaces, was an uptick in people walking out into the road to hail a cab or get into a rideshare.

“We often see people jumping over cycle lanes to get into a vehicle, which is a big safety risk, particularly when you’re looking at elderly or less mobile passengers,” he said.

Other choke points on the list include Moore Park Road at Allianz Stadium and the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay, where industry experts say it’s very difficult to drop visitors off anywhere near the sites.

Business groups argue the existing taxi rank at the Sydney Opera House is on the wrong side of the road. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

A lack of a taxi rank at Fullerton Hotel on Pitt Street near Martin Place has been labelled as another disaster zone due to a narrow traffic lane and the new bike lane leaving nowhere to pick up and drop off passengers.

A similar problem can be seen at the Theatre Royal on King Street, where a lack of stopping zones makes it too dangerous for cabs to stop near the venue.

Business groups warn parts of Sydney CBD have increasingly become inaccessible cabs. Picture: Damian Shaw

Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House have also been listed as notoriously hard to access despite being some of the busiest areas in the CBD. Industry experts have called for a taxi rank to be placed on Loftus Street opposite the MacDonalds to better allow visitors to access the iconic area.

Business Sydney Executive Director Paul Nicolaou warned accessibility issues for visitors to the CBD would have a negative impact on Sydney’s night time economy.

“If taxi drivers are having problems easily accessing parts of the city, it follows that the travelling public are also being inconvenienced,” he said.

“The last thing we need is for visitors to find it difficult to get to the places they want to go to explore our beautiful city and the last thing businesses in the night time economy need is for patrons to be hampered in their efforts to reach their venues.”

A NSW government spokesperson said they were committed to making public spaces accessible to everyone and would continue to work with councils and businesses to ensure taxi zones operated as smoothly as possible.