Passengers to choose fully vaccinated taxi drivers via 13 Cabs

Aussies needing a taxi will soon be able to request a fully vaccinated driver, with a separate plan for drivers who have no intention to get the jab.

Passengers of 13 Cabs will be able to select a ride with a fully vaccinated driver as the Australian taxi giant moves to have more than 10,000 drivers in its fleet completely protected against Covid-19.

13 Cabs chief operating officer Stuart Overell said the option would be available to passengers in as soon as two weeks through its booking app.

But drivers who did not wish to be vaccinated against Covid-19 would be moved into delivery roles where contact with other people was limited.

“We are collecting the vaccination certificates of all of our drivers at the moment, and 20 per cent of active drivers responded in just two days last weekend,” Mr Overell said.

“Two weeks will give us a good sense of where we’re at – because of the staggered vaccine rollout in various states it’s proving a challenge for some of our drivers to book in for a vaccination.

“Victoria prioritised taxi drivers from the start, so we expect most Victorian drivers to be vaccinated in a fortnight, whereas it hasn’t been a priority for our drivers in Queensland for example – we don’t want to penalise anyone for things outside of their control.”

13 Cabs is moving to have more than 10,000 drivers in its fleet completely vaccinated against Covid-19.

Mr Overell said the response from drivers to getting vaccinated had been “overwhelming” but said 5 per cent of drivers had “no intention” to get the jab.

“We do have a plan to move them into our delivery business which is contactless and a safer role for those who don’t wish to get vaccinated,” he said.

Mr Overell said demand among passengers who wanted fully vaccinated drivers had surged in the past few weeks as the national conversation on the Covid-19 jab rollout ramped up.

Doherty Institute modelling suggests there would be less chance of harsh Covid-19 restrictions such as lockdowns when 70-80 per cent of the country’s population is fully vaccinated.

About 30.04 per cent of the country’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

The commonwealth has framed its vaccine advice to Australians based on the modelling.

“It’s a very common conversation with our passengers – they’ll frequently contact our call centre requesting fully vaccinated drivers and requesting proof drivers are fully vaccinated,” Mr Overell said.

“We believe this is the right thing to do for our business and the right thing to do for Australia.”

About 30.04 per cent of the country’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated.

That figure is likely to hit 80 per cent by mid-November, according to the Department of Health.