I was proud to drive a taxi, but my industry has lost its way

The first time I jumped into the driver’s seat of a taxi was more than 30 years ago. It belonged to the father of a mate, and I picked it up on a Friday afternoon to return it early Monday morning. As I soon discovered, this shift was called driving hungry – a fitting term for the relentless hustle required to make a living.

It didn’t take long to figure out where the best fares were. As footy games, races and major events wrapped up, I’d be there, waiting to scoop up the punters. As night fell, it was out to the suburbs for dinner transfers (Lygon Street was always a popular destination) before heading back to the city for the nightclub rush. King Street, Chapel Street, Melbourne’s nightlife hotspots always guaranteed good fares. In the early hours, I’d grab a couple of hours’ sleep in the cab before doing it all over again.

Former taxi driver Rod Barton.

I drove cabs for years. My dad drove cabs. My uncle Johnny was a black cab driver in London. Taxis are in my DNA. I loved it. The passengers, the unpredictability, the thrill of the hustle. There were nights when I’d find myself having a 3am burger with a group of ladies on a hen night before safely ferrying them home.

But taxi-driving exposes you to the darker side of life. I’ve had my fair share of runners, been belted, had my car trashed, been vomited on more times than I care to count, and faced my share of threats. Some nights, it felt more like survival than service.

Yet, despite the occasional nightmare shift, the good outweighed the bad. Back then, driving a cab meant earning above-average wage, provided you were willing to put in the hours. It wasn’t easy, but it was fair.

Those days are gone. It pains me to see the industry in its current state.

Since 2018, the number of commercial passenger vehicles in Victoria has exploded from 8000 to more than 80,000. The standard wasn’t great before, but now the bar is so low we stub our toes stepping over it.

The public has lost confidence. Drivers touting, refusing short fares, and declining to use meters have driven passengers away. The industry can be its own worst enemy.

The recent exposé by The Age and 60 Minutes by Nick McKenzie and others has further damaged the industry’s reputation. It’s alleged that taxi drivers have engaged in widespread fraud, overcharging, processing inflated fares on Cabcharge products, and exploiting passengers. Despite clear evidence of dodgy practices, it appears little meaningful action has been taken.

Not only has 13cabs’ reputation been tarnished, but the entire industry has been cast in a negative light. While most drivers do the right thing, their integrity is being overshadowed by those gaming the system. Loyal passengers and corporate clients are turning elsewhere in search of fairer treatment.

In response, the Victorian government has launched an investigation into 13cabs and its practices. Scrutiny is long overdue, as public trust continues to erode. If the taxi industry wants to survive, it must restore integrity, hold wrongdoers accountable, and rebuild confidence before it’s too late.

Looking back, I realise how much driving a taxi shaped me. It taught me resilience, quick thinking, and how to read people in an instant. It gave me an unfiltered front-row seat to life in all its chaos, comedy and promise.

But most of all, it taught me that work should be valued. The hours, the skill, the effort, it all means something. A fair day’s work should be rewarded with a fair day’s pay. That principle once defined the taxi industry. It doesn’t any more.

Today, drivers are working just as hard for far less. The market has been flooded with under-trained and unregulated drivers, turning the industry into a chaotic free for all. It’s no surprise passengers have lost trust.

I saw it first-hand during the Australian Open – cabs refusing short fares, quoting double or triple what the meter would show, and leaving stranded passengers behind. The trust is gone. And without trust, the industry is doomed.

It’s hard to see a path back. Until the taxi industry values its drivers, restores passenger confidence and lifts its standards, it will remain on a downwards spiral.

For those of us who remember the golden days of taxi driving, it’s a sad sight. What was once a proud profession is now just another casualty of the gig economy, where the only thing that matters is who can do it cheapest, not who can do it best.

Rod Barton, former MP in the Legislative Council, is a dedicated advocate for taxi and gig workers.

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