Gold Coast taxis: Driver income slashed as tourists remain locked out

Gold Coast taxi drivers say they are struggling to survive after seeing their income slashed by up to 80 per cent due to a lack of interstate and international tourists. FULL DETAILS

GOLD COAST taxi drivers are the latest group to face a mental health crisis after seeing their income decimated due to a lack of interstate and international tourists.

Taxi sources told the Bulletin that drivers have been driven to despair after seeing their income slashed by up to 80 per cent.

One driver told the Bulletin that the situation had led to suicides within the industry.

“They can’t afford to keep the cars on the road. It’s quite expensive to keep a taxi,” the driver said.

“With fuel, (Compulsory Third Party insurance), road tax, you’re probably looking at around $450 a week to keep the car on the road.

“The average driver at the moment is doing a ten-to-12 hour shift, and some of them are lucky to be making $70.

“But their licences, back in the day, some of them paid $500,000,” the driver said.

“They’ve mortgaged their home against them.”

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Taxis lining up for business at Gold Coast Airport before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

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The driver said Gold Coast cabbies were dependent on tourists and business travellers, who were more likely to use a taxi than locals.

“Locals tend to use Uber whereas tourists tend to play it safe and use a taxi. A lot of the tourists and business people have CabCharge.

“I’ve gone from when it was happy days, I could make about $2400 a week, I’m lucky if I’m pulling in $450 now”.

The driver’s comments come as pressure mounts on the state government to outline a roadmap for reopening, with tourist industry bosses saying Queensland’s border closures are “killing livelihoods”.

Australian Taxi Industry Association CEO Blair Davies said the industry in Queensland had begun to recover after seeing a dramatic drop in demand during the pandemic, but the Gold Coast remained badly affected by border closures.

“In the middle of the lockdowns last year demand dropped by something like 80 per cent for the taxi industry and 90 per cent for Uber drivers,” he said
“When you lose 80 per cent of your market it’s a very difficult time for any business.

“... The Gold Coast, probably more than any other area in Queensland, has been affected by border closures.

“If you went up to North Queensland, they’ve lost interstate travellers but they’ve picked up some Queenslanders who are not holidaying overseas they’re holidaying in Queensland.

“The Gold Coast is much more exposed to the southern states.

“... The taxi industry (on the Coast) really thrives or struggles along with how well the rest of the tourist industry is going”.

Australian Taxi Industry Association CEO Blair Davies. Picture: Liam Kidston

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A spokesperson for one of the Gold Coast’s biggest taxi companies, 13cabs, said they were seeing business beginning to pick up again and were hopeful of a further lift in demand ahead of Christmas.

“Business naturally slowed but has begun to gather momentum again and we expect to see a high demand for our services leading into Christmas,” the spokesperson said.

“... We hope the increase in demand for our services over the coming weeks and months will come as a relief to our driver partners and reward them for their commitment to the Gold Coast community.”

The spokesperson added that the company offered support to drivers who were suffering from mental health challenges.

“Taxi drivers are like anyone and some will suffer stress associated with the challenging environment seen over the last couple of years,” they said.

“As a company we do everything we can to support our drivers and ensure they are aware of the issue and how to get help if they need it.”

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PEOPLE suffering financial stress are being encouraged to make contact with counselling services.

Lifeline Queensland general manager Luke Lindsay said its free service in Broadbeach had “an incredible success rate” helping people deal with financial institutions. “We can advocate for realistic payment plans or ask for debt waivers. ... Often people walk away saying, ‘I could never have done this on my own, you’ve taken the stress out of it’.”

Mr Lindsay said financial issues and job uncertainty had contributed to a 25% increase in calls to Lifeline. He said its financial counselling services in Broadbeach and Logan are the busiest in Queensland.

He urged people suffering financial stress to call the National Debt Helpline, who could offer advice and arrange appointments at financial counselling centres.

NATIONAL DEBT HELPLINE: 1800 007 007

LIFELINE: 13 11 14

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Originally published as Gold Coast taxis: Driver income slashed as tourists remain locked out