Taxi drivers have begged the ACT government not to release any new taxi plates onto Canberra's roads, as drivers insist additional cabs could force them to the wall .
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In a market already facing serious pressure from public service job and spending cuts, drivers have revealed their wages have dropped by as much as two thirds in the past decade
A spokesman for Attorney-General Simon Corbell, who oversees the Road Transport Authority, said the government was currently considering options on how the surrendered taxi plates could be re-licenced.
He said 50 taxi licences held by the government were under consideration, in addition to the 308 active taxi licenses on the road in the ACT, including standard and wheelchair-accessible taxis.
But experienced taxi driver Ted Hamilton said there would only be two winners from the decision to hand out more plates and one loser – the drivers.
"The winners are the government when they lease the plates and the other is the company when you pay them base fees – you have to have a radio – and the more cars on the road, the more competition, the less money for everyone," he said.
"I'm driving Saturday day and Sunday day – seven or eight years ago on a Saturday you'd take $300, of which the driver would get $150.
"Now we go out and if I get $100, I'm very, very lucky. If I don't get a decent job, I might get $75 or $60."
Mr Hamilton said due to the cutbacks to the ACT public service and an overabundance of taxis, cab drivers were already struggling in the ACT without more plates being added.
"Anyone who knows anything about it knows there's no money, anyone who doesn't says there's a great deal," he said.
Taxi driver Daniel Van De Zandt said there were too many cabs on ACT roads already.
He estimated as many as 50 taxis needed to be taken out of service for drivers to make a decent wage.
"Don't release the plates until the drivers are making a suitable wage and we can't keep up with the customers we're already getting," he said.
"As a driver I feel we've got too many taxis and putting more on will hurt the drivers. I'm not worried about the government making extra money, I'm not worried about the base making extra money, I'm worried about drivers making an income."
