Customers 

Queensland’s Taxi Industry

The Queensland taxi industry leads Australia if not the world in terms of innovation, customer service, accessibility, and affordability. Taxis play a unique and pivotal role in the overall public transport system in Queensland. They operate on-demand, 24 hours a day, 365 day a year, move more than 80 million passengers and provide gainful income and business opportunities for over 14,000 taxi drivers. Impressively, 20% of the taxi fleet is wheelchair accessible and the overwhelming majority of fleet’s vehicles responsibly minimise their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions taxis though the use of LPG, hybrid petrol/electric, or European diesel engines.

Queensland taxis play a pivotal role in servicing the needs of both the business and community sectors.Of
particular note in that regard, significant groups of taxi users rely completely on taxis to provide part or all of their
mobility or transport solutions. These groups include sections of:

• The elderly;
• People with disabilities;
• The young or vulnerable; and
• The socio-economically disadvantaged

In rural Queensland, taxis are often the only form of public passenger transport available. This is also effectively
true for many fringe suburbs and conurbations surrounding Brisbane and many regional cities where low density
development contributes to chronic under-servicing by mass transit (bus and rail) public transport options.

Taxis are quite literally for many Queenslanders and visitors to Queensland, at some time or other, and essential
service that they trust to be available and affordable. The Taxi Council of Queensland expects the characteristics of Queensland’s urban form(s) and the aging of the population will likely see this reliance on taxis increase in the
future