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Two Bendigo taxi drivers fear they could lose their livelihoods should ride-sharing company Uber come to Bendigo.
They also admit the local service is struggling to meet demand during peak periods.
The drivers, who on Wednesday spoke to the Bendigo Advertiser on the condition of anonymity, opened up about the state of the local taxi industry.
It follows a report about concerns drivers are losing jobs because of the existence of groups on Facebook illegally advertising lifts for cash.
Both drivers said they had concerns that UberX, an online service which allows consumers to crowd-source drivers for transport services, had reached other regional towns in Victoria and would eventually end up in Bendigo.
The first said he would look for another job if Uber was to come here, with cabs already having to deal with low job numbers during the week.
"Most drivers working Monday to Friday make about $50 or $60 in total a night. That's not an exaggeration," he said.
But he said the problem would be less of an issue on weekends when demand for services was usually higher than supply could cater for.
"On Saturdays we can't move people around quick enough," he said.
"All the cars are on the road on Saturday night, after about 9.30pm at night we just can’t cope."
He said as a taxi driver he understood customers were frustrated at waiting for cabs during these peak times.
"As taxi drivers we cop a lot because people have to wait around for a bit," he said.
"I hear it every weekend night that I work. I’m really sympathetic with them, there’s no way around it."
The second taxi driver, a Bendigo driver with more than 15 years experience, said he was also worried about Uber.
He said he had spoken to taxi drivers in Geelong and Melbourne who said their weekend incomes had dropped by almost half after the arrival of the service.
"If Uber came into Bendigo, I may as well hand the keys over," he said.
"It’s hard enough competing with other cabs on the weekends."
But he said he welcomed the idea of new competition, especially to help meet demand in peak periods.
"Even a second cab company, I wouldn't care," he said.
"If you want to compete with the taxi industry, do it legally; use hire cars, (commercially) licensed and properly accredited drivers."
"It's highly dangerous if the driver is not fully accredited (to commercial standards) and you don’t know the condition of the car.
"You're missing out on full GPS and full cameras and a formal complaints process in the event something goes wrong."
He also said standard vehicle insurance policies did not cover passengers in ride-sharing arrangements where cash had been exchanged.
"If you're a taxi you have full comprehensive insurance," he said.
"Under private vehicle insurance, there are terms and conditions which state you cannot use your vehicle as a taxi, emergency vehicle or courier service.
"There are so many things that could go wrong in the event of an accident."
