Tough times on the road

Taxi driver Tula Ram says the high cost of petrol is eating into his take-home pay. Photo / Natalie Slade

Taxi driver Tula Ram says near record-high petrol prices and the rising cost of living have hit his income in more ways than one.

"It's costing more for me to run my vehicle, and there are also fewer passengers because many more people have less money now and they have to think twice or even three times before they flag a cab," said Mr Ram, an owner/operator for VIP Cabs.

Mr Ram said it would cost about $10 in fuel to drive his 3.8 litre 2003 Holden Berlina from the central city to the airport about a year ago, but that same trip now cost him about $15.

The 63-year-old immigrant from Fiji says the past six months have been "the worst time" in his 20 years of taxi driving, and his weekly income is down between 20 and 30 per cent from a year ago.

To cut down on petrol use, he cruises less and instead looks for a spot to wait for customers.

But a shortage of taxi ranks means the places where he stops aren't always legal, and Mr Ram has had hundreds of dollars in fines for illegal parking.

"There is no bright spark," he says. " Life is just getting harder every day ... not just for me as a taxi driver, I think for everybody."