Morningside resident Rachel Anderson is among those calling for the international ride-hailing company to come to Whangārei, after noting the ease of use when visiting Auckland.
The 27-year-old is unable to drive because she has cerebral palsy and uses a taxi at least once a week.
Anderson said waits of up to two hours are common. The longest she has had to wait was four-and-a-half hours, one day when a friend, who also doesn’t drive, was having a crisis.
After constantly calling the taxi’s call centre, Anderson said she ended up partly walking to her friend’s house before a cab finally turned up.
At other times, taxi companies said they cannot attend at all, such as early one Saturday morning when she and her partner wanted to go to the Whangārei Growers’ Market, she said.
Anderson said the unreliability of taxis is partly holding her back from working.
“I want to be working but the taxis are so slow - if I was stuck somewhere I’m worried about getting home.”
She volunteers regularly at the North Haven Hospice Shop in Whangārei’s CBD, and must get up early in the morning and walk to ensure she starts her shift on time, then take a taxi home.
Anderson said it was not the fault of the taxi drivers individually, but the lack of taxis and taxi drivers in Whangārei.
“I’m just one person. There are other people in this town that are struggling to get places: elderly who need to get to hospital, people who need to get on planes, people who need to get picked up because they’ve had too much to drink.”
Uber did not want to go into the specifics of where it chooses to launch its app due to commercial reasons.
“Uber is committed to creating more transport choice and earning opportunities for Kiwis,” the international ride-hailing company said in a statement.
“Uber currently operates in 11 cities across Aotearoa New Zealand, and we’re constantly reviewing the possibilities of bringing Uber to new areas.
“We’ve been encouraged by the community’s response following the launch of Uber Eats in Whangārei last year, which has seen local restaurants and merchants use our technology to connect to more customers.”
Whangārei District Council has quashed rumours it blocked Uber from the town, saying neither it nor Northland Regional Council are involved with registering or approving taxis or Ubers.
“Taxi operators have to register with NZ Transport Agency for a licence, and I see we have three new taxi operators in town,” said roading manager Jeff Devine.
Taxi drivers put off by safety concerns, manager says
Blue Bubble A1 Cabs Whangārei manager Abid Latif says it is hard to make a living as a taxi driver in the town. Photo / Michael Cunningham
But Whangārei taxi drivers say the job involves risking their personal safety, yet they do not make a lot of money.
A1 Cabs manager Abid Latif said safety is such a big concern, only two of his 21 drivers work at night, while others are reluctant to go to certain Whangārei suburbs.
Latif said many of the A1 drivers have been attacked or had their cars stolen, and he was once stabbed by a customer.
“I’m not blaming Whangārei; it’s the same across New Zealand.”
Whangārei’s small population also means it is hard to make a living as a taxi driver, with all of A1 Cabs’ drivers being self-employed contractors, Latif said.
There are certain days and times when the taxis are “super crazy” but there is not enough demand the rest of the time to put on a lot more taxis, he said.
“We don’t want anyone to invest in the industry and then can’t make a living.”
As many of A1 Cabs’ customers are elderly, pension day every other Tuesday is particularly busy, with the rest of the fortnight being a lot quieter, Latif said.
To help smooth out the demand, the taxi company has encouraged some of its regular customers to shop on the following day instead.
A1 Cabs does want two to three more drivers but it has high standards, requiring good communications skills and knowledge of the local area, Latif said.
A good taxi driver gets to know their customers and goes out of their way to help, he said.
Latif formerly worked for Uber in Auckland - as have a number of A1’s current drivers - and he found it was very hard to make a living from the ride-hailing app.
He did not believe Uber’s business model would work in Whangārei, because it relies on getting fares to and from an area to make a profit but Whangārei’s riders tend to only be going in one direction.
For example, one morning there were seven rides from Te Kamo into the CBD, but no rides from the CBD to Te Kamo that morning, he said.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
