Maxi cabs.

The Illawarra has it's first maxi cab. The only question seems to be why this excellent idea took so long to morph into reality !

Cabs date back to the horse and carriage days - and the number of seats available is actually diminishing. Decades ago most cabs took five passengers and the driver. Today that has shrunk to four passengers and the driver - the replacement of the front bench seat in favour of front bucket seats having removed a capacity of one.

The first Illawarra maxi cab - based at Shellharbour - can take eleven passengers.

There are attractive economics in it's fare structure. More than four passengers result in the meter charging a fare and a half for the remainder up to the eleven capacity.

Suppose a party of people require transport from Albion Park to Wollongong and their numbers would necessitate two cabs. The fare would be $ 180 for two cabs to make this trip. In comparison - the maxi cab charging at a fare and a half would only cost $ 90.

Knowing that a maxi cab is available, many people will tailor their outings accordingly. There is value in combining friends and family to share the cost of an outing rather than several people making their own arrangements.

We have special cabs for the disabled. It is a long overdue extension of thinking to introduce bigger capacity cabs to move groups of people who wish a night out - and being responsible people wish to avoid the danger of drinking and driving.

The state government could do it's part by introducing lower registration fees to help offset the higher purchase price of such vehicles !