Opportunities to get into taxi driving are good, as taxi companies are always on the lookout for new employees. If you have a passenger licence, you should have little trouble finding work in New Zealand, especially in the major centres of Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.

The taxi driver workforce is ageing, with many people in the role approaching retirement. This is likely to create additional opportunities for taxi drivers.

Steady increase in taxi driver numbers

Census figures show that the number of taxi drivers in New Zealand rose steadily between 1996 and 2006.

Number of taxi drivers employed in New Zealand
(1996, 2001, 2006)

Census	Number of taxi drivers
1996	4,449
2001	5,046
2006	5,358
Source: Department of Labour, Jobs and Tertiary Education Indicator Tool.

Rising unemployment rate may increase competition for taxi driver jobs

With rising unemployment levels in New Zealand, more people may see self-employment as an attractive option. This could mean jobs with taxi companies become harder to find.

Approach taxi companies directly to find work

Most people find work as taxi drivers by approaching taxi companies directly.

More than 200 taxi companies are registered in New Zealand.

Most taxi drivers are employed in one of two ways:

• Owner-operators – Most taxi drivers are self-employed owner-operators who work under the umbrella of a large taxi company. Owner-operators usually buy a franchise share in a taxi company (each taxi represents one share in the taxi firm), or lease a franchise share off a shareholder.
• Contract drivers – Taxi drivers can also be self-employed contract drivers. This means they drive someone else’s car and pay a set weekly amount to the owner, who holds the share with the taxi company.

If you work in a small town, you are likely to be an owner-operator, and work on a roster system for a small, independent taxi company.

Two-thirds of taxi drivers work in the main centres:

• Auckland (35% of taxi drivers)
• Wellington (16%)
• Christchurch (16%).

The Operator Licensing and Work Time and Logbook Rules were introduced in July 2007 to improve the quality of service provided by taxi companies and taxi drivers.

The new rules require taxi drivers to have a greater knowledge of the area in which they work, and also require stricter compliance with operating rules. The Transport Service Licence (TSL) fee – a one-off payment for those entering the industry – also increased from $30 to $440.

Environmental concerns mean some taxi companies are moving to more fuel-efficient vehicles

The public's growing concern for the environment has seen some taxi companies in New Zealand look for ways to decrease their carbon emissions. This has mainly involved upgrading their fleets to more fuel-efficient petrol vehicles or hybrid vehicles.