Taxi Driver/Chauffeur

Kaitaraiwa Waka Pāhihi

This job is sometimes referred to by alternative titles

Taxi drivers/chauffeurs drive vehicles to transport passengers from one place to another.

Pay

Taxi drivers/ chauffeurs usually earn between

$15-$25 per hour

Source: New Zealand Taxi Federation.

Job opportunities

Chances of getting a job as a taxi driver/chauffeur are good, due to steady growth in the industry and reasonably high workforce turnover.

Length of training

<1 years of training required

About the job

Pay

How much a taxi driver/chauffeur earns depends on:

whether they own their own vehicle
where they work, what hours they work and how many hours they work
their employer.

However, they usually earn between $15 and $25 an hour.

Source: New Zealand Taxi Federation.

(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the figures and diagrams in our job information)

What you will do

Taxi drivers/chauffeurs may do some or all of the following:

drive a taxi, limousine or luxury vehicle
collect passengers and drive them to where they want to go
ensure passenger safety
collect fares and give change
look after passengers' luggage, sometimes checking it in at airports or hotels
keep records of rides and fares
keep the vehicle clean and tidy
be responsible for maintaining the vehicle if they own it.

Skills and knowledge

Taxi drivers/chauffeurs need to have:

excellent driving skills
knowledge of the Road Code and relevant transport regulations
good map reading skills, and knowledge of local places, street names and the fastest routes to take
an understanding of basic car maintenance, so they can care for their vehicle.

Owner-drivers need to have business skills.

Working conditions

Taxi drivers:

may work regular hours or work shifts including nights and weekends. By law they can only work 13 hours and then must have at least a 10-hour break
spend most of their time in their vehicle.

Chauffeurs/ride-share drivers:

book their customers in advance with an approximate pre-approved price (private drivers cannot use a taxi meter)
may be reviewed by their customers.

What's the job really like?

Lyn Davis - Taxi Driver

Starting out

"I'd worked in a bank for 15 years and just thought I needed to do something different, so I went to a driving school and got my passenger licence."

Lyn's first stint with a taxi company lasted only a few months. She bought a second-hand taxi that continuously had mechanical problems. She was about to splash out and purchase a new car when the firm she now works for, Green Cabs, came to her attention and she signed up with them.

Running your own business

To become an owner/operator takes an initial outlay but it's worth it, Lyn says.

"You've got to buy a car but you can get one new or second hand and it's a business expense, so you can write it all off [as a tax expense]. It was a commitment, but it’s been almost a year and it’s looking like a good move."

She says owning her own vehicle appealed to her.

"It's like running your own business and is probably the only business where you start making good money from day one.

"My only regret is that I didn't make the move years ago. I wish I'd known about taxi driving when I was 20; all those stressful office days!"

How to enter the job

Entry requirements

To become a taxi driver you need to:

have held a Class 1 (full) driver licence for at least two years
have a Passenger (P) endorsement, which includes police clearance
gain an Area Knowledge Certificate
pass a medical test and a taxi knowledge test.

To become a chauffeur or ride-share driver you need to:

have a current driver licence of the appropriate class for the weight/type of the vehicle you are driving
have a Passenger (P) endorsement, which includes police clearance
be employed by the holder of a passenger service licence (PSL) or hold your own PSL.

Some chauffeurs working with VIPs will need to pass security checks.

Further information on driver licensing is available from New Zealand Transport Adgency, which also provides a list of approved course providers for occupational drivers.

The Vulnerable Children Act 2014 means that if you have certain serious convictions, you can’t be employed in a role where you are responsible for, or work alone with, children.

Oranga Tamariki website - information on Vulnerable Children Act requirements

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary education requirements for taxi drivers/chauffeurs, but English and maths are useful.

Personal requirements

Taxi drivers/chauffeurs must be:

punctual
able to communicate in English
honest, friendly and polite
responsible, as they must look after their passengers' safety
alert and patient
reasonably good at maths so they can calculate change.

Useful experience

Useful experience for taxi drivers/chauffeurs includes:

customer service work
any work that involves driving.

Physical requirements

Taxi drivers/chauffeurs need to have good hearing, reflexes and eyesight (with or without corrective lenses), so that they can drive safely in busy areas.

They must pass a medical exam every five years (or more frequently if they have a medical condition that may affect their driving).

Registration

Chauffeur drivers need to be registered as a private hire service.

Taxi drivers need to obtain and display a current driver identification card.

New Zealand Transport Agency website - requirements for private hire passenger services

Find out more about training

MITO: 0800 882 121 - info@mito.org.nz - www.mito.org.nz
Uber: Online contact only - www.partners.uber.com/drive

Check out related courses

Job opportunities

What are the chances of getting a job?

Job opportunities come up regularly

Opportunities regularly become available due to:

many taxi drivers taking up the role towards the end of their working lives, so retirement rates are high
some people staying in the role for a short time only
the easy process of becoming a ride-share (e.g Uber) driver
the cost and licensing process of becoming a taxi driver putting off casual job seekers.

Drivers have different employment options

There are different options for drivers:

owner-operators – self-employed taxi drivers who own their own vehicle and have a share in one of New Zealand’s 200+ taxi companies
contract drivers – self-employed contract drivers who drive someone else’s car and pay a set weekly amount to the owner, who holds the share with the taxi company
ride-share drivers – drivers who use their own vehicle and set their own hours, connecting with customers using an application such as Uber
chauffeur drivers – chauffeurs are mostly employed by limousine rental companies, but others work for wealthy individuals, tourism operators, large companies, or the military. VIP Transport Service, responsible for transporting members of parliament, is also a large employer of chauffeurs.

Sources

Heale, R, executive director, New Zealand Taxi Federation, Careers New Zealand interview, September 2015.
Wong, S, 3 News, 'Taxi drivers warned against Uber slave labour', accessed September 2015, (www.3news.co.nz).

Progression and specialisations

Taxi drivers/chauffeurs may start off driving for someone else before progressing to buying their own vehicle and working as an owner-operator. They can eventually own more than one car and employ other drivers.

Drivers usually specialise as:

Chauffeur: Chauffeurs drive passengers in luxury vehicles to the places they wish to go.
Ride-share Driver: Ride-share drivers use applications such as Uber to connect with passengers and drive them to their destination for an approximate pre-approved fare.
Taxi Driver: Taxi drivers drive cars or vans and charge passengers fares to take them from one place to another.