Out & About in Regional NSW

- by Greg Kay - Head of Memberships & Partnerships (Government & Corporate), NSW Taxi Council

As a result of COVID throughout 2020-21, the NSW Taxi Council and CTOA planned NSW regional visitation program (together with many face to face meetings, AGM’s etc) was significantly disrupted.

In 2020, the only visit possible to Regional Taxi Networks was in July where Bob Jones (CTOA Hunter / Northwest President), Martin Rogers (NSW Taxi Council CEO) and Greg Kay (Head of Membership and Partnerships) completed meetings with several Hunter Valley Networks -

Maitland (Executives included Mark, Greg and Neil)

Diggers Maitland (Owner / Operator Jamie)

Cessnock (Executives Bob and David).

In March this year, the NSW Regional visitation program was authorised to resume in 2021 and during late April – early May, Greg Kay (Head of Membership and Partnerships) spent important and valuable time travelling up to 2,000 kms to personally visit and meet up with executives, members, owners and operators of 10 NSW Taxi Networks in the NSW North West region.

The NSW Taxi Council is delighted to be able to undertake these personal visits to regional and rural towns throughout the State and meet up with our long standing and highly valued Taxi operator members who are well known local residents and who have provided outstanding essential transport services for their own community / town (on a 24/7 basis 365 days of the year) for more than 50 years.

The NSW Northwest visits plus overnight stays (in Tamworth, Moree and Armidale) included:

- Singleton (Owner / Operators Andrew)

- Werris Creek / Quirindi (Owner / Operators Aaron and Colleen)

- Tamworth (monthly network meeting with Network members at invitation of Chairman and Director / Secretary Peter Kachel)

(Tamworth Cabs - Greg Kay with Tristian Rainey & Peter Kachel in Tamworth)

- Gunnedah (Owner / Operators Jason and Kerrie)

- Narrabri (Executives Lisa, Doug, John and Bert)

- Moree (Owner / Operators Pat, Carl, Daryl, Dale and Phil)

(Moree Radio Cabs - Greg Kay with Daryl Bird in Moree)

- Inverell (Owner / Operators Terry, Lorraine, Robert, Wayne and Stephen)

(Inverell Radio Cabs - Greg Kay with Terry Newton, Lorraine Watson and other members in Inverell)

- Glen Innes (Owner / Operators Peter and Sheree, Phil and Geoff),

(Armidale Taxis - Greg Kay with Deborah Creed and Dean Carson in Armidale)

- Armidale (Executives plus Owner / Operators Debra, David, Stuart, Andrew and Brian)

- Scone (Owner / Operator Kay)

All meetings involved two-way communications on understanding issues and challenges relating to each specific area plus the opportunity to update industry stakeholders on key issues in relation to Taxi Industry Licence “Buy Back”, Point to Point Transport Commission, Regulatory / Compliance, Authorisation Fees, NSW Government Grant $1500, Membership, and new Statewide Partnerships (Government and Commercial).

Also, personal visits were undertaken to the Taxi Network base offices to meet up with the staff at Armidale (Operations Manager Dean Carson) and Tamworth (General Manager Tristan Rainey and his team).

“It was a pleasure for me to be able to personally meet up in their own local towns with our wonderful Taxi owner / operators and executives to inform, discuss and recognise their highly valued Taxi services as members of our industry, said Head of Membership and Partnerships Greg Kay. I look forward to continuing our regional visitation program together with CEO Martin Rogers and Deputy CEO Nick Abrahim throughout 2021 and ongoing”.

(while on the road in Regional NSW across 2000kms)

Further visits are planned, next for the North Coast in June 2021, then across all other NSW regional areas (South Coast, Western Districts, Southwest) in the second half of this year.