If you've found yourself with an hour-long wait for a taxi, you're not alone.
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Southern Highlands Taxis is the only taxi company in the Southern Highlands yet is currently only able to run half their fleet.
Managing director of Southern Highlands Taxis Laurie Stewart believed a taxi driver shortage was pushing wait times to the extreme as taxi companies searched for workers.
Mr Stewart said they were "screaming" for people.
"We can't find anyone, we've put out flyers, advertised on radio and in newspapers and we've had no responses," Mr Stewart said.
Deputy CEO of the NSW Taxi Council Nick Abrahim said the issue wasn't restricted to the Southern Highlands.
"It's a state-wide issue and definitely one of the consequences of COVID-19," Mr Abrahim said.
Although wait times haven't been as extreme in other areas such as Goulburn, president of Goulburn Radio Cabs Brett Simpson said some days it was hard to keep up with demand.
"It's been incredibly busy of late, it's the busiest I've seen it in years," Mr Simpson said.
"Wait times are slightly longer, sort of like what you'd expect in larger cities."
Before COVID-19 the taxi industry relied heavily upon workers from overseas, while many have since returned to Australia, they haven't gone back to driving taxis.
To qualify to be a taxi driver you must have held an Australian Driver Licence for a total of at least 12 months in the previous two years.
"Since most people have been away for the better part of two years they're caught out by a regulation," Mr Abrahim said.
The NSW Taxi Council is now advocating to amend the 2017 regulations.
The proposal is currently before Transport NSW, which Mr Abrahim hopes will make the taxi sector more appealing and accessible.
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Mr Abrahim said the other issue facing the sector was the age of drivers.
"Taxi drivers are often older, they received financial assistance at the beginning of the pandemic and haven't returned to work," he said.
"I think they see it as the safer option due to COVID-19."
Laurie Stewart said Southern Highlands Taxis hadn't had a single driver catch COVID-19 on the job.
"We've taken all the health precautions, masks, the cars are sanitised every night and drivers have wipes to clean the seats between clients," Mr Stewart said.
"It's a great job, all the cars have cameras and are tracked, it's very safe."
Mr Stewart said his drivers were making around $400 on a single shift.
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While the taxi industry has faced increased competition from ride-share services, both Mr Stewart and Mr Abrahim believed the sector was set to grow.
"There's opportunity that we need to capture, especially with subscription-based services," Mr Abrahim said.
Mr Stewart said with the current population growth in the Southern Highlands demand for taxi services was sure to increase.
"In the meantime, all we can do is apologise to our customers and hope to God people roll up and want to work," Mr Stewart said.
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