Melbourne taxis are easy to spot, as they display a lamp on the cab roof and most are painted yellow, silver or white. Drivers wear a uniform and show an identity card on the dashboard at all times.
Hailing a cab
Cabs often wait in designated cab ranks at clearly signposted locations and busy spots such as Flinders Street Station. You may also hail a taxi in the street. If the rooftop lamp is lit, the taxi is usually unoccupied and available for hire. Telephone bookings are also available. Taxis also operate outside of Melbourne in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, with extra cabs at country towns across regional Victoria.
Fares and surcharges
Taxi meters are clearly visible, so you can keep check of your fare as you ride. Late-night taxi trips must be paid for in advance. Between 10pm and 5am in Victoria, the driver will ask you for an up-front deposit, based on a table of point-to-point estimates. Find out more about fares to work out what your trip is likely to cost. Melbourne cabs attract additional charges like a late night surcharge from midnight to 5am, a fee for phone bookings, a fee for using toll roads, and a fee for taxis waiting at the airport rank.
Melbourne's major taxi companies include:
