Is this the oldest taxi in Australia?

[MrZ]

Recently saw this 1999 Mercedes C180 taxi in Melbourne (plate 6150M). Pretty crazy that someone can use a 25-year-old car as a taxi. That'd be like being in the year 2000 and someone still using a XB Falcon as a taxi, or in 2013 someone still driving an XF.



Remarkably, 42% of 1999 C-Classes are still registered.

[Jastel]

Rules vary a bit between states but generally age limits are no more since Uber.
Cars would still need some form of yearly roadworthy.

[XR Martin]

There's a BF wagon still getting around near me (not as old as that C-class but still over 15 years old)

[au2000]

Vic had a maximum 10 year rule and all cabs had to be yellow.. now I see Kia rio,s and even saw a beaten up Corolla with green taxi plates, vic gov has made our cabs look like a 3 rd world conutry

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by au2000

Vic had a maximum 10 year rule and all cabs had to be yellow.. now I see Kia rio,s and even saw a beaten up Corolla with green taxi plates, vic gov has made our cabs look like a 3 rd world conutry

You are not wrong there, I have some cab owners living near me, my skin would crawl if I had to jump in one.

[Franco Cozzo]

All the drivers only come in one colour though

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

All the drivers only come in one colour though

If I were to guess, I’d say some old wog is driving that. Probably had it since new.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by smoo

If I were to guess, I’d say some old wog is driving that. Probably had it since new.

Probably not because up until Uber came along every Victorian taxi had to be 'Victorian Taxi Yellow' and they had age restrictions, its only in a post Uber world did they relax the regulations around age and colour of taxis.

Significant reforms were made to the industry in 1994 under the Kennett Government, including taxis being required to be painted canary yellow.

In 2013, the taxi regulations were relaxed to allow colours other than yellow.

[EBSXR6]

Years ago there was a story in one of the car magazines, an owner driver was running a Valiant in NSW that was about 20 years old.
The car was given a special exemption.

In Victoria at one stage if you had a V8 Taxi the car was able to be registered as a Taxi for a longer time, I think it was an extra 2 years.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by au2000

Vic had a maximum 10 year rule and all cabs had to be yellow.. now I see Kia rio,s and even saw a beaten up Corolla with green taxi plates, vic gov has made our cabs look like a 3 rd world conutry

Technically wrong as quite a few (Falcon) country cabs were white outside Melbourne.

[Tonz]

Originally Posted by au2000

Vic had a maximum 10 year rule and all cabs had to be yellow.. now I see Kia rio,s and even saw a beaten up Corolla with green taxi plates, vic gov has made our cabs look like a 3 rd world State

dint bring us down to your level.

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Alfa Giulia. More passion, less pretence.

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Technically wrong as quite a few (Falcon) country cabs were white outside Melbourne.

If Vic has taxi rules anything like NSW, then country taxis are in a different category.

Dr Terry

[Crazy Dazz]

In Perth, the Taxi Industry was for a long time dominated by Swan Taxis. Who insisted their Taxis be White or Black.
Then along came a competitor called Black & White Taxis, who allowed any colour.

Which city was it that used to have Orange Taxis?

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Dr Terry

If Vic has taxi rules anything like NSW, then country taxis are in a different category.

Dr Terry

What does that even mean.

[Dr Terry]

You mentioned that some country taxis in Vic weren't yellow they were white. while in Melbourne metro they are (or were) exclusively yellow.

The way I read it, it seems that the "all yellow taxi" rule might apply only to metro Melbourne & not to the country taxis.

In NSW different rules apply to country vs metro taxis.That's all I meant.

Dr Terry

[whynot]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

In Perth, the Taxi Industry was for a long time dominated by Swan Taxis. Who insisted their Taxis be White or Black.
Then along came a competitor called Black & White Taxis, who allowed any colour.

Which city was it that used to have Orange Taxis?

Brisbane. That was the colour for "Yellow Cabs". Go figure.

[Jastel]

Usually country town taxis could be older in every state as well as they did less kms.

Large city Taxi Companies usually had their own rules of what colour the cars had to be.

Brisbanes Yellow Cabs were orange, now called 13CABs, still have some orange in the decals. Also now owned by a Singapore based Uber clone who bought out Cabcharge.

MOST drivers are one colour as the OTHER colour WONT WORK.

Like I said NO RULES anymore thanks to Uber.

[Charliewool]

Weren’t Ford the only manufacturer to run “Vic taxi yellow” Falcons down the assembly line?

[EBSXR6]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Which city was it that used to have Orange Taxis?

Melbourne had Orange Taxis running under the Yellow Cabs brand prior to the Yellow Colour Cabs being introduced.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

Weren’t Ford the only manufacturer to run “Vic taxi yellow” Falcons down the assembly line?

Go past the USSR Sudo towers in Flemington and you can see a sea of yellow Falcons and Camrys in the car parks

[au2000]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

Weren’t Ford the only manufacturer to run “Vic taxi yellow” Falcons down the assembly line?

They did, started with the el series through to ba I believe, sold a dedicated taxi pack,

I do chuckle now that most guys I know won’t jump in a cab cause it’s expensive but then whinge about Uber jacking up prices during peak events .

At least in the past you cold see a cab coming, now…. I see a small white sign on the roof of a car that looks like it stared in gone in 60 seconds saying taxi with standard vicplates

[au2000]

Originally Posted by EBSXR6

Melbourne had Orange Taxis running under the Yellow Cabs brand prior to the Yellow Colour Cabs being introduced.

Then there was silver top, any colour cab u liked, as long as the roof was silver

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Dr Terry

You mentioned that some country taxis in Vic weren't yellow they were white. while in Melbourne metro they are (or were) exclusively yellow.

The way I read it, it seems that the "all yellow taxi" rule might apply only to metro Melbourne & not to the country taxis.

In NSW different rules apply to country vs metro taxis.That's all I meant.

Dr Terry

Yes, the "all Victoria" got me, most people seem to think only Melbourne "is" Victoria.

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

Weren’t Ford the only manufacturer to run “Vic taxi yellow” Falcons down the assembly line?

AFAIK Holden also had them from VR to VE.

Dr Terry