Narromine is one of many western communities without an active taxi service and shire mayor Cr Ewen Jones is advocating for a more level playing field for prospective operators in rural, regional and remote communities by reducing the significant "red tape" barriers involved in establishing and operating taxi services.

A taxi service has operated in the community on and off for a number of years, including a period within the last five years when local services club the Narromine USMC provided the service. When the USMC stopped providing that service, a subsequent attempt by a private operator to get the taxi service going again met with little success.

The issue of establishing and operating cost-effective and accessible taxi services in small country communities is complex. While the significant insurance and registration costs are certainly barriers to participation, they are not the only things impacting the viability of taxi services in small communities.

Where rural, regional and remote communities also have access to private pay-to-travel community transport services, private rideshare platforms, and free "courtesy buses" operated by businesses and community groups that enable no-to-low-cost travel locally, the viability of commercial taxi services competing in that environment in small communities is challenging.

At the February meeting of the Narromine Shire Council, Mayor Jones successfully moved that Narromine Shire Council should lobby the NSW Government about reducing the costs of registering and insuring a taxi in regional and rural areas of NSW. It didn't receive unanimous support, however, with Cr Lachlan Roberts voting against the motion.

Mayor Jones subsequently took the matter to the latest meeting of the Alliance of Western Councils in Warren on Friday, February 27, where it was wholeheartedly supported by the cohort of western NSW mayors.

"[They] voted to support my motion to write to the NSW Government and lobby for a reduction in the costs of registration and insurance to operate a taxi in western and far west NSW," he told Dubbo Photo News.

"My motion was seconded by Dubbo Regional Council mayor Josh Black. The vote was unanimous," he added.

"The word 'regional' was replaced by 'western', after the motion was discussed."

The true extent of the lack of taxi services in western NSW was revealed at the meeting, mayor Jones said.

"Cobar mayor Jarrod Marsden confirmed that there is no longer a taxi service in Cobar. This means that apart from Condobolin, there are no longer any taxis left operating west of Dubbo," he explained.

"I will also be taking my motion to the next Country Mayors Association meeting in Sydney on March 26-27, which will be held at NSW Parliament House."