Kiama MP, Gareth Ward, wants the NSW Government to introduce a six-month subsidised taxi service in Kiama.

After more than 30 years in operation, Kiama Cabs ended trading in May last year after it failed to find a buyer.

“What investments in public transport have you made in the Kiama electorate?” Gareth Ward asked Transport Minister Jo Haylen.

“We have some great community initiatives such as Driving Miss Daisy and Blue Haven Transport, but these are not public services,” he said.

Helen Cook is in her 70s and lives on Terralong Street. She moved to Kiama from Sydney in 2022 to look after her 99-year-old mother.

“I have a visual impairment and I’m unable to drive. I was a frequent user of the Kiama taxi service.”

“I am shocked that a town with an ageing population does not have an operating taxi service. Many people relied on it to attend medical appointments, do their shopping and visit loved ones in the local area.”

“A month ago, I spent a week in the small town of Bellingen and it has a reliable taxi service.”

Gareth Ward is working with Nick Abrahim, CEO of NSW Taxi Council, and a proposal is on the table.

“The Illawarra Taxi Network provides booked taxi services for the Kiama community, and I would like to see this permanent,” Ward said.

“We shouldn’t need to rely on the Illawarra for these services, or wait for a transport plan to get a cab.”

Gareth Ward wants a progress report on the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plans, which will start in mid-2024.

NSW Taxi Council CEO Nick Abrahim previously said in the Illawarra Mercury that rideshare services and government regulations made it difficult to profitably run taxis.

He accused rideshare drivers from outside Kiama of illegally touting and soliciting for rides in town.

A taxi license costs up to $300,000 in some regional NSW areas, but Abrahim said there was no such cost burden on rideshare drivers.