We agreed when I started that I would do around 40 hours a week as that’s what suits me and my lifestyle. The plan was always for him to get a driver for Friday and Saturday nights but so far no luck. It’s a bit of a balancing act for me to work enough hours to pay my mortgage and bills but not to be just sitting in the car doing nothing as this costs him money and makes it less viable for him to keep it on the road and me in a job. Don’t know how the area thing works in Auckland but up here we’re all over the place so it’s just the luck of the draw. The drivers in their own cars are also only paid by fares which is why they have to put in such huge hours. The car I drive is the only 100% electric taxi in the country at this stage (there is a private hire/charter Leaf on Waiheke too) so our running costs are only about $8 a day, compared to $40 – $60 fo the big cars, so those drivers have to cover that as well. I personally don’t see Uber as a threat but think there’s plenty of room for improvement in the industry.

One thing that's really bothering me about this is how much these hotels/motels/boarding houses are getting away with charging. The rates being quoted in the media seem much higher than you would expect to pay for such accommodation. Are they inflating the prices because they know they're onto a sure thing? I was talking to someone a couple of weeks ago who was living in an unsafe environment and was initially told by WINZ to go find a motel and they would put her in it for a week and would pay up to $400. She found one, moved some stuff in, went back to WINZ (same day) and was told the person she'd spoken to earlier wasn't authorised to approve the accommodation and they would only put her up for the night. She ended up back in her old place and now has a temporary boarding situation while she keeps looking. The system's a shambles...

You can only get 2 food grants of $100 in any 6 month period - I think... It helps but doesn't go far...

Hi Ben - I'm an actual taxi driver and it's interesting to hear that you are having the same issues as us. It is far from lucritive and if I take $30 an hour in fares it's a good day. I don't own my own car so the owner pays me the princely sum of $16 an hour. He then has to also pay tax, gst, insurance, COF (and pre COF to ensure the car is never off the road) twice a year, maintenance, running costs, registration, and $750 a month to Blue Bubble to use their services. On a bad day we would just cover my wages. Some of the guys out there are putting in huge hours to make enough to get by but have been doing it for so long they don't know how to do anything else. It's certainly a job that's looked down on by a lot of people but, like yourself, I'm educated and intelligent and I actually enjoy the work (most of the time). I make enough to pay my bills and not much else but I know my boss makes nothing out of having me drive his car. The main money is on Friday and Saturday nights but I sure as hell don't want to be out there carting drunks around so I leave that for the hardy souls. The upsides are the flexibility to work when you wnat or need to and boy, do I meet some interesting people. Unlike Uber, we don't have the pay ap and have to just wear it when we drive across town to a job and there's nobody there. Uber hasn't come to our town yet and even if it did it wouldn't necessarily mean more people taking taxis - it'll just mean the same number of passengers will get spread thinner over more drivers, so everyone loses.