”We have recently had a bit of a spate of fare evaders,” Dean Shadbolt said.

“Generally, they are not big fares, but they are a loss of income to drivers and operators.”

Transport for NSW has announced that from this Saturday, July 1, taxi customers in regional NSW may be asked to pay their taxi fares at the start of their journey rather than at the end.

A customer will pay an estimated fare and then pay the balance or receive a refund when they get to their destination.

Transport for NSW said pre-paid fares had, until now, been limited to “specific secure taxi ranks” in Sydney City and on the Central Coast.

Mr Shadbolt said the change meant it was now an option for taxi drivers in Bathurst to ask for pre-payment, though it was up to the drivers whether they wanted to use that option.

“If a customer is asked to pre-pay, however, they are obliged to pre-pay,” he said.

Mr Shadbolt said customers and drivers would be able to closely estimate the cost for trips taken regularly, such as Bathurst to Kelso or vice versa. 

“The change also brings us into line with other forms of public transport, such as buses and trains, where you pay before you have the ride,” he said.

Transport for NSW said pre-paid fare arrangements would not apply for customers using Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme vouchers to pay for all or part of their journeys.

It said feedback indicated the pre-paid arrangement had worked “extremely well” on the Central Coast since it was implemented – initially as a trial – in 2011.

Before the pre-paid option was introduced on the Central Coast, Transport for NSW said drivers had reported “increased incidents of fare evasion”. 

“The trial is about providing a better work environment for our taxi drivers who are simply trying to do a day’s work, but it also means that those people who do the right thing will be able to get a taxi when they need one,” Transport for NSW said at the time.

The trial later became a permanent arrangement.