When Bendigo's Deb Owen was robbed a few years ago, she never expected her taxi driver would be the one to sit with her at the police station.
"You don't get that in Melbourne," she said.
For Bendigo residents like Ms Owens who use a wheelchair or mobility device, Bendigo Taxis' wheelchair-accessible vehicles are often their only form of transport.
While the business provides a vital service for the regional Victorian city, it is running at a loss and is calling on the state government to help.
Taxi drivers like 'extended family'
For the people who rely on it, Ms Owen says the taxi service provides more than just a means to get around.
"[The taxi service is] more of a family … we all sort of look after each other," she said.
Ms Owen says she felt this most strongly a few years ago after she was robbed.
Despite it being a peak time for wheelchair-accessible taxis, Bendigo Taxis "moved heaven and Earth" to get Ms Owen home quickly and safely.
Sometime later when Ms Owen caught another taxi, her regular driver could sense something was wrong.
Ms Owen told the driver about the robbery and that she was too scared to go to the police.
"Unbeknownst to me, he's radioed in very quiet and said 'I'm just detouring … I'm taking her to the police station,'" she said.
"He came in and he stuck with me in the [police] interview."
Lynn Cooper and her son Owen Cooper are also long-time passengers of the taxi service.
Ms Cooper shares Ms Owen's sentiments about how crucial the service is.
"The wheelchair taxi drivers are [like] part of our extended family," Ms Cooper said.
"They really bend over backwards to try to help — they're exceptional staff.
"But there's a lot of pressure on their service."
A crucial resource
The taxi service has roughly 11 wheelchair-accessible vehicles in its fleet with an estimated eight vehicles on the road at any given time.
The taxis are generally fully booked during the early-morning and mid-afternoon periods on weekdays and are essentially non-existent during the evening and on weekends.
Trying to get a wheelchair-accessible taxi in an emergency situation or without a booking is virtually impossible.
Bendigo Taxis manager Colin Wells understands how crucial the service is to the people in the community who use a wheelchair or mobility device.
"[Our passengers are] totally reliant on the service we provide," Mr Wells said.
In 2017, the Victorian government restricted subsidies to wheelchair-accessible taxi providers and opened the market to allow any company the option to provide wheelchair-accessible vehicle services.
There is no legal requirement for a company to provide a wheelchair-accessible taxi service to communities, and no incentives to do so.
Calls for government assistance
Mr Wells says the state government needs to intervene if regional taxi companies like his have any chance of meeting local demand.
"The main cause of the issue has been deregulation, pure and simple," he said.
"The wheelchair fleet just is not economically viable.
"It's unfair to expect one private company to provide services at an expense … and not get a contribution from anyone else."
Mr Wells has proposed a trial that would see the state government provide new wheelchair-accessible vehicles for Bendigo's fleet.
In return, the government would tax a portion of the company's monthly earnings until the vehicles are paid off.
Mr Wells also suggested a condition that a minimum number of daily wheelchair lifts must be carried out to guarantee a vehicle is being used for its intended purpose.
"I'm happy for whatever protection the government of the day thinks is needed to ensure that this scheme isn't abused," he said.
"The responses have been stalling, and the actions taken are zero."
Parliamentary recommendations fall short
A recent parliamentary inquiry into the Victorian multi-purpose taxi program found the taxi industry was struggling to meet the demand for wheelchair-accessible vehicle services.
The most significant recommendation to come into effect from the inquiry included an amendment to the lifting fee paid to a driver who collected a passenger who used a wheelchair.
But Mr Wells said it would not help companies to purchase new vehicles.
He sent his proposal to the state government and received a letter from the Department of Transport saying it would take his points into consideration.
The ABC has contacted Transport Minister Ben Carroll as well as the state opposition for comment.
