When the victim tried to escape the attacked continued on the footpath until residents in the street intervened.
The victim suffered head injuries and was treated at Tauranga Hospital and released the next day.
Dixon's lawyer Tony Rickard Simms said his client found attending a restorative justice meeting a "gruelling affair" and now understood the seriousness of his offending.
Judge Robert Wolff said young people seemed to view taxi drivers as easy targets.
"It is well recognised that taxi drivers are vulnerable victims because they work alone at night and sometimes carry sums of money, and unfortunately frequently become targets of this sort of offence."
Outside court Tauranga Mount Taxis administrator Jacqui Coffey, who attended the restorative justice meeting, said both she and the company's board chairman Roman Faily were satisfied with the sentencing outcome.
"The victim was left very traumatised by this appalling attack," Ms Coffey said.
"This has been life changing for him and his family. He has effectively stopped driving because he cannot face it anymore, nor does his family want him to continue. Once he sells his taxi he will be leaving the company for good. It's been very scary for him, other drivers in our company and the whole industry."
