Rotorua Taxis team is feeling blue - but that's good news.
The local taxi co-operative has joined national branding group Blue Bubble to raise its profile, particularly among out-of-town visitors.
Administration manager Theo Lerios said there were marketing benefits in joining forces with companies in other main centres, but the greatest advantage
was in increased recognisability.
"People will see taxis that look the same as taxis they have seen elsewhere and they will recognise them more easily," Lerios said. "It is quite exciting."
The taxis now carry a distinctive, blue, bubble light on top and Lerios said they were particularly easy to pick out at night.
Rotorua's co-operative will also benefit from a television advertising campaign by Blue Bubble that will share the cost of brand promotion among the Blue Bubble companies.
Costs are an ongoing issue for the industry and Lerios said taxis were increasingly having to compete with other operators including limousines and shuttles that were less regulated and did not have to meet requirements such as an office base and 24-hour service that added to taxi operation costs.
He said Rotorua Taxis had been absorbing a number of costs in the past year - from rising fuel prices to compliance costs associated with the compulsory installation of security cameras - to keep the use of taxis affordable for residents already struggling with price hikes in other areas.
Co-operative chairman George Melrose said the group had spent about $50,000 installing cameras and the corresponding systems in preparation for the implementation of security camera legislation on August 1.
"Some people are worried about the cameras, but the system is very secure and there is no way your photos will end up on Facebook."
All images were encrypted, so only authorised people with the correct code could view them, and they would only be accessed when there was an incident and the company or the police needed them.
"But I think people will behave a lot better, just knowing they are there. You would not believe some of the problems we have with drunk people."
