Car Rentals in Brisbane City and Airport
All major and the better local rental car companies have branches in the city or at the Airport. Local operators are substantially cheaper and easily found on the internet. Average rate is about $45 per day. Try local car hire companies such as Apex Car Rentals or Brisbane Bargain Rent a Car or Choice Car Rentals at Brisbane Airport & Brisbane Downtown / City.
There are two taxi companies that operate in Brisbane: Black&White Cabs and Yellow Cabs. Both companies have distinctive and well marked cars. NB: the terms "Cab" and "Taxi" are used interchangeably. All fares are metered (so consistently priced) and you will be able to watch the meter at all times.
How to tell if a cab is vacant
All taxis in Brisbane have a large lighted sign on their roof. if the sign is lit then they are vacant. if the sign is dark then the taxi is either occupied or off duty.
Hailing a cab
Technically you can hail a cab from any curb (preferably where there is room for the taxi to pull over) simply by standing facing the cab on the edge of the curb and either waving, or extending your arm with index finger pointed out into the road (much the same technique you will see used to hail buses). it is however better to catch a cab from the designated taxi ranks. During peak times it is also often difficult to hail a cab from the street as they all head directly for the taxi ranks (between 5.30pm-6.30pm weeknights, 6pm-8pm and 12am-4am on Fridays and Saturdays). if you are out on the town on a Friday or Saturday night and are looking to catch a cab back to your hotel it is best to go to a taxi rank that has a designated taxi warden who will keep the crowed under control, arrange shared fares and prevent people pushing in.
Using Taxi Ranks
The main taxi ranks in the CBD are located at:
- Treasury rank (corner of George and Queen Streets)
- Albert Street rank (corner of Albert and Elizabeth Streets)
- Edward Street rank (Edward Street approaching Elizabeth Street)
- Eagle Street rank (Eagle Street outside Friday's Nightclub)
- McWhirters rank (Wickham Street outside McWhirters)
- Ann Street rank (Ann Street opposite The Beat Nightclub)
- Petrie Terrace rank
NightLink FlatFare Taxi Service taxi ranks are located at:
- CBD NightLink FlatFare rank (Elizabeth Street outside Irish Murphy's)
- Fortitude Valley NightLink FlatFare rank (Warner Street)
The Nightlink taxi service operates in Brisbane only for late night travel home from clubs on Friday and Saturday nights.
More information about the NightLink FlatFare taxi service.
The correct protocol for using the taxi ranks is to take the cab at the front of the line, or if there are already people waiting to join the line and wait your turn for a cab. Pushing in can lead to ugly scenes especially on the late night services when people have been drinking.
Booking a cab
it is possible to book a cab to pick you up from a specific place at a specific time by calling the cab companies direct, or at a designated suburban cab ranks.
Black and White Cabs
133 222
www.blackandwhitecabs.com.au
Yellow Cab
131924