Australian Taxi Drivers Association president Michael Jools has raised concerns about the safety of Tasmania cabbies, following the alleged armed hold up of a Launceston driver last week.

An 18-year-old Summerhill man and a 20-year-old Ravenswood man have been charged in relation to the alleged crime.

Tasmania Police allege the 20-year-old threatened the driver with a knife in broad daylight, before the pair took off with $150 in cash. The pair are due to face court next month.

The taxi driver was unhurt.

Mr Jools believes it is only a matter of time before something more serious and avoidable occurs.

‘‘Until we get a situation where pre-payments are being made to taxi drivers before the trip, these types of incidents will continue to occur,’’ he said.

‘‘We still have a lot of concern.’’

Mr Jools called Launceston a ‘‘pretty safe’’ place to drive cabs, compared to Sydney where hundreds of assaults and thousands of fare evasions occurred every month.

Currently, all taxis across Australia have a camera security system which takes a photo every 10 seconds.

If the driver presses the in-car alarm, that camera speeds up and takes a picture every three seconds.

However, audio is not recorded in taxis until the alarm is pressed, meaning anything said between a driver and a passenger prior to an altercation is not saved.

A 2015 coronial inquest into the death of a Hobart teenager who fell out of a taxi and died found that the 19-year-old was likely trying to avoid paying a fare.

The coroner also recommended the introduction of prepaid taxi fares.

The recommendation has not been fulfilled.