There are 17 less taxi licences in existence in Tasmania since the introduction of ride-sharing platforms Uber, Oscar and Shebar, with Launceston having seven fewer licences.
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According to State Growth figures there were 619 taxi licences across Tasmania in 2015, which reduced to 605 in 2019, although Devonport gained two licences and Burnie gained one.
Over the same period Uber had amassed a total of 1464 drivers who held the relevant certification to transport passengers, while Australian-owned ridesharing service Oscar had 63 drivers and the Australian all-female service Shebar had 8.
These drivers are not registered to one particular location within Tasmania, and may or may not be currently offering ride-sharing services.
Launceston taxi-licence holder John Byers, who owns Country Cabs, said the taxi licence figures likely reflected a trend where new licences offered by the state government were not being purchased, or they were being handed in.
He roughly estimated that there had been a 20 per cent cut in taxi revenue since the introduction of ride-sharing platforms.
"The pie is only so big ... whatever Uber gains, taxi's lose," he said.
Despite this Mr Byers said Uber and other platforms continued to compete with taxi services, which he said are winning on the safety stakes.
Safety such as tamper-proof cameras in all vehicles, 24/7 GPS monitoring of the vehicle, and driver and vehicle audit and compliance.
Launceston now has 117 licences, Hobart taxi licences were reduced by seven leaving 360, while regional areas Glamorgan and Spring Bay, Bruny Island and Huonville no longer have taxi licences serving their areas.
Devonport now has 39, and Burnie has 31.
Taxi Combined Services manager Neil Fawcett said the same number of taxis in Launceston were choosing its dispatch network for consistent work, but the approval of multiple ride-sharing platforms still had an impact on the industry.
A Launceston licence cost $35,000 in 2019.
"We fully understand that all of these ride-sourcing platforms will remain as part of our competition, and they are in addition to the others we have had to adjust to in the past eight to ten years," Mr Fawcett said.
"For example Community Transport Services Tasmania, community cars, Coles and Woolworths now delivering groceries, organisations such as Red Cross, and funded public transport at metro events."
