From November 1, you might notice a fleet of eight bright-red hybrid cars with ‘VIP’ number plates driving around town. They’re part of Chris Doulis’ new transport business, Eco VIP North West.

Like Uber, all fares are agreed upon upfront and an app lets you see how far away your driver is – but bookings can also be made over the phone.

Mr Doulis has been in the taxi game for more than two decades. He said his locally-owned and operated business took advantage of the point-to-point regulation overhaul that comes into effect on November 1, which aims to create a more transparent, competitive and flexible transport industry.

The new rules require all point-to-point services, including taxis, to provide customers with a “guesstimate”, for every fare, however taxis can still run the meter. 

“If we give you a price, we stick to it – and our formula works out to be pretty close to a taxi fare,” Mr Doulis said.

The Eco VIP app is in the final stages of development and Mr Doulis expects it to be a bigger hit with the younger generation, 

“With this they’ll be able to watch the car come towards them and know which car it is, things like that,” he said.

“On Friday and Saturday nights, we’ll probably do 50 per cent of our work on it.”

Based in Denison St, Mr Doulis said the business would create at least 16 new jobs, and would compete with local taxis to “give people a bit of an option”.

“The point of difference will be the service – you get to ride in a nice unmarked car, with a driver in a tie, who get out of the car to open and close door for you,” Mr Doulis said.

While the new competition was a concern to Tamworth Taxis director Greg Rowland, he questioned whether the market in Tamworth was large enough to sustain the new operation.

“At the moment, we’ve had a smart hail app for 18 months and we struggle to make up to 10 per cent of our bookings on that,” Mr Rowland said.

“It’s going to be difficult to make a sustainable income.”

Mr Rowland said he was disappointed in direction the NSW government had gone with the new point-to-point regulations, which has left taxis with “one foot on either side of the fence”.

“It’s quite disappointing and it’s a decision that indicates poor governance,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we’ll let the travelling public make up their own mind.”