White taxis hit the road in regional Victoria Taxi driver Peter Mahoney with owner Jeff Strange starting picking up passengers this week in a white taxi station wagon. TAXIS in Melbourne could be any colour if the first non-yellow cabs in outer areas and regional Victoria increase competition. Former premier Jeff Kennett, whose taxi reforms in the 1990s included painting all cabs yellow, slammed the idea, which was also met with caution from the Victorian Taxi Association. White taxis are operating on the Mornington Peninsula, Colac and Lakes Entrance. Taxis outside Melbourne do not have to be yellow under taxi reforms announced in May. The Herald Sun can reveal the Taxi Services Commission hasn't ruled out widening the reform to include Melbourne. "The restriction on non-yellow taxis in the metropolitan zone may be removed in the future if it enhances competition," spokesman Steve Bright said. Mr Kennett said one colour was introduced so taxis were easy to identify. "I don't mind going back to another colour," he said. If they want to go to pink, which I wanted originally, that is fine, but if you are going to end up with white cabs, yellow cabs, green cabs, black cabs, how do you differentiate? How do you stand there with shopping in your hands trying to see whether a cab is coming towards you or not? Hastings taxi owner Jeff Strange, 67, picked up passengers for the first time this week in his white taxi station wagon. "It would have cost us another $2000 plus more time off the road (to have it painted yellow)," he said. Mr Bright said a white cab was a "gift that keeps giving." "The initial cost is several thousand dollars less than the yellow-painted version, and at the end of its life, a white car is a lot easier to sell and is likely to attract a better price than a yellow one," he said. VTA CEO David Samuel said consultation would be needed before changing the colour of Melbourne taxis, but it was probably a secondary issue. ``There is obviously a lot of uncertainty among industry participants so people's interest is obviously not as heightened as it might be and I think that many people in the industry associate the switch to yellow taxis with a positive era for our industry when it was effectively being led by Jeff Kennett and his positive reform agenda," Mr Samuel said.