VIOLENCE broke out in the Melbourne CBD early yesterday as queues of up to 300 people waited in pouring rain for taxis.
Two drivers were attacked in their cabs in separate incidents near Flinders St Station soon after midnight.

The Sunday Herald Sun found about half of taxi drivers were refusing short journeys in the city.

Tempers were frayed as frustrated, tired and drunk revellers waited for up to an hour at the station's taxi rank.

There were more than 70 people waiting in a line outside Crown Casino at 3am.

Driver of six months, Diamond Jiwanpuri, 23, was left bloodied after a passenger punched him in the face and back at the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

Police said the beating continued outside the cab.

"I ran to the footpath and he came after me and put me to the footpath and started punching me again," Mr Jiwanpuri said. "We're not safe."

A man was expected to be charged on summons with recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault.

In another assault on a taxi driver in the CBD, the driver fought back, according to police. The passenger was treated in hospital for minor wounds.

Ally Mattison was among thousands of passengers lined up at major taxi ranks.

Some people were too drunk to stand.

"They should have more late night public transport," she said. "We would have been happy to catch a train tonight."

A Sunday Herald Sun reporter who waited in lines at ranks at Crown Casino, Flinders St and Lonsdale St was refused a fare for short journeys by three out of six drivers.

A Victorian Taxi Directorate spokeswoman said taxi drivers were not allowed to refuse short fares and people should report details of cabs that do to 1800 638 802.

Victorian Taxi Association operations manager Peter Garbellini said drivers struggled to cope with demand on weekends when public transport stopped.

"It's just not practical to expect a small group of people to accommodate the needs of the whole metropolitan area where there are several million people," he said.

Depots were expected to be flooded with complaints today about long waits.

The State Government has not announced additional services over the Christmas period.

The demand is expected to peak tonight. Early taxi bookings are recommended.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20971286-5006785,00.html