PROBLEMS in the state's taxi industry are something companies such as Reliable Chauffeurs hope to benefit from.

With safety a paramount consideration for passengers, Reliable Chauffeurs general manager Ben Hall believes traditional taxi customers are turning to chauffeured transport.

"It is not the case by any means that it is the majority of taxis (causing problems) but it is there as an opportunity and we are able to capitalise on it," Mr Hall said.

"Many people think that chauffeured cars are a bit expensive or beyond them but now people value their time and safety and they want a known, reliable service.

"They want to know how much it is going to cost and they want to know that the driver knows where they are going."

Added touches such as newspapers and bottled water were part of the service at Reliable.

"Most of the time, taxis are a very safe and reliable mode of transport," Mr Hall said.

"But the problems lead people to question what options and alternatives are out there."

Mr Hall recently joined Reliable after last year selling a Bean Bar coffee franchise he had established in 2000.

Before that, he was a solicitor in Melbourne for five years, specialising in commercial litigation and insolvency. He then returned to his home town of Adelaide to work in his family's import and export business.

After Bean Bar, the 36-year-old spent some time as a franchise consultant before joining Reliable earlier this year.

He said Bean Bar was established at the right time for Adelaide, which had seen a surge in the number of coffee bars in the past few years.

"I was looking for a business opportunity that could make money and be something that I would enjoy," he said.

"I researched a number of different ventures and coffee came up in an internet search."

That internet search related to American-based coffee giant Starbucks and Howard Schultz who helped the company's worldwide expansion. "I looked at the Adelaide market and realised there were a lot of people doing the wrong things and not doing the right thing which was to make coffee taste good every time," Mr Hall said.

He spent three years trying to strengthen the Bean Bar brand and establishing a workable franchise model. "We had to put together a big, professional outlet with a minor budget," Mr Hall said. "If you tried to do that now, it would certainly require a bigger budget."

While the role at Reliable was very different, Mr Hall said it enabled him to indulge his love of cars and new challenges.

"I think of (Reliable) as my own company and I think of myself as one of the owners even though I am not," he said.

"My goals are to be as successful as possible in this role for the board and the directors.

"It also comes down to the fact that (this job) represented an opportunity to find something that was a little bit broken and fix it."

With about 30 drivers part of the Reliable team, Mr Hall said many more were still needed.

He said Reliable's directors and shareholders believed good things could happen with the company. "They had the knowledge and experience to be able to put me in charge and enable me to run with it," he said.

"When there's not the freedom, the decision or autonomy to do a job, I don't want to do it. Being general manager will be a wonderful role."

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21927436-5003680,00.html