"If you go on a hunger strike that means you are prepared to die," Mr Yousef said.

The drivers say they are losing 40 per cent of their income a week and some have already been forced to defer paying their mortgages as a result. On top of those losses, drivers say they are paying $220 a day to the taxi vehicle owners while they are at the blockade.

Driver representative Harkaran Singh, 30, of Craigeburn, said he had already been forced to defer his mortgage payment for his new home, were he lives with his wife and son.

He said negotiations had broken down.

"They have indicated that there might be new technology to fix this problem but in the meantime we cannot live without the short-fare system," Mr Singh said.