About BYRO

Who we are

BYRO is a driver-collective chauffeur and airport-transfer service for Byron Bay, the Northern Rivers and South-East Queensland. We run a professionally-maintained fleet, our drivers live and work in the region, and we're built around a model that pays the people doing the driving fairly.

The driver's collective model

BYRO was founded in Byron Bay as an alternative to the global rideshare apps that dominate Australian transport. The premise is simple: most of what you pay for a transfer should go to the person actually driving you.

On most rideshare platforms, the driver keeps around 70% of the fare and the platform takes 25–30%. We inverted that. 90% of every BYRO fare goes directly to the driver. The remaining 10% covers the platform's running costs — booking system, dispatch, support, insurance, the apps and infrastructure that keep the service running.

That ratio matters more than it sounds. Drivers who keep 90% of their fare can afford to maintain a higher-standard vehicle, work fewer punishing hours, and stay in the region long-term rather than churning out of the industry every six months. Riders get a more experienced driver and a better-kept car. The local economy keeps more of the money that flows through it.

What we do

Our work splits into three connected services across the region.

Airport transfers. Pre-arranged pickups from Gold Coast Airport (OOL), Ballina Byron Gateway (BNK) and Brisbane Airport (BNE) — kerbside meet, flight tracking, no rideshare-lane queue. The bulk of what we do.
Local and regional chauffeur. Door-to-door transfers within the Byron Bay catchment and across to Tweed Heads, Lismore, Ballina and the hinterland. Useful for weddings, hens and bucks weekends, group dinners, anything where having a designated driver beats sorting a rideshare on the night.
Round-trip and day-trip transfers. Lock the return at booking and we hold a vehicle for you — most relevant for cross-state runs like Byron Bay to Gold Coast, where the major rideshare apps don't reliably connect drivers across the QLD/NSW line.

The fleet

We operate a professionally-maintained fleet across three tiers:

Sedan — for one to four passengers with standard luggage. The default choice for couples and solo travellers.
Luxury Van — seats up to seven passengers with luggage. Fits surfboards in a bag up to about 7 feet without removing seats. The workhorse of our wedding and group bookings.
Sprinter — for groups of 12 to 14 plus luggage. Used for larger wedding parties, hens and bucks weekends, and corporate transfers.

Our drivers

Every BYRO driver is locally based, fully licensed under the NSW Authorised Booking Service Provider scheme (BSP-439152), and insured to operate a passenger transport service. Background checks happen at onboarding and annually. Vehicle inspections happen at registration intervals plus any time a vehicle is replaced.

Local matters more than it sounds. The shortcut around the Tugun bottleneck on a Friday afternoon, the hinterland route when the M1 closes, the timing pattern of OOL arrivals on a Splendour weekend — these come from working the region every week, not from a navigation app.

Core values

The model only works if it's followed through to the operational detail. The values we hold ourselves to:

Driver and rider empowerment. Both sides of every trip benefit, not one at the other's expense.
Rider safety and comfort. Background checks, regular training, full commercial insurance, current vehicles.
Community upliftment. Pay rates that let drivers stay in the industry; fares that don't surge against people who need transport.
Ethical transparency. Quoted prices are the prices charged. No surge multipliers, no "service fees" added at booking.
Sustainable future. Newer vehicles run cleaner. EV options on the way.
Technology for good. Booking tech that works for both sides of the trip, not just the platform.

Service area

BYRO operates within a defined regional catchment: Hervey Bay (north) to Goondiwindi (west) to Port Macquarie (south), including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Ballina, Lismore, Casino, Coffs Harbour and the Northern Rivers coastal strip.

We don't drive Sydney to Byron Bay direct — that's outside our catchment. For interstate or long-distance arrivals, we collect you at the regional airport (OOL, BNK or BNE) and run the final leg.

Credentials

NSW Authorised Booking Service Provider: BSP-439152
Operating entity: PICKU AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ABN 38 670 095 511
FeelNSW tourism partner
BYRO and the BYRO logo are registered trademarks of PICKU AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

What our customers say

"I couldn't be happier with the transport you did. It was great and your car was amazing. Thank you for your great service and I will continue to refer friends and family to BYRO."
— Betty Finsen

"BYRO is the best service I have had so far. The driver was punctual and very helpful, he knew the Byron Bay suburbs well. His skills and knowledge helped avoid delays. I will recommend BYRO to all my friends!"
— Sandy Baker

"Great experience with this company. I have used many others in Ballina-Byron but this was by far the best — you guys made our trip so easy. Great customer service, wonderful drivers, and by far the best and most affordable transportation company I have used. Thank you so much!"
— Mark Harris