DRIVE A2B February 2018

MAGAZINE 

on the ranks since 1966 

DRIVE 

Voice of the Victorian Point-to-Point Transport Industry 

FEBRUARY 2018 

NO 09 

incorporating 

VOICE 

OF THE TAXI INDUSTRY 

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VICTORIA 

TAXI CLUB

CONTENTS 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

6 VH plates - to be or not to be? 

Minister Pulford says nothing changes - 

VicRoads says they are not to issue VH plates 

anymore - who is correct? 

10 Industry update from CPVAA 

An update on what’s happening in and around 

the industry from the Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Association of Australia - the new 

name of the VHCA. 

16 Uber investigation FAQs 

Answers to some of the most frequently asked 

questions regarding the Maurice Blackburn 

Uber investigation. 

25 Booking Service Providers (BSPs) 

A list of the BSPs, as provided by the Taxi 

Services Commission. 

28 Your say 

Letters and emails received by DRIVE A2B 

regarding the Victorian point-to-point 

transport industry. 

32 Overseas news 

Snippets regarding the point-to-point industry 

around the world. 

Find us at ... 

Editor 

Mrs Toni Peters 

www.drivea2b.com.au 

DRIVEA2B 

@DRIVEA2Ba 

info@drivea2b.com.au 

Publisher 

Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 

PO Box 2345, Mount Waverley Vic. 3149 

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E tonipeters@drivea2b.com.au · 

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DRIVE A2B magazine · February 2018 3

Editorial 

WELCOME 

to the February 2018 edition of 

DRIVE 

Voice of the Victorian Point-to-Point Transport Industry 

Writing my monthly article 

is the hardest part of putting 

DRIVE A2B together. I sit at my 

desk searching for ideas and 

inspiration, wading through the 

news articles from all around 

the world, relating to taxis and 

hire cars, and finding the ones of 

most interest to report on. 

Reading these each month 

gives me a great insight to the 

happenings in the commercial 

passenger vehicle industry 

around the world, and confirms 

what we already know - that 

Melbourne, and Australia for that 

matter, is not alone in the fight 

against Uber infiltrating the taxi 

and hire car industry. 

Recent auctions of taxi 

medallions in New York tabled 

their worth at US$185,000 

(AU$230,000). (The medallion is 

a piece of tin affixed to the bonnet 

of a yellow cab - showing that the 

vehicle is licensed to be a taxi.) 

Like many other cities around the 

globe, New York’s point-to-point 

transport market has had to cope 

with the introduction of Uber, Lyft, 

Via and Juno. The price of the taxi 

medallions has been undermined 

by the flood of ride-sharing 

companies and therefore have 

effectively devalued the medallions 

from US$1million in 2013 to just 

US$185,000 this month. 

The same thing is happening 

all around the world. What was 

once a venture capital industry 

has basically been reduced to 

dust overnight. 

Once the latest amendment 

to the Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Bill is made law the 

Taxi Services Commission 

is supposed to have greater 

power to enforce the rules and 

regulations of the Bill. Hopefully 

this will give them the power 

and the means to stop vehicles 

and drivers who do not have 

accreditation, from operating as 

taxis or hire cars. 

It’s not difficult to obtain your 

driver accreditation if you don’t 

have a criminal record and are 

healthy. Similarly it’s not tricky 

to get your vehicle accredited 

as long as it has a current 

Roadworthy Certificate. 

Hopefully the Taxi Services 

Commission (TSC) Compliance 

and Enforcement Officers will 

be very proactive as soon as 

legislation is made law. 

Interesting to note that Uber 

has been banned from Perth’s 

new Optus Stadium. The rank 

next to the arena is only for 

registered taxis and Uber keeps 

telling everyone that they are not 

taxis! The WA government has 

also recognised the fact that it 

needs to give more money to 

the licence owners, and they are 

going to do this. 

4 DRIVE A2B magazine · February 2018

It was recently pointed out to 

the TSC that some vehicles with 

SV licences had previously been 

operating illegally. Mr Brnovic, 

TSC Acting CEO, responded 

that these vehicles had been 

operating illegally and, as it’s in 

the past, it is probably not in the 

public’s interest to commence a 

prosecution. 

“Having regard to the Policy and 

the statutory revocation of SV 

licences in 2017, there would be 

no real public interest that would 

be served by future enforcement 

action for any relevant past 

conduct”, said Mr Brnovic. 

So, even though some operators 

have broken the law, some will not 

be penalised - because it is in the 

past! Really! 

If a person had stolen goods in the 

past, would the police not pursue 

it today? They broke the law - they 

would be punished. 

Why is it so different for a Hire Car 

or Taxi Licence Owner or Operator. 

They broke the law - they should 

be fined, retrospectively. 

On another note... In 2017 China 

sold 777,000 new-energy vehicles 

(electric and plug-in hybrids) 

which is a 53% increase from 

2016. 652,000 were batteryelectric 

vehicles. This increase 

is still only 3% of the new vehicle 

market but it is a massive growth 

for green energy vehicles. The 

huge growth is attributed to 

government subsidies that 

support domestically produced 

models. 

Have you enjoyed travelling on 

Melbourne’s roads over the last six 

weeks? School holidays always 

provides us with some relief with 

less traffic congestion - but did 

you know that the traffic only 

drops around 5% in the holidays? 

Just 5% to make such a difference 

to our travel times - 50% quicker 

in fact! 

So how can we keep the traffic 

moving this quickly? There has 

been talk about a congestion 

tax, a car free CBD, fast rail like 

Japan’s Bullet Train, a Hyperloop 

where passengers travel extra fast 

in pods. Even autonomous flying 

copters have been discussed. 

It’s not too far into the future 

before we will probably have these 

futuristic modes of transport on 

our roads and in the air. 

Reminder... to be part of the 

proposed Class Action against 

Uber you need to register your 

details. It only takes a few 

minutes to register with Maurice 

Blackburn via the online portal at 

www.mauriceblackburn.com.au/ 

uberclassaction. Why not do it 

today? 

Toni Peters | EDITOR 

Views expressed in any article in DRIVE A2B magazine are those of the individual contributor and not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept any 

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DRIVE A2B TM is wholly owned by Trade Promotions Pty Ltd. © Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. Copyright of articles and photographs in DRIVE A2B TM 

remains with the individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission. 

DRIVE A2B magazine · February 2018 

5

HIRE CARS 

VH plates 

TO BE OR 

NOT TO BE? 

On 30 November 2017, Minister Pulford, Leader 

of the Upper House, said “the government has no 

plans to change the arrangements for VH plates”. 

Therefore, we all presumed that the issuance of 

VH plates for new vehicles licensed to operate 

as a Hire Car vehicle had not altered. And when 

an owner visited VicRoads to obtain his/her new 

VH plates, they would be issued to them. Not the 

case! 

On January 17, 2018 an owner did exactly that 

and VicRoads personnel advised him that they 

had been instructed NOT to issue any more VH 

plates. 

They even gave the owner a copy of the written 

instruction declaring same, typos and all. 

It does make you wonder, doesn’t it? How 

two government departments can have two 

totally different views on whether the issuance 

of VH plates remains as it was, or has been 

discontinued. 

Understandable that drivers of Uber and other ride 

sharing vehicles may not wish to have VH plates, 

even though they are meant to be licensed as Hire 

Cars, but that shouldn’t be preventing regular VH 

luxury cars to be entitled to have their VH plates. 

We have asked Minister Pulford, Minister Allan 

and the Taxi Services Commission for advice as 

to why VicRoads has been instructed not to issue 

Extract from Hansard from the 

Upper House on 30/11/2017 

Mr DAVIS—Minister, despite what you have 

said, there is a very strong indication in the 

sector that the government does in fact 

intend to wind back the provision of the VHA 

plates and the subsequent series. That is 

what we have heard time and time again. The 

government has given no security to those 

segments. 

Ms PULFORD—No, there are no plans to make 

changes to those arrangements. I think the 

rumours are perhaps based on unfounded 

fears. 

Mr DAVIS—Is the minister able to provide 

me with a guarantee that the government is 

intending in the longer haul to provide those 

plates, that the full series will be allocated and 

that there is no prospect that VicRoads will 

stop issuing those plates? 

Ms Pulford interjected. 

Mr DAVIS—No. I am prepared to take your word 

in this chamber that that is the case, because 

that has not been provided in a parliamentary 

context until this point. 

Ms PULFORD—I am happy to take this 

opportunity, Mr Davis, to confirm that the 

government has no plans to change the 

arrangements for VH plates. 

Mr DAVIS—In which case I am happy to 

withdraw the amendments on the basis of that 

commitment. 


VicRoads document printed and given to Hire Car Owner on 17/1/2018 

VH plates, but to date we have 

not received any reply. 

The TSC has also been 

contacted and asked to 

confirm that the current 

arrangements continue 

whereby a plate can be 

obtained from VicRoads at 

the administrative cost of a 

plate change-over only. 

They were asked to confirm 

that the VH range (VHA000 

– VHZ999) will continue to 

be reserved by VicRoads 

and will only be issued to 

those vehicles that have 

a Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Licence allocated 

to them. 

Again, to date, no reply 

has been received. 

Transport affects the quality of our lives, it shapes our cities 

and our communities - TRANSPORT MATTERS. 

YOU HAVE A RIGHT, AND YOU DESERVE, TO BE HEARD. 

Rod Barton and André Baruch, the President and Vice President of the CPVAA, have 

started the process of forming a new political party – the Transport Matters Party 

(TMP). The TMP will participate in the 2018 Victorian State Election with one clear 

objective - to give back a voice to local communities. 

JOIN TODAY 

ONLINE AT OUR WEBSITE transportmatters.party 


7

INDUSTRY UPDATE 

FAIRNESS 

FUND 

Are the assessments fair? 

The Victorian government’s Fairness 

Fund was created and designed to 

help those within the taxi and hire 

car industry who were experiencing 

significant financial hardship as a 

result of reforms to the industry. 

People could qualify for a Fairness 

Fund payment if they had an 

ownership interest in a taxi or hire 

car licence between 1 January 

2016 and 23 August 2016 and 

could demonstrate that they were 

experiencing significant financial 

hardship as a result of the reforms, 

including: 

• A lack of current income or the 

loss of a future income stream 

• Significant difficulty in meeting 

ongoing debt obligations 

related to their licence(s) 

• A lack of funds to meet financial 

commitments. 

Last month a spokesperson for 

Transport for Victoria said, “The 

Victorian Government is supporting 

taxi and hire car licence holders 

with more than half a billion dollars 

in financial assistance. We’re doing 

the right thing and providing real 

financial assistance to those who 

need it most through our Fairness 

Fund”. 

Even though the Government lifted 

the $50 million cap on the fund, not 

every applicant received financial 

assistance. 

Apparently the applications were, 

and are, carefully assessed by 

the chair of the Fairness Fund 

and a team of independent 

auditors who consider each 

individual’s circumstances using 

the information and supporting 

documents requested as part of the 

application process. 

Yet, we are well aware that there are 

some applicants who did not receive 

any funding and their situation was 

very, very similar to others who had 

been granted assistance. 

Once a decision is made, there is no 

opportunity for review or appeal. 

We have been advised that 

the process of assessing the 

applications to the Fairness Fund is 

currently being investigated by the 

Victorian Ombudsman. 

However, “the Department has 

worked closely with several 

applicants to obtain the necessary 

supporting information, to give 

them extra time to provide this 

information, or to put them in touch 

with financial counselling services, 

to ensure no eligible person misses 

out,” said a Transport for Victoria 

spokesperson. 

Just wonder if this is enough? Many 

businesses and family’s livelihoods 

have been destroyed by the 

compulsory revocation of the taxi 

and hire car licences. Many owners 

didn’t even bother to apply to the 

Fairness Fund as they found the 

process to be all too hard and the 

initial application closing date did 

not have an extension of time. 

There are still some applications 

to be fully assessed and they will, 

apparently, be finalised as quickly as 

possible. 


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VHCA X 

CPVAA 

The Victorian Hire Car Association has been rebranded to the 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association of Australia. 

ROD BARTON 

President, CPVAA 

At our 2017 Annual General 

Meeting we put a vote to 

our members to change the 

association’s name from the 

Victorian Hire Car Association 

(VHCA) to the Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle Association 

of Australia (CPVAA). We did 

so to reflect our membership 

base that now is made up of not 

only hire car operators, but also 

many colleagues from the taxi 

industry. 

The name change will also 

give us more opportunities 

for further sponsorship 

agreements. There has also 

been discussions with our 

colleagues interstate in possibly 

aligning forces. 

This proposal had overwhelming 

support by the VHCA members. 

On the 24th January 2018, at an 

extraordinary Special General 

Meeting the name change was 

ratified. Moving forward we will 

be known as the CPVAA! 

There are some who have 

doubted the effectiveness of 

the VHCA. Well the Maurice 

Blackburn announcement 

would not have happened 

without a dedicated group of 

people working on behalf of its 

members, volunteering not only 

their time but also supporting 

the VHCA (now CPVAA) 

financially. 

I would like to remind colleagues 

that André and I only became 

involved and relaunched 

the VHCA after the disaster 

of the Fels Inquiry and how 

shamefully the Taxi and Hire 

Car industries were treated by 

Minister Allan and the Andrews 

Labor Government. If we were 

compensated fairly and the Taxi 

Services Commission (TSC) had 


enforced the law and met their 

statutory obligations, we would 

not have been forced down this 

road. 

Just remember when Fels moved 

hire car licences from $60,000 

to $40,000 and leased taxi 

licences below the then current 

market value, you got nothing in 

compensation! When the Andrews 

Government first announced 

transition payments it was only for 

two licences and they wanted to 

pay you not now, but over 8 years! 

It was only the combined efforts 

of the industry participants and 

the hire car and taxi industries’ 

associations lobbying, that got 

you the money you have received. 

If you think we have given up on a 

fair payment for our hire car and 

taxi licences you are mistaken. We 

have till 24 November 2018 to get 

paid fairly for our property and/or 

influence the outcome of the 2018 

State election. 

Minister Allan, we appreciate the 

down payment, but where is the 

balance of monies due? 

TAX COLLECTORS 

It’s February 2018 and to think 

that the Andrews Government 

has still not got the issue of Ride 

Share to bed. More negative 

changes are still yet to come, such 

as Booking Services Providers 

(BSP). Operators are to become 

tax collectors for Daniel Andrews 

and they will be known as BSPs! 

You will now be required to report 

four times a year how many trips 

you have done, how much tax 

you have collected and you will 

be responsible to electronically 

send this information to the State 

Revenue Office (SRO). Who are 

the BSP’s? Just about all Hire 

Car drivers and taxi operators. 

Apparently this is less red tape! 

CLASS ACTION 

By now, everyone should be 

aware that Maurice Blackburn 

is investigating a possible Class 

Action against Uber on behalf of 

the CPVAA. This journey started 

around a year and a half ago when 

André Baruch and I sat down at 

André’s dining table one evening 

and asked Nadav Prawer, of 

Mann Lawyers, what are our legal 

options were. That conversation 

led to a very lengthy road to seek 

damages against Uber for their 

illegal activities. 

This Potential Class Action would 

not have been achieved without 

the support and hard work of 

many people. 


11

CPVAA continued 

I would like to take this opportunity 

to thank:- 

• VHCA members - clearly this is 

all about you - you gave us the 

support to do our jobs 

• fellow Board members and the 

2 outgoing Board members 

(Adam Lust and Paul Kariotis) 

• Vice President André Baruch, 

without whose personnel 

support, meetings and latenight 

phone calls we may not 

have got to this stage – to 

potentially launch the largest 

Class Action this country has 

ever seen. 

• Nadav Prawer, of Mann 

Lawyers, who without none 

of this would have got off the 

ground. 

• our new best friends, Maurice 

Blackburn, who have the 

talent, skills and resources to 

take Uber on! 

Some seem to have concerns 

over the funding and costs of the 

potential Class Action. 

It costs NOTHING if we are NOT 

successful! 

So sign up, remember part of 

something is better than all of 

nothing! 

TRANSPORT MATTERS 

PARTY 

Transport Matters Party (TMP) 

is the political lobby arm of 

the CPVAA. We encourage all 

colleagues, family and friends 

who work or have an interest in 

transport, to join us. 

It only costs $20 to be a member 

and you can apply online at 

transportmatters.party. 

MEMBERSHIP 

The CPVAA does not run on fresh 

air and miracles, it needs financial 

support in Memberships and 

sponsorships. We are fortunate to 

have such fantastic support from 

our sponsors. Please when you 

can, support those who support 

you! Membership is only $120. The 

more members we have, the more 

opportunities to bring savings to 

our members! 

UNFAIRNESS FUND 

Those responsible for the Fairness 

Fund should be embarrassed and 

ashamed, after much lobbying and 

many complaints, the roll-out of 

payments from this fund is now 

being investigated by the Victorian 

Ombudsman! We will continue 

to lobby the Ombudsman to 

widen the scope of this enquiry to 

investigate all aspects of not only 

the Fairness Fund but the biased 

actions of the TSC. 

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DRIVE A2B 

Australia’s No. 1 monthly Point-to-Point transport 

magazine 

Contact Toni Peters 0400 137 866 


CPVAA continued 

CLASS ACTION 

VS UBER 

BY ROD BARTON 

President CPVAA 

The potential Class Action 

is open to all Taxi/Hire Car 

operators and Drivers! 

The VHCA has been busy 

working with the class 

actions experts at Maurice 

Blackburn Lawyers in order 

to do everything we can to 

help our members (VHCA/ 

CPVAA members) register for 

this proposed class action 

against Uber for operating 

illegally and damaging the 

livelihoods of our members. 

Since the proposed action 

was announced by Maurice 

Blackburn amid a flurry of 

media coverage at our AGM 

last year, we have helped 

hundreds of members 

to register to recover 

compensation and get the 

legal action off the ground. 

In December we held further 

sessions with Maurice 

Blackburn Senior Associate 

Michael Donelly at Embassy, 

courtesy of the VTHF West 

Melbourne office, and we 

have plans to invite the 

Maurice Blackburn team 

to several other events and 

sessions we intend to host 

early in the coming weeks, 

to help those members who 

want extra information before 

registering. 

YOU MUST REGISTER AT 

www.mauriceblackburn.com. 

au/uberclassaction 

TO PARTICIPATE! 

We can’t stress the 

importance of this enough to 

our members. One of the key 

factors that will determine 

whether or not the class 

action against Uber can 

proceed, will be member 

interest – and that means 

registrations. 

There is no cost, liability or 

risk associated with signing 

up. There will be no outof-pocket 

money for our 

members as the investigation 

and proposed case are being 

privately funded. If you 

haven’t already registered, 

we urge you to do so and 

we urge you to ask your 

colleagues to register too. 

Should you have any 

questions about how to 

register or wish to discuss 

the investigation with Maurice 

Blackburn, please do not 

hesitate to contact the team 

at Uber@mauriceblackburn. 

com.au or on 1800 173 657. 

A translator can be arranged 

if required. 

It’s not 

too 

late to 

register. 

You can 

register 

today! 

Tell your 

fellow 

drivers 

and 

owners 

to also 

register. 

REGISTER AT www.mauriceblackburn.com.au/uberclassaction 

MORE INFORMATION 

If you would like more information regarding the potential class action, please 

visit website www.mauriceblackburn.com.au/uberclassaction. 

Contact Maurice Blackburn via email Uber@mauriceblackburn.com.au or 

phone 1800 173 657. 


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CLASS ACTION 

UBER 

investigation 

What is it? 

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers are 

investigating a potential class 

action against Uber on behalf of all 

taxi drivers, hire car drivers, licence 

holders and operators who were 

licensed to operate in the State of 

Victoria between 1 January 2013 

and 31 July 2017. 

The allegation is that from 2013 

until midway through 2017, when 

new legislation came into effect, 

Uber was operating unlawfully 

and that unlawful conduct caused 

extensive loss and damage to 

taxi driver and hire car operators 

and licence holders, who were 

operating according to Victorian 

laws. 

You must register to 

participate! 

We can’t stress the importance of 

this enough! One of the key factors 

that will determine whether or not 

the class action against Uber can 

proceed, will be industry personnel 

interest – and that means 

registrations. 

If you need help completing the 

online registration process, please 

contact Maurice Blackburn on 

1800 173 657. Translators are 

available, if required. 

How much does it cost 

to be part of the class 

action? 

There is no cost, liability or risk 

associated with signing up. There 

will be no out-of-pocket money as 

the investigation and proposed 

case are being privately funded. 

What will it cost me if any 

legal proceedings are not 

successful? 

Under the terms of the Funding 

Agreement, if the case proceeds 

and is unsuccessful, any costs 

will be paid by the litigation funder, 

Harbour. 

The only contribution you would make 

being in the event we are successful, 

in which event amounts would 

be deducted from the settlement 

amount for legal costs and the 

litigation funding commission. 

Who can register for the 

proposed Class Action? 

• All Victorian Taxi Drivers, Taxi 

Owners, Taxi Operators, Taxi 

Licence Holders 

AND 

• All Victorian Hire Car Drivers, 

Hire Car Owners, Hire Car 

Operators, Hire Car Licence 

Holders 

who suffered a loss in earnings in 

the period 1 January 2013 to 31 

July 2017. 

How do I register? 

Go online to https://www. 

mauriceblackburn.com.au/ 

uberclassaction. 

The registration questionnaire 

will require you to input basic 

information that enables us to 

verify some of your personal 

information such as your losses. All 

the information supplied remains 

confidential and is required in order 

to process a meaningful claim on 

behalf of each individual and the 

group as a whole. 


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SINCE 1978 - serving the taxi industry for 39 years 

THE OWNERS ASSOCIATION 

1084 Centre Road, Oakleigh South 9563 7812

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION 

VTA NOW 

NON-METRO 

After 53 years as the peak industry 

body for Victorian taxi owners 

and depots, the Victorian Taxi 

Association (VTA) as we knew it, is 

no more. 

From 1 January 2018 the 

VTA will represent only Victorian 

non-metropolitan taxi businesses. 

After taking into account the 

financial, reputational and 

organisational resources of the 

VTA and the ongoing changes to 

the industry, it was decided by 

the VTA Directors that this was 

the best decision for all, moving 

forward. 

The change to representing only 

the Victorian non-metro taxi 

businesses, “will allow us to focus 

on representing the point-of-view 

and experience of family-owned, 

community-based, regional 

taxi service providers and offer 

more targeted and personalised 

membership and advocacy 

services”, said Stephen Armstrong, 

VTA President. 

They have moved out of their 

Port Melbourne offices and have 

relocated to Geelong at Geelong 

Taxis. The directors feel that 

the revenue generated from 

their Port Melbourne building 

and membership revenue will be 

sufficient to provide meaningful 

membership services for nonmetropolitan 

taxi businesses 

Georgia Nicholls (VTA CEO) 

resigned December 2017, choosing 

to seek a new professional 

direction. Office staff Linda 

Constantelos and Anna Willis 

finished up at the end of last year. 

The directors, Stephen Armstrong 

(Ballarat Taxis), Peter Valentine 

(Geelong Taxis) and Colin Wells 

(Taxis Associated of Bendigo) 

will host region meetings in early 

February 2018. 

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proudly serving the taxi industry 


ANNUAL ROADWORTHY 

INSPECTIONS 

VicRoads have abolished the taxi 

tester category for licensed vehicle 

testers. It is still a requirement 

for taxis and hire cars to have an 

annual roadworthy inspection 

however. 

RSI provide quick, 

comprehensive and cost 

effective inspections to 

keep you compliant 

and get you back 

on the road 

within an 

hour. 

Roller brake and 

suspension testing 

Helpful advice from 

qualified and respected 

industry experts 

Clearance of 

unroadworthy notices and 

interstate defect notices 

LPG installation 

compliance testing 

Road Safety Inspections 

433 Williamstown Rd, 

Port Melbourne 

inspect@busvic.asn.au 

03 9646 3362

Lamborghini 

Urus 

BY 

JUSTIN HILLIARD 

Lamborghini has defied brand expectations by revealing 

its first SUV model since the LM002 in 1986, with the Urus 

rolled out at an overnight event ahead of an Australian 

launch in 2018.

Claimed to be the fastest SUV 

yet, the 2197kg Urus has a top 

speed of 305km/h and can 

sprint from zero to 100km/h in 

3.6 seconds while on the way to 

200km/h in 12.8s. 

Significantly, this marks the first 

time a Lamborghini model has 

used turbocharging over natural 

aspiration. 

On-demand cylinder 

deactivation and 

an eightspeed 

torque-convertor automatic 

transmission – another first – 

play their part in maximising 

efficiency, with the Urus 

consuming a claimed 12.7 

litres of fuel per 100 kilometres 

on the combined cycle test. 

Carbon dioxide emissions have 

been rated at 290 grams per 

kilometre. 

This immense performance 

is thanks to a front-mounted 

4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 

petrol engine that pumps out 

478kW of power at 6000rpm and 

850Nm of torque from 2250rpm 

to 4500rpm with a rev limit of 

6800rpm. 

Up to seven ’Tamburo’ 

driving modes are 

offered, including 

’Strada’, ’Sport’, 

’Corsa’, ’Neve’ (snow), 

’Terra’ (off-road), 

’Sabbia’ (sand) and 

’Ego’ (individual), 

with each allowing 

the driver to adjust engine, 

transmission, exhaust, 

suspension and steering 

settings. 

Safety and driver assist 

technologies will extend to high 

beam assist, front and rear 

parking sensors, autonomous 

emergency braking with 

pedestrian detection, forward 

collision warning, cruise control, 

and up to eight airbags. 

Built on Volkswagen Group’s 

’MLB Evo’ platform, the Urus 

is mechanically related to the 

Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga 

and Porsche Cayenne among 

others, but will be manufactured 

at Lamborghini’s factory in 

Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. 

The Urus has a suggested retail 

price of $390,000, including 

Goods and Services Tax (GST) 

and Luxury Car Tax (LCT).

INTERSTATE NEWS 

WA taxi industry 

COMPENSATION 

BY JOSH CHIAT 

Western Australia (WA) taxi drivers 

Neville Sly and Sam Hussain say 

they should be included in industry 

compensation being funded 

through a 10 per cent levy across 

the taxi and ride-sharing industries. 

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti, 

says money taken from regional 

taxi operators through a Statewide 

levy will not be funneled into a 

metropolitan buyback scheme, 

despite the concerns of country 

taxi licensees who want to be 

included in industry compensation. 

Under the proposed scheme, which 

has already met opposition from 

Perth’s taxi industry, a minimum 

of $100,000 would be offered to 

metropolitan plate owners who had 

seen the value of taxi plates swan 

dive since the introduction of Uber 

in Perth in 2014. 

The McGowan Government plans 

to fund it through a 10 per cent levy 

charged across WA’s on-demand 

transport industry over four years. 

It will also allow on-demand 

transport operators to work 

anywhere in the State and alter 

their operating hours. 

But country licence owners will not 

be offered a buyback at all, with the 

Department of Transport advising 

country licences differ from 

metropolitan plates and are often 

negligible in value. 

Ms Saffioti said the State 

Government was planning to 

consult with regional taxi operators 

before presenting the final 

legislation to Parliament. 

“The State Government is still 

liaising with regional operators 

and is considering a number of 

options to support them during the 

temporary levy period,” she said. 

“We intend to have a support 

package for regional operators 

in agreement before the new 

legislation is introduced to the 

State Parliament.” 

Twin City Cabs president Neville 

Sly, whose organisation runs 38 

of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s 44 taxis 

and includes 36 licence owners, 

said any compensation should 

be applied across WA, with the 

proposed legislation opening the 

gates for charter vehicles from 

anywhere in the State to move in 

on the Goldfields market. 

He said deregulation would have 

a negative impact on the value of 

Kalgoorlie-Boulder licences, some 

of which had traded for more than 

$200,000, and which were already 

getting harder to trade on. 

“If they’re going to compensate the 

metropolitan area and we’re under 

the same legislation why can’t we 

be compensated?” he said. 

“We paid as much as the 

metropolitan area, and some areas 

might have paid more.” 

Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson 

questioned why regional operators 

would be forced to pay the levy if 

their funds would not be used for 

the buyback scheme. 

“At the very least, the State 

Government should be offering the 

same compensation to regional 

operators if they’re serious about 

acknowledging the significant 

changes to the on-demand 

transport industry,” he said. 

“If the revenue won’t be used to 

fund the buyback, why impose 

the tax on country taxis in the first 

place?” 


RUMOUR MILL 

What 

we hear 

Are these rumours, fiction or the 

truth hidden in plain sight? 

By 2019 the 

TSC will be 

absorbed into either 

the Department 

of Transport or 

VicRoads. 

TSC Industry 

Compliance Officers will 

be doing a lot more checks on 

ride-share drivers, to see whether 

they have applied for both driver 

accreditation and a hire car 

licence. 

There has been over 

10,000 applications for new 

licences. This is about half the 

number of Uber drivers on the 

road - where’s the other half? 

Many taxi 

drivers will not 

continue to drive for 

their past owners. They 

are going to try their 

hand at going it 

alone. 

1HZ4VT - Gotcha! You were 

spotted last month at Melbourne 

Airport operating as a taxi, with dome 

light and 13CABS decals and you still had 

private plates on!!! Where are your 

taxi plates? 

The 

Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Industry Amendment (Further 

Reforms) Bill 2017 was passed by the Victorian 

Parliament on 12 December 2017. 

The TSC says that once this bill is made law, the reforms 

will create greater competition, better service and 

improved passenger safety. 

Oh, how we really do hope so! 

BE PART OF THE STORY 

Melbourne 

Airport will soon be 

using eTAGS instead of 

Swipe Cards for access 

to the taxi holding 

system. 

Join the Conversation 

DRIVE A2B loves hearing what you think 

about the magazine, your taxi owner or driver, 

your network service provider, or just taxis in 

general. 

Email DRIVE A2B at info@drivea2b.com.au or 

sms DRIVE A2B at 0400 137 866. 

Remember to include your name, address 

and phone number for authentication. 


23

ARE YOU A BOOKING SERVICE Victorian PROVIDER? regulator 

TSC 

UPDATE 

FINAL INDUSTRY REFORM 

LEGISLATION PASSES THROUGH PARLIAMENT 

The Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Industry Amendment 

(Further Reforms) Bill 2017 

was passed by the Victorian 

Parliament late on 12 December 

2017. 

This is the second and final piece 

of industry reform legislation. 

The Bill will give the Taxi Services 

Commission more powers to 

regulate the industry, including 

monitoring fares. 

Once the Bill becomes law, 

reforms to the taxi and hire car 

industry will be introduced over 

the coming months. Some of the 

changes are: 

• fare flexibility for booked taxi 

trips 

• zones will be abolished so 

taxis can operate anywhere 

in Victoria 

• new safety measures for 

all commercial passenger 

vehicles – taxis and hire 

cars including rideshare 

vehicles. 

DRIVER ACCREDITATION 

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM 

RIDE-SHARE 


MUST HAVE HIRE CAR 

DRIVER ACCREDITATION 

OR FACE PENALTIES 

Ride-share drivers must have 

applied to the Taxi Services 

Commission for a hire car 

licence and driver accreditation 

in order to operate, effective 1 

January 2018. 

Taxi Services Commission 

Industry Compliance Officers 

will step up their checks on 

drivers, to see whether they 

have applied for both driver 

accreditation and a hire car 

licence. 

The Taxi Services Commission 

is currently receiving a large 

number of enquiries about 

the progress of new driver 

accreditation applications. Due 

to unprecedented demand, 

processing applications is taking 

longer than expected. 

If you applied online, you will 

have received a confirmation 

email. This email means your 

application has been received 

and will be processed as soon as 

possible. 

The driver accreditation 

online application form is 

the quickest and easiest way 

to get accredited. To apply 

online, applicants complete an 

online application form and 

verify their identity. Once the 

applicant submits their medical 

assessment the TSC will process 

your application. 


BOOKING SERVICE PROVIDERS as at 6 December 2017 

1300 Taxi Pty Ltd 

21 Milne Avenue Pty Ltd 

A.c.n. 145 714 352 Pty Ltd 

Amalgamated Taxis Wodonga Co-operative 

Apimor Pty Ltd 

Ararat Cabs Pty Ltd 

Ararat Taxis Pty Ltd 

Arrow Taxi Services Pty Ltd 

Ayre Port Pty Ltd 

B.B.L Management Pty Ltd 

Ballarat Taxis Limited 

Bellarine Peninsula Taxis Pty Ltd 

Benalla Taxis Pty Ltd 

Betts, Hocking, Arnold, English, Stephens & 

Stephens 

Black Cabs Combined Pty Ltd 

Cab Connect Pty Ltd 

CABIT TAXICABS PTY LTD 

Cabways Pty Ltd 

Christopher & Susan Huthnance 

Crown & Company Pty Ltd 

Cullcabs Pty Ltd 

Cunningham, Cinamon & Dimech, David 

Dale'sford Pty Ltd 

Daylesford Taxi Service Pty Ltd 

Dennis John & Pauline Frances Cook 

Dimboola Taxi Services Pty Ltd 

Echuca Moama Taxi Group Pty Ltd 

Elite Taxi's Association Inc. 

Evans, Robert A & Elizabeth B 

Executive Drivers Association Inc 

Geelong Taxi Network Pty Ltd 

Geoffrey & Maree Pritchett 

Giovanni Nominees Pty Ltd 

Grant & Amanda Pascoe 

Greater Shepparton Taxi's Pty Ltd 

Gregory J & Susan D Kelly 

H H & J N Roberts Pty Ltd 

Horsham Taxi Service Pty Ltd 

Horsham Taxis Pty Ltd 

Ingogo Limited 

J Halacas & M T Halacas & J A Rankin & M 

J Rankin 

J M & S F Zonneveldt Pty Ltd 

Jamie G & Jennifer L Bickley 

Joanna Pty Ltd 

John L & Shirley J Croft 

Karl Rainer Lintzen 

Kensington Taxis Pty Ltd 

KTBS Kyneton Pty Ltd 

Kyneton Country Cabs Pty Ltd 

Latrobe Valley Taxi Company Pty Ltd 

Melbourne Combined Taxi Network PL 

Melbourne Network Drivers Association 

Melbourne Phone Cabs Association Inc. 

Melbourne Platinum Cabs Pty Ltd 

Melton Bacchusmarsh Taxicabs Pty Ltd 

Michael Dee Pty Ltd 

Mildura Taxis Associated 

Miss Sandra Marie Timmins 

Morwell Taxis Pty Ltd 

Mr Ali Abdi S Warsame 

Mr Amanpreet Singh 

Mr Brian R Cuffe 

Mr Damian Peter Murphy 

Mr Daniel Alexander Smith 

Mr Edwin George Kilby 

Mr Gary J Sinnott 

Mr Gavin John Mackenzie 

Mr Graham Jeffrey Handcock 

Mr Gurpreet Singh 

Mr Igor Nicholas Saarinen 

Mr Jack Tumohe Ngatai 

Mr Michael N Harrison 

Mr Mohamed Ali Samatar 

Mr Paul A O'ryan 

Mr Raphael Francis Edwards 

Mr Rehman Habib 

Mr Robert J Armstrong 

Mr Robert Peter Salisbury 

Mr Shane G Burke 

Mr Trevor C Templeton 

Mrs Radha Beejadhur 

Mrs Robyn J Petrowsky 

Mrs Veronica Maria Clarke 

Net-Cabs Pty Ltd 

North Suburban Taxis (Vic) Pty Ltd 

Peninsula Radio Cabs Co-Operative Society 

Peter & Sheila Jepson 

Philip Bartlett & Alan Dow 

Pincab Py Ltd 

Platinum Taxi's Association Incorp. 

Platinum Taxis Pty Ltd 

Premier Taxis 

Prestige Taxi Drivers Assoc. Inc 

R & S Wilkinson Pty Ltd 

Radliff Pty Ltd 

Riviera Taxis & Hire Cars Pty Ltd 

Robinvale Taxi Services Pty Ltd 

Rontronics Technical Services Pty Ltd 

Ross & Denise Irene Missen 

S.E TAXIS Pty Ltd 

Sale Taxis Pty Ltd 

Shepparton Taxis Pty Ltd 

Silver Hill & Co. Pty Ltd 

Silver Service Melton Bacchus Marsh Taxi 

Cabs Pty Ltd 

Silver Top Taxi Service Pty Ltd 

Sixat Services Pty Ltd 

Slate Beach Pty Ltd 

Stanglis Pty Ltd 

Stanley & Debra Smith 

Street Cabs Pty Ltd 

Super Cabs Pty Ltd 

Superior Cabs Pty Ltd 

Swan Hill City Taxis Pty Ltd 

Swan Hill Taxi Cabs Pty Ltd 

Taxi Apps Pty Ltd 

Taxi-link Pty Ltd 

Taxis Associated Of Bendigo Co-Operative 

Taxis Of Hamilton Pty Ltd 

Taxis Of Portland Pty Ltd 

Telecabs Drivers Incorporated 

TickToc Australia Pty Ltd 

Ticktoc Worldwide Pty Ltd 

Traralgon Dispatch Services Pty Ltd 

Unicross Nominees Pty Ltd 

Vermont Autogas Pty Ltd 

W R L Management Pty Ltd 

Warrnambool Radio Taxis Pty Ltd 

Wellington Taxis Pty Ltd 

West Gippsland Taxis Pty Ltd 

West Suburban Taxis Pty Ltd 

Wilson, Colin D & Margaret A 

Yarra Valley Taxis Pty Ltd 

Yellow Cabs Victoria Pty Ltd 

Commercial passenger vehicle operators and individual drivers have the choice to subscribe to 

one or more accredited Booking Service Providers. 


FUTURE TRANSPORTATION 

HYPERLOOP 

will soon be 

HERE 

In January 2018 Hyperloop 

Transportation Technologies 

(HTT) CEO Dirk Ahlborn said that 

HTT is on the brink of a major 

announcement. 

“This is going to be a busy year. We 

are expecting to announce the first 

commercial track this year,” he said. 

Entrepreneur and innovative 

engineer Elon Musk, came up 

with the idea for super-fast 

transportation. There are several 

companies around the world 

attempting to develop this idea 

and HTT could be the first to get a 

working track. 

Passengers and goods will travel 

in pressurized capsules floating 

on a frictionless magnetic cushion 

within the tubes. Capsules are 

powered by a linear induction 

motor, an electromagnetic 

propulsion, and embedded 

rechargeable batteries. As a result, 

the system is silent and emissionfree. 

“It should be ready by midyear. It is 

basically like building an airplane 

and that takes about a year,” he 

said. 

“To be clear, this is not some sort of 

test pod, this is the sort of capsule 

that you and I are going to be riding 

in a little bit.” 

The capsules are engineered and 

designed to create a safe and 

harmonious environment for the 

passengers. 

DEWDROP is the name of the Hyperloop terminal station prototype with circular 

guidance and Operating System. It can move 3,600 passengers per hour and 

every platform gate will manage 180 people per hour. The Dewdrop can easily 

be built into th existing transportation infrastructure. 

HTT uses a next generation passive 

magnetic levitation system. 

It’s called Inductrack. Magnets 

enable passive levitation over an 

unpowered but conductive track. 

And as capsules move through the 

low pressure environment, they use 

very little energy on route thanks to 

the reduced drag forces. 

In addition, HTT has developed 

a new skin material for capsule 


HYPERLOOP brings airplane speeds to ground level, safely. Passengers and 

cargo capsules will hover through a network of low-pressure tubes between 

cities and transforming travel time from hours to minutes. 

30 metres 

Length 

28-40 

Passengers/capsule 

160,000+ 

Passengers daily 

4,000k 

Cargo shipments daily 

safety called Vibranium. Using 

carbon-fiber and embedded 

sensors, Vibranium is eight 

times stronger than aluminium 

and ten times stronger than 

steel alternatives. It transmits 

critical information regarding 

temperature, stability, integrity 

and more, wirelessly and 

instantly. It is lighter in weight— 

five times less than steel and 

1.5 times less than aluminium— 

reducing energy output to 

propel the capsule. 

The Hyperloop system consists 

of large tubes that will primarily 

be built on pylons, with some 

ground level and underground 

segments as needed. 

Also, it is automated with 

advanced technologies that only 

require monitoring from humans. 

Automation improves efficiency 

and reliability by enabling system 

elements to be in constant 

Need 

LEGAL 

assistance? 

Serving the Taxi Industry 

for over 30 years 

communication with each other 

and with operation control centres. 

HTT is aiming for passengers to be 

travelling via Hyperloop capsules 

within three years. 

• Business 

• Commercial 

• Conveyancing 

• Estate Planning 

• Family 

• Litigation 

• Probate 

• Taxation 

• Superannuation 

The elevated system results in 

lower cost of land acquisition, 

makes it impervious to 

weather conditions, resilient 

to earthquakes, eliminates the 

possibility of collision with road 

traffic, and will provide ecoopportunities. 

AMS 

LAW 

Adams Maguire Sier 

176 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe 

Email: amsr@amslaw.com.au | Phone: 9497 2622 


27

HAVE 

YOUR 

SAY 

Send your thoughts to us! 

Send your email (info@DRIVEA2B.com.au) or 

sms (0400 137 866) to us and we shall print 

it here - where you can HAVE YOUR SAY! 

Visit to Aus Open 

BY M. TAY 

On a recent visit from NSW for the 

Australian Open Tennis, we were very 

disappointed at the lack of yellow 

cabs in Melbourne. We discovered 

and were told, that a lot of cabs were 

any colour now. 

Apart from that I would like to tell you 

the service that we got from the taxi 

drivers was very friendly, their cars 

were clean and they even offered us 

a cold bottle of water. 

Returning from 

holidays 

BY E. MARCUS 

In December I took the family on a cruise to 

New Zealand. We returned to Melbourne Airport 

in January and upon exiting the terminal I was 

approached by a man offering to get a car for me. 

He was an Uber driver. 

C’mon Melbourne Airport and TSC - touting is not 

permitted nor tolerated by the Hire Car drivers, 

neither should it be allowed for Uber drivers. 

Why does it appear that there is a different set of 

rules for Uber drivers versus everyone else. Surely, 

every commercial passenger vehicle driver has to 

abide by the same rules and regulations! 

Taxi Repair 

specialist 

• RWC for Taxi and VHA 

• All mechanical repairs 

• Electronic diagnostics 

• Air Con repairs and regas 

• LPG repairs, servicing & installation 

2/32 Roberna Street, Moorabbin Ph: 9532 5555 | 0412 077 462 


Only $215 for 

your business 

card advert 

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Contact Toni Peters 

P: 0400 137 866 E: tonipeters@drivea2b.com.au 


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with every auto car wash 

available at Melrose Lounge. Collect your 

voucher from the Unigas office. 

CLASS ACTION 

If you were a taxi or hire car driver, licensed holder or operator and licensed to 

operate in Victoria between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2017, you can register 

your interest at the Maurice Blackburn website. 

Visit www.mauriceblackburn.com.au/uberclassaction 


29

An artist’s impression of the Melbourne West Gate Tunnel entrance 

EXPRESS 

ROUTE 

to smart roads & 

driverless vehicles 

BY GEORGE NOTT 

The price you pay for not using the 

tolled express lane on Washington 

DC’s Interstate 95 highway is 

frustratingly apparent. 

“In the express lane you will literally 

drive past the general purpose lanes 

where everybody’s backed up in 

traffic and you get to see the value 

proposition,” explains Robert Dean, 

head of technology for Transurban 

– the I95 express lane’s owner and 

operator in North America. 

Dean describes paying the toll for the 

I95 express lane – which is due to 

be extended following a deal signed 

last week – as the equivalent of a 

“guaranteed time to delivery” for your 

journey. 

“If you take general purpose lanes 

you might be able to get there on 

time,” he told CIO Australia at the 

AWS Re:Invent conference in Las 

Vegas last month. “But a lot of times 

you’re not going to get there. We take 

the express lanes because we – for 

all intents and purposes – guarantee 

a certain speed on those lanes at a 

minimum.” 

Although the advantage of taking 

the tolled route is less obvious in 

Australia, where Transurban wholly 

or partly owns 13 roads, it is hard 

to dispute. According to data from 

satnav maker TomTom, drivers in 

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane save 

more than 310,000 hours of traveltime 

each workday on average by 

taking a Transurban toll route. 

Nobody enjoys paying road tolls, so 

for Transurban’s value proposition 

to be sustainable, its routes must 

remain congestion free. 


But with the number of cars on 

Australian roads steadily rising (up 

2.1 per cent to 18.8 million at last 

count) and their use during peak 

hours increasing too (around two 

in three Australians drive to work, 

up by half a million since 2011), 

keeping toll roads flowing freely 

gets more challenging every day. 

Transurban is rolling out IP-enabled 

technology along its fibre-lined 

roads to gather data, managing 

lanes from control rooms that 

crunch data from driver mobiles, 

video cameras, weather sensors, 

government agencies and 

demographic studies. The company 

is also preparing for the unknown 

effects autonomous vehicles will 

have on the road network, and 

running a series of trials in Australia. 

At present 40 per cent of our 

Transurban’s workforce is in 

technology with a daily focus on 

data, network performance and 

security. 

“The better that you can become at 

predicting as opposed to reacting, 

allows you to manage that road 

more effectively,” Dean adds. 

Along its routes, the company has 

laid 700 kilometres of optic fibres 

which are connected to 100,000 

pieces of technology and safety 

systems. 

As well as the antennae that read 

the e-tags of vehicles passing under 

the gantries, there are high definition 

cameras to read number plates, 

dynamic speed signs, and intrusion 

detection to pick up vehicles 

travelling the wrong way down a 

lane. In tunnels there are air meters, 

exhaustion fans, smoke detectors 

and safety systems. 

“We always say we have the most 

sensor rich roads in the world,” says 

Dean. 

The devices are business critical. 

Without the e-tag readers and 

cameras, revenue is at risk, and if 

sight or safety systems are lost, the 

road must close. 

“If we can’t see what’s happening 

on a road and we can’t control the 

safety systems we need to shut it 

down,” Naiker adds. 

For customers, the device rich 

roads have meant Transurban has 

been able to roll-out an app for 

drivers who don’t have an e-tag. 

LinktGO is a GPS-enabled mobile 

app that allows the 50 per cent of 

toll-road users who typically use 

Transurban roads fewer than four 

times a year to see their toll travel in 

real time and pay trip-by-trip using 

their smartphones, with no ongoing 

commitment. 

Real-time speed, volume, vehicle 

occupancy, travel time, video, tag, 

weight in motion, GPS, driver mobile 

and weather data is crunched by 

Transurban’s in-house, 35-strong 

traffic modelling team to keep 

journey times to a minimum on 

the company’s roads. In response 

they can change speed restrictions, 

reverse lane direction and issue 

queue warnings to help ease traffic 

build up. 

Such systems installed on 

Melbourne’s CityLink as part of the 

Monash Freeway Upgrade have 

seen average speeds increase by 40 

per cent at peak times, the company 

says, allowing for 20 per cent more 

cars to travel in each lane. 

There is a safety benefit too. The 

serious injury rate per 100 million 

vehicle km travelled on Transurban’s 

roads is estimated to be up to 80 

per cent below comparable state 

averages on the broader network, 

according to the company’s own 

calculations. 

In August last year the company 

and the Victorian Government 

began a two-year trial of how 

automated vehicles interact with 

road infrastructure on the Monash- 

CityLink-Tullamarine corridor. 

The first phase of the trial, which 

featured connected and automated 

vehicles from BMW, Mercedes, 

Tesla and Volvo tested how car 

features like lane keep assist, 

adaptive cruise control and traffic 

sign recognition respond to tunnels, 

road works, electronic speed signs 

and congestion. 

In the US the company is about to 

pilot an app which locates where 

workers are on a stretch of road. 

“At some point you can feed that 

into the autonomous car,” Dean 

says. “So I can tell your car there’s a 

worker over the next hill, which will 

allow the car to move lanes sooner 

which is good for safety. It’s also 

good for traffic because as you 

know if we all move over at the very 

end we bottleneck. 

“The road infrastructure and 

bandwidth means we can share 

data with the [autonomous] cars, 

with the hope that the car will 

then share data with us as it’s 

progressing down the road,” Dean 

says. 


31

Overseas News 

OTTAWA, CANADA 

JUDGE PAVES THE WAY FOR TAXI LAWSUIT 

Taxi plate owners in 

Ottawa have been given the 

green light to proceed with 

a CA$215 million (AU$217 

million) class action 

claiming discrimination 

over the city’s 2016 

decision to allow Uber 

and similar companies to 

operate legally, a judge 

ruled Tuesday. 

Justice Robert Smith’s 

decision, handed down 

on 16 January 2018, 

acknowledges taxi 

drivers share the same 

concerns over the city’s 

new rules. The ruling will 

allow members of the taxi 

industry to go ahead with 

a class action instead of 

pursuing the matter in 

court individually. 

Uber began operating 

in Ottawa in 2014. In 

September 2016, the city 

amended its taxi bylaw by 

creating a new category 

of licence that legalized 

Uber’s business model. 

Around this same time 

the taxi industry filed an 

uncertified class action 

against the City of Ottawa 

claiming $215 million in 

damages. 

Claims of discrimination 

The suit was filed by the 

parent company of Capital 

Taxi and Marc Andre 

Way, whose family is the 

single-largest owner of taxi 

plates in the city. It was the 

largest lawsuit ever filed 

BY ADRIAN WYLD 

against the city. 

Taxi drivers claim the city 

is responsible for losses 

they suffered after Uber 

was legalized in Ottawa, 

according to an overview 

of the case. 

The plaintiffs allege that 

by welcoming Uber the city 

has discriminated against 

taxi drivers, many of whom 

are “members of minority 

groups.” The plaintiffs also 

claim fees charged to them 

under the amended bylaw 

amount to illegal taxes. 

The city disagrees with the 

taxi industry’s claims, but 

agreed with the court that 

a class action is the best 

way to proceed. 

SWEDEN 

“Some companies are leading the change. 

In Sweden, an Uber competitor called 

Bzzt, an app-based transportation service, 

employs drivers on regular contracts with 

social security, health insurance and other 

benefits. ‘We don’t need to exploit our staff 

to be profitable’, said Sven Wolf, Bzzt’s chief 

executive.” 

NEW YORK TIMES 


Driver Adverts 

want a driver? 

want work? 

WAT DRIVER NEEDED 

Accredited Wheelchair Accessible Taxi driver needed 

to deliver a great customer experience by adopting 

a positive, relationship-based, and customer-centric 

approach. Please contact Peter or Jodie at Vermont 

Autogas on (03) 9874 8611. 

DRIVER WANTED - Part time and 

Saturday Night Available 

Brighton change over. Private owner in Silver Top. 

Phone 0418 536 815. 

SILVER TOP DRIVER NEEDED 

A flexible position exists for competent Silver Top 

driver. Any shifts - new car - we can help with 

transport if living far from Richmond. Contact Vic on 

0466 582 009. 

DRIVERS WANTED 

Ride Share Victoria has three vacancies for drivers 

who may wish to work full time, part time or casual. 

Send your resume to info@ridesharevictoria.com.au 

stating your preferences. Accreditation required. 

advertise 

HERE 

Jobs 

FREE for 

operators & 

drivers 

Send details of your DRIVER or JOB 

advertisement to info@drivea2b.com.au 

or sms 0400 137 866 

SILVER TOP DRIVERS NEEDED 

Full time day or night - Sedan 

Must be over 25 years old at least 3 years experience 

in taxi. Changeover Rowville or East Doncaster. 

Please ring Tony on 0413393594 or sms or email 

tonysursock@gmail.com 

DRIVER NEEDED FOR 

PERMANENT PART TIME WORK 

(weekends and optional additional days). Preferred 

location inner city for ease of changeover. Applicants 

must have current Driver Accreditation Certificate 

(DAC). Contact David on 0437 711 345 or 

elegantvehicles@primus.com.au 

If someone you know seems to be struggling, reach out and connect with them. 

Showing that you care could make a huge difference in their life. If you are struggling 

yourself, you might feel better if you reach out for support, get treatment and start taking 

steps towards recovery. 


Overseas News 

UBER WORLD NEWS 

CHIEF DIVERSITY & 

INCLUSION OFFICER 

Uber has hired its first chief 

diversity and inclusion officer. 

Bo Young Lee will fill the role 

that was recommended by 

the Holder Report, which 

investigated the company’s 

toxic culture. It’s the third 

executive appointment under 

new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. 

SOFTBANK 

INVESTMENT 

SoftBank completed its 

long-awaited investment 

agreement with Uber on 

18 January 2018, making 

SoftBank the company’s 

largest shareholder. 

Dara Khosrowshahi (CEO) had 

to find capital infusions like 

this to help the company. In 

2017 it lost $4 billion and legal 

fees over the past two years 

are estimated at $500 million. 

Travis Kalanick (Uber Founder 

and past CEO) has privately 

told people he thought the 

apology tour was a mistake. 

But his opinion no longer 

matters—Uber’s new Chief 

Operating Officer (COO), 

Barney Harford, says he was 

hired without ever meeting 

him. 

The SoftBank deal has made 

Travis Kalanick (who was 

ousted as CEO in 2017) a 

billionaire. Friends say he’s 

trying to keep busy. He’s 

setting up a family office and 

spending time with his father 

in Los Angeles. 

The SoftBank deal values 

the company at about $48 

billion, down from its previous 

valuation of nearly $70 billion. 

SoftBank is also an investor 

in Didi Chuxing, the majority 

owner of Uber’s China 

operations, and has backed 

Grab, a ride-hailing company 

in Southeast Asia, as well as 

India’s Ola. 

LONDON 

“Uber has been ducking 

both regulations and its 

responsibilities to its drivers 

by claiming to be a technology 

platform that simply connects 

drivers and riders. This false 

classification has allowed 

Uber to exploit its workers 

by forcing them to work 

long hours on low wages, 

putting passenger and public 

safety at risk,” said Steve 

McNamara, General Secretary 

of the Licensed Taxi Drivers 

Association (LTDA), London. 

EUROPE 

The European court of justice 

(ECJ) ruled in December 

2017, that Uber is a Transport 

Services Company and not a 

digital service, it is requiring 

Uber to accept stricter 

regulation and licensing within 

the EU as a taxi operator. 

Because of this ruling, unions 

argue the courts will be more 

inclined to define drivers 

as conventional workers, 

rather than accepting the 

arms-length relationship the 

company currently operates. 

The test case on Uber drivers’ 


employment status is due in the UK 

court of appeal later this year. 

ALEX TAXIS 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Uber has introduced a new policy 

that a licensed driver on Uber’s app 

must take an uninterrupted six-hour The deal is subject to regulatory 

break after 10 hours of time on a trip 

with a passenger or on their way to 

pick up a passenger after confirming 

a trip request. 

Drivers who do not take a long 

enough break will not be able to log 

into the app and take trips. 

$BUY 

SOUTH EAST ASIA 

Uber has done a deal in Southeast 

Asia with ComfortDelGro, 

Singapore’s largest taxi operator, 

valued at SG$642 million (AU$608 

MT 

million). 

ComfortDelGro will spend SG$295 

million to buy 51 percent of Uber’s 

Lion City Rentals subsidiary in 

Singapore. This is ComfortDelGro’s 

largest investment outlay in its fortyplus-year 

history. 

approval, but if and when completed 

it will give Uber exclusive access to 

& BROKER P/L 

Comfort’s fleet of more than 15,000 

vehicles in Singapore. That would 

more than double Uber’s driver 

numbers in Singapore. 

AFRICA 

The Ghana Private Road Transport 

Union [GPRTU] has insisted that 

Uber vehicles must be sprayed 

with taxi colours per Ghana’s traffic 

regulations. 

insisted that they are only fighting for 

fairness. 

According to him, per Ghana’s 

traffic regulations, taxis must have 

some of their parts painted with 

yellow colours as well as have a 

section indicating the number of 

passengers the taxi could take, 

information about the owner of the 

taxi among other things, adding that 

because Uber taxis do not have such 

information; they are currently, what 

he termed, “invisible.” 

He also insisted that because taxi 

drivers pay tax and other levies to 

the state, Uber drivers must do the 

same. 

“We believe in competition, we do 

SELL 

not fear competition. We’ve been in 

Vice Chairman of GPRTU, Robert 

existence several years for now so 

Saba, who said they are not scared 

we do not fear competition but the 

of the competition posed by Uber, 

right thing must be done.” 

ases available 

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35

Major 

Events 

9-12 March 

2018 

Inverloch JAZZ FESTIVAL 

Celebrating 25 years of jazz by the sea! 

TICKET PRICES 

full details and bookings at www.inverlochjazzfestival.com 

FULL FESTIVAL WEEKEND 

at the door 

pre book 

$95 

$85 

FRIDAY NIGHT ONLY (7.30pm – 10.30pm) $35 

SATURDAY or SUNDAY - FULL day pass 11am - 11pm $50 

YOUNG PEOPLE (16 years & under) 

Community Grand Parade, Saturday 10am 

Church Service, Salvo Bigband, Sunday 9:30am 

Jazz in the Glade, Monday 11am - 4pm 

Showcasing all types of jazz in three convenient, comfortable venues right in the heart of Inverloch! Food, coffee and 

wine are available from local cafes, restaurants and pubs. The Hub and Warrawee also provide catered gourmet produce. 

Inverloch is only two hours from Melbourne on easy-driving highways. Don’t turn off for Phillip Island but continue to 

Wonthaggi, and then to Inverloch. 

FREE 

FREE 

FREE 

FREE 

White Night Melbourne 

Starting Saturday 17 February 2018 7pm until Sunday 7am 

RUNNING 

NON-STOP FOR 

12 HOURS 

rain, hail or shine 

White Night Melbourne returns to 

the streets, laneways and parks of 

the city with colourful projections, 

awe-inspiring installations, 

interactive performances, puppetry 

and an array of musical hubs. 

Over 100 free events, 600,000 

attendees, 12 continuous hours of 

art installations, exhibitions, films, 

lighting, projection, music and 

performance: White Night is a nonstop 

adventure from dusk to dawn 

that gives the city over to local, 

national and global artists. 

The White Night Melbourne 

northern and southern precincts 

will again feature many prominent 

program pieces – including a No 

Lights No Lycra dance party for 

the whole family at the Melbourne 

Museum – as well as food and 

amenities, all set within beautiful, 

spacious parkland. 

Stunning works such as UKI: 

Utility Kinetic Insect and last year’s 

beloved White Knight Messenger 

can be seen at the Royal Exhibition 

Building, Melbourne Museum Plaza 

and the Carlton Gardens. 

There will be large crowds from 

about 7pm until midnight. 

Stay updated by subscribing to 

the newsletter, or follow White 

Night Melbourne on Facebook or 

Twitter. 


QUEENSBERRY ST 

SEUM 

SWANSTON ST 

LYGON ST 

VICTORIA ST 

LA TROBE ST 

RATHDOWNE ST 

ROYAL EXHIBITION 

BUILDING 

CARLTON 

GARDENS 

NICHOLSON ST 

VICTORIA ST 

BRUNSWICK ST 

LA TROBE ST 

MELBOURNE 

CENTRAL 

STATE 

LIBRARY OF 

VICTORIA 

QV 

MELBOURNE 

LONSDALE ST 

EXHIBITION ST 

SPRING ST 

LONSDALE ST 

QUEEN ST 

BOURKE ST 

SWANSTON ST 

MELBOURNE 

TOWN HALL 

RUSSELL ST 

BOURKE ST 

COLLINS ST 

2018 Road Closures 

Full Closure 

Local Access 

MACARTHUR ST 

Boathouse Drive closes at 11:00am 

Bourke Street closes at 3:00pm 

La Trobe Street closes at 4:00pm 

Lonsdale Street closes at 4.30pm 

All other roads are closed by 5:00pm 

LANSDOWNE ST 

ELIZABETH ST 

All roads will be opened by 8:00am 

COLLINS ST 

FLINDERS ST 

FLINDERS ST 

FLINDERS STREET 

STATION 

ACMI 

FEDERATION 

SQUARE 

BATMAN AVE 

YARRA RIVER 

BIRRARUNG 

MARR 

WILLIAM ST 

SOUTHGATE 

ST. KILDA ROAD 

ALEXANDRA 

GARDENS 

QUEENSBRIDGE ST 

POWER ST 

CITY RD 

ARTS 

CENTRE 

MELBOURNE 

NATIONAL 

GALLERY 

OF VICTORIA 

QUEEN VICTORIA 

GARDENS 


37

Classifieds 

advertise 

HERE 

Only $35 for 

40 words 

Payment details are 

listed on page 3 

Mt Beauty Taxi Service 

For Sale 

ESCAPE the city rat race, ESCAPE UBER 

Do you love the snow, have a tree change. 

Great contracts. Excellent business 

operating for 25 years. Please phone Brian 

on 0419 573909 

Cameras! Cameras! 

Crown Cabs have 

Cameras! 

And we are taking bookings for 

installations of your next in-car camera. 

Come on board with Crown Cabs lowest 

depot fees in Melbourne. 

Phone 9310 5422 today! 

Maxi Taxi Toyota Van 

For Sale 

Call Michael on 0417314835 

Wheelchair Accessible 

Taxi (WAT) accredited 

driver needed 

You will deliver a great customer 

experience by adopting a positive, 

relationship-based, and customer-centric 

approach. Please contact Peter or Jodie at 

Vermont Autogas on (03) 9874 8611. 

DRiVE 

delivered to your mailbox 

EVERY MONTH 

ONLY 

$ 

45 

per year 

Payment options 

Direct Deposit to Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 

BSB 033065 ACC 312786 REF your name 

Mail Cheque to Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 

PO Box 2345, Mt Waverley VIC 3149 

Send your mailing details via email info@drivea2b.com.au or mail to PO Box 2345, Mt Waverley VIC 3149 

Advertisers’ 

Directory 

Adams Maguire Sier Lawyers..... 27 

Airport Taxi Car Wash................... 29 

Bayside Taxi Services......................9 

beyondblue..................................... 33 

CPVAA.................................................9 

CrimeStoppers............................... 40 

Embassy Cafe................................ 14 

Maurice Blackburn...............13 & 29 

Metro Club...................................... 35 

Road Safety Inspections.............. 19 

Roberna Pro Repairs..................... 28 

The Owners Association.............. 17 

Ticktoc............................................. 29 

Transport Matters Party..................7 

Victoria Taxi Club....................... 2, 29 

Yarra Finance................................. 18 

Zevra................................................ 15 


MELBOURNE 

CRUISE SHIPS 

FEBRUARY 2018 

Cruise Ship Name Arrival at berth Departure 

from berth 

Berth 

Noordam Sat 3 0800 Sat 3 1830 OWSP 

Pacific Jewel (T) Sun 4 0800 Sun 4 1600 OWSP 

Celebrity Solstice Mon 5 0800 Mon 5 1800 OWSP 

Azamara Journey Mon 5 0800 Mon 5 2100 OESP 

Carnival Legend (T) Tue 6 0700 Tue 6 1700 OWSP 

Viking Sun Thu 8 0700 Thu 8 1700 OESP 

Diamond Princess Thu 8 0800 Thu 8 1800 OWSP 

Golden Princess (T) Sun 11 0600 Sun 11 1600 OWSP 

Crystal Symphony Mon 12 1800 Tue 13 1800 OESP 

Norwegian Jewel Mon 12 0800 Mon 12 2359 OWSP 

Pacific Eden Wed 14 0800 Wed 14 1800 OWSP 

Europa (T) Thu 15 0700 Thu 15 1800 OWSP 

Pacific Jewel (T) Fri 16 0700 Fri 16 1600 OWSP 

Silver Whisper Fri 16 1000 Sat 17 1700 OESP 

Carnival Legend (T) Sat 17 0800 Sat 17 1800 OWSP 

Queen Mary 2 (pT) Sun 18 0800 Sun 18 2200 OWSP 

Seabourn Encore Mon 19 0800 Mon 19 2300 OWSP 

Astor Mon 19 0900 Mon 19 1800 OESP 

Carnival Legend (T) Wed 21 0700 Wed 21 1700 OWSP 

Queen Mary 2 (pT) Thu 22 0700 Thu 22 2200 OWSP 

Seven Seas Voyager Thu 22 0800 Fri 23 1300 OESP 

Golden Princess (T) Sat 24 0600 Sat 24 1600 OWSP 

Pacific Jewel (T) Sun 25 0800 Sun 25 1600 OWSP 

Noordam Mon 26 2000 Tue 27 1800 OWSP 

Diamond Princess Wed 28 0700 Wed 28 1700 OWSP 

Station Pier, located in Port 

Melbourne, is Victoria’s premier 

cruise shipping destination as 

well as host to TT-Line’s Spirit of 

Tasmania passenger ferries and 

other visiting ships, including 

Australian and international navy 

vessels. 

Station Pier is open to the public 

throughout the year during daylight 

hours for pedestrians, except on 

cruise ship days when the pier 

is at its busiest coordinating 

customs, immigration, quarantine, 

security and baggage handling 

responsibilities. 

LEGEND 

(T) Turnaround visits 

(pT) Partial turnaround (>500 pax) 

BERTHS 

OWSP = Outer West Station Pier 

OESP = Outer East Station Pier

DRIVE A2B February 2018

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