DRIVE A2B July 2018

DRIVE 

Voice of the Victorian Point-to-Point Transport Industry 

JULY 2018 

NO 14 

INDUSTRY 

NEWS 

PUBLISHED 

MONTHLY 

TAXIS HIRE CARS ON DEMAND HIRE OWNERS DRIVERS SERVICES

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY

CONTENTS 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

6 Times they are a changing 

Summary of which parts of the CPVI legislation come 

into force on 1 July 2018. 

8 Industry update 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association of Australia 

(CPVAA) is astounded that Transport for Victoria doesn’t 

seem to take safety seriously. 

12 CPV Service Levy 

The $1 Trip Levy commenced on 1 July 2018. 

18 Maximum fares unchanged 

Essential Services Commission has released their draft 

findings - and at this stage it’s looking like the fares 

won’t be increased. 

21 Industry statistics 

Number of Victorian vehicles registered as a 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle, with comparisons to 

previous months. 

28 Infrastructure 

Updates from the Taxi Services Commission. 

Find us at ... 

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Mrs Toni Peters 

www.drivea2b.com.au 

DRIVEA2B 

@DRIVEA2Ba 

info@drivea2b.com.au 

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Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 

PO Box 2345, Mount Waverley Vic. 3149 

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36 Interstate News 

What’s happening in 

our other States. 

40 Overseas news 

Snippets regarding 

the point-to-point 

industry around the 

world. 

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Melbourne 

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DRIVE A2B magazine · July 2018 3

EDITORIAL 

OCCUPANCY 

RATES 

NOSEDIVING 

The drop in demand for taxis is most likely due to passengers switching 

to new ridesharing services, reports the Essential Services Commission. 

HOW MUCH IS 

ENOUGH? 

May 2018 saw the number of 

CPVs accredited by the TSC rise 

by a further 3300 vehicles. This 

gives Victoria a total of 34,879 

CPVs able to ply for the right to 

transport passengers from point A 

to point B. 

In the recently released draft 

report into Maximum Taxi 

Fares by the Essential Services 

Commission it states: 

“The number of trips taken in taxis 

in the metro zone has declined 

significantly since 2014 when fares 

were last changed. Our analysis of 

trip data shows that unbooked taxi 

trip numbers have declined every 

year between 2014 to 2016. We 

estimate that between the fourth 

quarters of 2014 and 2016, the 

number of trips in unbooked taxis 

decreased by 17 per cent.” 

Historically, the number of 

taxi trips has increased as the 

population and economy have 

grown. Melbourne’s population 

increased by five per cent and the 

Victorian economy grew by seven 

per cent between 2014 and 2016. 

Based on past patterns we would 

also expect the number of taxi 

trips to increase. However, we 

have observed a decrease. As 

fares for taxis did not increase 

between 2014 and 2017, the drop 

in demand for taxis is most likely 

due to passengers switching to 

new ridesharing services. 

The report also stated: 

“Average occupancy rates 

decreased from 29 per cent in 

2014 to 27 per cent in 2016. This 

shows that taxi drivers were 

spending more time without a 

passenger in 2016 than in 2014”. 

Now whilst this is not new news 

to us, it is somewhat encouraging 

that the ESC has the data to 

actually prove what many of us 

have been saying for the past four 

years. 

NEW REGULATIONS 

With the advent of the regulations 

supporting the Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 

2017 to come into affect from 

4 DRIVE A2B magazine · July 2018

1 July 2018, there are many 

questions still yet to be answered. 

The Victorian government has 

been rather tardy in disseminating 

the information affecting those 

within the Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle (CPV) industry. 

At the time of printing this edition, 

they had not released much 

printed information regarding the 

new regulations. 

We do know that they will be 

staggering the times that some of 

the regulations will be enforced - 

let’s hope that it’s enough. 

FEES INCREASING 

This month we will see an 

increase in fees for Transurban 

EastLink and CityLink, Melbourne 

Airport for taxis accessing the 

holding bay and the TSC is also 

increasing the licence registration 

to $53.80. 

ESC MAXIMUM 

FARES FOR TAXIS 

With many costs going up 

perhaps the industry will be 

graced with a fare increase 

once the Essential Services 

Commission (ESC) has finished 

their review. 

At the moment the ESC is 

proposing not to increase the 

maximum fare rate as they believe 

the costs for the taxi and hire car 

industry have decreased since 

the reforms came in. Yes, the 

annual fee to lease a taxi licence 

has decreased from $18,000 to 

$52.90; yes the TAC component 

of the annual vehicle registration 

fees for taxis has decreased from 

$2,800 to $550. 

But on the other hand many of the 

day-to-day costs have increased. 

Depot/network fees, Transurban 

gantry fees, Melbourne Airport 

Taxi holding bay, etc. Then 

there’s the administrative costs 

required to implement and adhere 

to the new regulations for the 

CPV industry, such as - $1 levy 

reporting, Risk Management 

register, Complaints handling and 

reporting, etc. 

The larger Booking Service 

Providers can probably absorb 

these costs without too much 

hassle. They could probably 

use current administrative staff 

to comply with these extra 

requirements, but what about 

the guy who owns 10, 5, 2 or 

even 1 CPV licence? Do they 

employ someone to help out 

with the extra administrative 

tasks? Perhaps they could do it 

when they are sitting on the rank 

or waiting by the phone for their 

next job - they have plenty of 

“downtime” then! 


DRIVE A2B Editor 



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DRIVE A2B magazine · July 2018 

5

TIMES THEY ARE A 

CHANGING 

LEGISLATION 

The Taxi Services Commission states that they will place an emphasis on engagement and 

prevention before enforcement. They also state that they will empower you to take responsibility 

for your services and, when necessary, they won’t hesitate to take direct action to enforce the law. 

And this all starts from 1 July 2018. 

Effective 1 July 2018 

Commercial 

passenger vehicle 

licences 

Licensing has been replaced with a vehicle registration system at $52.90 per year. 

Taxis have been re-classified as commercial passenger vehicles that provide booked 

and unbooked services. 

Hire cars have been re-classified as commercial passenger vehicles that provide 

booked services only. 

Booked services are trips booked via an application, or by phone or website. 

Unbooked services are trips hailed from the street, hired from a recognised taxi rank 

or trips that have not been booked via an application, over the phone or website. 

Fare deregulation 

Booking Service 

Provider (BSP) 

Accreditation 

Changes to Driver 

Accreditation 

All commercial passenger vehicles can operate anywhere across Victoria - there are 

no longer any restrictions or zones. 

Unbooked commercial passenger vehicle fare rates will continue to be unregulated 

in the country and regional zones, and a maximum fare rate won’t apply. Price 

notification will no longer be required for country and regional operators. 

Booked fare rates for both taxis and hire cars are now able to be unregulated. 

Unbooked commercial passenger vehicles fare rates is regulated in the metropolitan, 

urban and large regional zones. This means the Essential Services Commission sets 

a maximum fare rate. 

All BSPs will be required to obtain BSP Registration, with the exception of BSPs who 

only accept bookings for commercial passenger vehicles registered in their name and 

have no more than two commercial passenger vehicles. 

Driver accreditation continues, with initial application fee of $74.40 and an annual fee 

of $33.20. 

Medical assessments will be required every three years. Drivers who have a 

conditional accreditation will be required to provide annual medical assessments. 

$1 Trip Levy If a trip is booked, the business taking the booking must pay the $1 per trip levy. 

If a trip starts at a taxi rank, or when a vehicle is hailed by a passenger, the driver 

must pay the $1 per trip levy, unless they are employed by the owner of the vehicle. In 

this case the owner is liable. 

If you pass the levy onto your passengers it will be up to $1.10 (including GST). 


TAXI DRIVERS 

WANTED 

CALL 13 22 22 

ZEVRADRIVERS@ZEVRA.COM.AU 

JOIN AUSTRALIA’S 

LARGEST TAXI FLEET 

OPERATOR 

ZEVRA.COM.AU 

PART OF THE P2P TRANSPORT JOURNEY (ASX:P2P)

The Victorian Hire Car Association 

has been rebranded to the 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

Association of Australia 

CPVAA 

WHAT PRICE 

FOR SAFETY? 

The Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association of Australia 

(CPVAA) insists that safety for both passengers and drivers 

in an accredited Commercial Passenger Vehicle (CPV) is 

paramount; regardless of what price point the service is 

given at. 

COMMERCIAL PASSENGER 

Last month Transport for Victoria (TfV) responded to the 

16 submissions it had received from industry stakeholders 

regarding the TfV’s Regulatory Impact Statement to the 2018 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Regulations 2018. 

We noted with great concern that the TfV appears to be 

putting cost ahead of safety! The CPVAA position is clear 

safety is non negotiable and safety requirements are simply 

a cost of doing business. 

Passenger and Driver Safety 

In correspondence dated 13 June 2018 the TfV states “only 

commercial passenger vehicles providing unbooked services 

must be equipped with a security camera”. This means that 

every Rideshare/OnDemand vehicle is NOT required to be 


fitted with a safety camera while 

every unbooked vehicle (ie taxi) is. 

TfV continued on to state, 

“Transport for Victoria concluded 

that the costs of compliance 

will likely outweigh the benefits. 

Transport for Victoria does not 

recommend requiring security 

cameras to be installed in all 

commercial passenger vehicles 

due to the costs of compliance.” 

Currently prebooked CPVs (ie 

rideshare/on demand/hire cars) 

outnumber unbooked CPVs (ie 

taxis) 7 to 2 in Victoria. 

Child Safety 

CPVAA also believes that all CPVs 

must be able to provide child seats 

/ booster seats / capsules to the 

travelling public as requested, 

if they are under 7 years of age! 

Safety is paramount!” 

Yet we read in the response 

from the TfV that, “TfV is 

recommending that the unbooked 

service providers (taxis) will 

continue to be able to transport 

children under 7 years without a 

child restraint”. 

We find it incomprehensible, 

that in 2018 when Victoria has 

a taxi fleet in excess of 10,000 

vehicles, and most likely the 

largest in Australia, that the public 

cannot prebook a taxi with a child 

restraint! This should be available, 

pre booked and at a cost. 

In most other States and 

Territories around the country, the 

travelling public are able to prebook 

child restraints. 

Rod Barton 

President, CPVAA 

CPVAA recommended that 

Victoria aligns itself with other 

States and set responsible safety 

conditions for our travelling 

children. Safety first – always! Yet 

the government did not follow this 

direction. 

Vehicle Safety 

In Australia we have Australian 

Design Rules (ADR) and these are 

the national standards for vehicle 

safety, anti-theft and emissions of 

all new and used vehicles entering 

the Australian market for the first 

time. These rules were brought 


9

CPVAA 

in for the protection of the 

Australian public and their motor 

vehicle. 

ANCAP, Australasia’s leading 

independent vehicle safety 

advocate, provides consumers 

with advice and information 

on the level of occupant and 

pedestrian protection provided 

by different vehicle models in 

the most common types of 

crashes. ANCAP’s vision is “To 

eliminate road trauma through 

the testing and promotion of 

safer vehicles”. 

We find it staggering that the 

Taxi Services Commission and 

TfV have failed to consider 

(Fit for Purpose) the safety 

of the vehicles when granting 

accreditation of vehicles for use 

as a Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle. 

The CPVAA recommended 

to TfV that, moving forward, 

all CPV’s should, as a very 

minimum, meet a 5 star ANCAP 

safety rating before they are 

accredited as a CPV. This 

recommendation was rejected 

by TfV. 

Victorian Ombudsman 

The inquiry into the Fairness 

Fund by the State Ombudsman 

Ms Glass has concluded. 

For us it raises more questions 

than gives answers. The 

feedback from those applying 

told a devastating story of 

hardship inflicted upon people 

who simply did not deserve to be 

treated so poorly. 

The Andrews Government’s 

response was not one of 

acknowledgement of a poorly 

administrated procedure, but of 

deflection inferring that delays 

were about managing fraudulent 

behaviour. Placing a slur across 

all those who applied. 

Only 1200 people applied to 

this UnFairness Fund out of 

1300 133 353 

www.avagroup.net.au 

TAXI CONVERSIONS 

STARTING 

FROM $13,695.00 

+ OPTIONS 

approximately 5000 taxi and 

hire car licence holders. The 

application was complicated and 

difficult to fill in, large numbers 

of licence holders advised us 

they had no confidence in the 

process, and they proved to be 

correct. 

Ms Glass said in part; “Its poor 

communication, compounded 

by delay, was unreasonable and 

would have exacerbated the 

distress already felt by people 

who believed the government had 

taken away their livelihood or life 

savings”. 

“In these circumstances, despite 

the worthy motive behind its 

establishment, calling it a 

Fairness Fund was asking for 

trouble. The Fund itself has 

completed its work but there are 

important lessons to be learned 

for the handling of such schemes 

in future. Good intentions should 

not be undone – as they were in 

this case – by poor execution. 

Deborah Glass Ombudsman” 

The UnFairness Fund is 

only one part of unfair 

changes made to the 

Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle industry, those 

changes designed to 

accommodate a foreign 

Ride Share Operator. 

The price to be borne by 

innocent Victorian families 

for years to come. 

• Lift Type Vertical Split Long Platform Internal Fully Automatic 

• 2 x Sets Slide & click W-Chair & L/Sash Occupant Restraints 

• 2 x Toyota Style Original Folding Seats c/w New Floor & Wall Brackets 

• Flush Floor & Polyflor Non Slip Floor Coverings 

• Reverse Triple or 4 Seater, Crash Frame, Seat Belts & Head Rests 

• Large Metal Lockable Restraint Storage Box at Rear 

• 3 x Child Restraint Anchor Points & Fixings 

49 Fennell St, Port Melbourne Vic 3207 | 1636 Sydney Rd, Campbellfield Vic 3061 

23 Armada Place, Banyo QLD 4014 | 54 - 60 Industry Dve, Tweed Heads NSW 2486 

1300 133 353 

www.avagroup.net.au 

We were abandoned by 

the Andrews Government, 

we feel let down by the 

Victorian Ombudsman. 

Rod Barton 

President, CPVAA 


COMMERCIAL PASSENGER 

WANT A VOICE WITHIN THE VICTORIAN 

TAXI & HIRE CAR INDUSTRY? 

CPVAA Executive members are part of the government Industry Implementation 

Group and also the Melbourne Airport Consultative Committee 

ONLY 

$ 

120 

per person 

per year 

We listen to all members and take your 

messages to the decision-makers. 

WHY WAIT ANY LONGER? 

JOIN CPVAA TODAY! 

for Drivers & Owners of Taxis & Hire Cars 

website: www.cpvaa.com.au 

email: info@cpvaa.com.au 


You must go online and register. 

REGISTER 

All Victorian Commercial Passenger Vehicle businesses who legally have to pay the trip levy, must 

register with the State Revenue Office (SRO) online. You can register from 1 July 2018 at sro.vic.gov.au/ 

triplevyregistration. 

Registration needs to be completed by 30 September 2018 and the process will take about 5 minutes. 

Everyone must pay the levy. 

The Journey. 

GST applies to levy. 

NO EXCEPTIONS 

SINGLE TRIP 

MULTIPLE TRIPS 

GST 

The levy is designed to 

create a level playing field in 

the commercial passenger 

vehicle industry. The SRO 

will be enforcing the levy and 

ensuring it is paid by both taxi 

and hire-car services, including 

ride share. 

Businesses that do not pay the 

levy when it is due may incur 

interest and penalties. 

If a single journey 

involves multiple 

stops, you only need 

to pay the levy once. 

For example, a 

wedding car that 

stops at the ceremony, 

photograph locations 

and the reception 

attracts a single $1 

levy. 

If there are multiple cars 

involved in a service, the 

levy is payable for each 

car used. 

For example, if wedding 

car company uses three 

cars to transport a 

bridal party, it must pay 

the levy on each car ($3 

in total). 

GST applies on the 

full-fare of any trip. 

If a business passes 

the cost of the levy 

on to its customers 

via increased fares, 

it is part of the fullfare 

and is subject 

to GST. 


From 1 July 2018 a $1 trip levy applies to every Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle (CPV) trip that originates in Victoria. 

That means that every pre-booked and unbooked trip in a CPV (ie taxi and 

hire cars, including ride share vehicles) will now incur a $1 Vehicle Service 

Levy. 

WHO PAYS THE LEVY? 

If a trip is booked, the business taking the 

booking is liable for the levy. 

If a trip starts at a rank or when a vehicle is 

hailed by a passenger, the driver must pay the 

levy, unless they are employed by the owner of 

the vehicle, in which case the owner is liable. 

Businesses that are based outside of Victoria 

are still liable for the levy on any trip that 

originates in Victoria. 

Example 1 

Asim has a driver agreement with the owner of 

a taxi (also known as a bailment agreement). 

Under the agreement, he drives a taxi and 

returns the taxi to the owner later, but he is not 

an employee of the taxi’s owner. 

• If Asim picks up a customer at a rank or 

when he is hailed by a passenger, he must 

pay the levy. 

• If Asim picks up a customer who booked 

the trip over the phone, the booking service 

the customer booked the trip through must 

pay the levy. 

Example 2 

Sam provides trips using her own car. 

• If Sam picks up a customer at a rank or 

when she is hailed by a passenger, she 

must pay the levy. 

• If Sam picks up a customer who booked the 

trip over the phone, the booking service the 

customer booked the trip through must pay 

the levy. 

Example 3 

Rahul is employed by ABC Pty Ltd which also 

owns the vehicle he drives. 

• If Rahul picks up a customer who hailed 

him on the street, ABC Pty Ltd must pay 

the levy. 

• If Rahul picks up a customer who booked 

the trip over the phone, the booking service 

the customer booked the trip through must 

pay the levy. 

Every trip incurs a levy. 

PREBOOKED 

Booking Service Provider is 

liable for the levy. 

FROM A TAXI RANK 

OR STREET HAILED 

Owner/Driver must pay the levy 

Where the driver is employed by 

the vehicle’s owner - the Owner 

pays. 

How to pay the levy. 

LODGE RETURNS 

Once registered, a business must 

access the online portal to submit a 

quarterly return and pay the levy at 

sro.vic.gov.au/triplevyreturn. 

Completing a return involves 

reporting the number of trips 

attracting the levy in each quarter 

and paying the levy. It is a matter for 

you to keep a record of all your trips 

so you can complete your return. 

You can pass the levy on. 

PASS THE LEVY ON 

You can choose to absorb the 

cost of the levy or pass it on to 

customers by increasing fares. 

If you choose to pass the cost 

on to customers it is subject to 

GST because GST applies on 

the full-fare of any trip. 

More information is available 

at sro.vic.gov.au/triplevy. 


REGULATIONS 

On 23 March 2018, Transport for Victoria 

(TfV) released a regulatory impact 

statement for the proposed Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle Industry Regulations 

and the proposed Road Safety Road Rules 

(Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry) 

Amendment Rules. The public comment 

period closed on 27 April 2018. 

Transport for Victoria has responded to the 

16 industry submissions on the Regulatory 

Impact Statement for the introduction and 

regulation of the Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Act 2017. Many of the regulations 

will be effective from 1 July 2018, with a few 

held over for 1 - 6 months. 

GOVERNMENT 

RESPONSE 

TO INDUSTRY 

FEEDBACK 

For the purpose of this 

document we have abbreviated 

some terms. 

LEGEND 

ANCAP Australasian New Car 

Assessment 

Program 

BSP Booking Service Provider 

CPV Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

CPVAA Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

Association of Australia 

TfV Transport for Victoria 

TSC Taxi Services Commission 


COMMENCEMENT OF 

REGULATIONS 

The commencement date of some 

of the new requirements in the 

Regulations will be delayed. 

Regulation 8 (identifying 

commercial passenger vehicles) 

will commence on 1 September 

2018. 

Regulations 5 and 6 (maintaining 

a register of safety risks) will 

commence on 1 March 2019. 

Regulation 7 (notifying the 

regulator of notifiable incidents) will 

commence on 1 March 2019. 

VEHICLE 

IDENTIFICATION 

All CPVs will have to display 

specifically nominated vehicle 

identification, which is unable to be 

removed by the CPV’s driver. 

This regulation will be effective 

from 1 September 2018. 

USE OF THE WORD TAXI 

Only CPVs equipped to provide 

unbooked services can use 

the word ‘taxi’ when displaying 

identification. 

It will be an offence for a vehicle 

to display the word ‘taxi’ if it is not 

providing an unbooked service. 

It will not be compulsory for 

unbooked CPVs to display the word 

‘taxi’ on their vehicle as the TfV 

states that this would reduce BSPs 

flexibility to brand their services. 

RISK REGISTER 

TfV states that the Risk Register 

compliance details are an 

important requirement to support 

the new safety duties scheme and 

these regulations will be effective 

from 1 March 2019. 


REGULATIONS 

SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS AND 

PASSENGERS IS PARAMOUNT 

All unbooked CPVs are required to be fitted with an 

approved security camera. Booked CPVs do not have 

to have this safeguard as according to the TfV “it 

would impose a significant compliance burden on the 

owners of those vehicles”. 

CONDITION OF VEHICLE 

Vehicle inspections are at the discretion of the 

industry regulator, therefore TfV is not insisting on a 

regulation for this. 

The TSC will be implementing compulsory and 

on-the-spot safety checks for all CPVs. Also Duty 

holders need to ensure that a vehicle used to provide 

services is safe at all times when in service. 

The CPVAA submitted that all CPVs should have 

a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, but the TfV states 

that using safer vehicles may be one means for the 

industry to comply with its safety duties, but it is not 

to be prescribed in the Regulations. 

TAXI ZONES / RANKS 

Only CPVs that are fitted with the necessary 

equipment to be classified as an Unbooked CPV are 

allowed to use taxi zones / ranks. 

Booked Only CPVs are NOT permitted to use taxi 

zones / ranks. 

TRAVELLING EXEMPTIONS 

All CPVs will be permitted to pick-up and drop-off 

passengers in certain lanes (e.g. clearways, bus, 

tram, transit and bicycle lanes). 

RECORDS & RECORD KEEPING 

Records are still very necessary, but the TfV is no 

longer recommending requiring distance travelled 

thus hopefully reducing the regulatory burden for 

Booking Service Providers. 

CHILD RESTRAINTS 

CPVAA stated in their submission that all CPVs must 

be able to provide child restraints to the public as 

required. The CPVAA is aware that other States and 

Territories have this set up, and they recommended 

that Victoria aligns itself with the rest of the country. 

The TfV has replied that a number of stakeholders 

submitted that “it would be impractical and difficult to 

implement. Therefore the TfV is not proceeding with 

the proposal.” 

CPVs will continue to be able to transport children 

under 7 years of age without a child restraint. 

INSURANCE 

As per the consultation draft of the Regulations, 

TfV is not recommending making regulations which 

mandate a level of insurance at this stage. 

BSP REGISTRATION - NO EXEMPTIONS 

All trip service providers are required to BE 

REGISTERED as a Booking Service Provider. 

However, TfV is recommending the implementation 

of this requirement be done in stages. 

BSPs that have 3+ vehicles MUST register by 2 July 

2018. BSPs that have 1 - 2 vehicles will be required 

to register in 2019. 

UNIFORMS 

Uniforms are no longer regulated by the TSC. as the 

TfV believes this is a matter best left to the industry. 

This is the basics of the regulations for the 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry (CPVI) Act 

2017. We did ask the government for full information 

regarding the regulations and their implications on 

the CPVI Act 2017 before we went to press, but they 

declined. 

DRIVE A2B will continue to update you as soon as 

more information comes to hand. 


New taxi tolls 

From 1 July 2018 there will be new taxi tolls 

for travel on CityLink and EastLink. 

New taxi toll stickers are now available from your depot. 

Topping up your account 

Easiest option: visit citylink.com.au 

to set up an automatic payment. 

• Over the phone: 1300 360 962 

(8am – 6pm, Monday to Friday). 

• In person: Touch machines 

at Melbourne Airport or visit 

any participating 7-Eleven, 

United Petroleum or Australian 

Newsagent Federation outlet. 

For more information 

Web: citylink.com.au 

Email: comcare@citylink.com.au 

Phone: 1300 360 962 

From 8am to 6pm, 

Monday to Friday 

Please note: Payments made to 

accounts within the last 24 hours 

may not be reflected in the number 

of beeps when travelling on CityLink 

or EastLink. 

Please attach two taxi toll stickers – 

one to the dashboard or windscreen 

(top left corner) and the other to the 

inside rear passenger window. 

Taxi toll stickers should be placed 

adjacent to passenger fare stickers. 

Taxi tolls as at 1 July 2018 

CityLink 

EastLink 

Western Link $6.30 

Southern Link $6.30 

Both links $8.10 

Batman Avenue only (Exhibition Street Extension) 

No toll 

Day pass $17.70 

Melba Tunnel or Mullum Mullum Tunnel $2.87 

Any part of EastLink south of Maroondah Hwy $2.71 

One tunnel plus any part of EastLink south of Maroondah Hwy $5.58 

Ringwood Bypass 

No toll 

The toll is to be paid to the driver in addition to the fare shown on the taxi meter. Tolls can only be charged to passengers when 

a tag is displayed in the vehicle. Prices are GST inclusive and are valid from 1 July 2018 until 30 June 2019. 

® CityLink is a registered trade mark of Transurban Limited, ABN 96 098 143 410. ® EastLink is a registered trade mark of ConnectEast Pty Ltd. 

LIQ6011 - T 

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Version №: 

Date: May 2 

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LIQ6011 - Transurban - Taxi Prices Collateral Update 2018 - v3.indd 3 

Prices are GST inclusive and are valid from 1 July 2018 until 30 June 2019. 

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25/5/18 10:00 am

Maximum fares 

UNCHANGED 

FARE REVIEW 

Recently the Essential Services Commission (ESC) called for submissions from 

stakeholders regarding their proposed approach to analysing maximum fares and also 

proposals from stakeholders on the maximum fare schedule should be determined. 

The draft decision of the ESC is to keep the maximum fare unchanged. The ESC has 

published a draft report, an excerpt is printed here. You can read the full report at /www. 

esc.vic.gov.au. 

Over the last two years the commercial passenger vehicle (CPV) industry has experienced 

enormous change. This is likely to continue over the next few years. 

The government has made wide reaching reforms to the industry. In particular, the 

reduction of the cost of taxi licences and changes to allow the entry of rideshare services 

have had a significant impact. There are still more reforms to come. 

Fares for all booked services 

will be deregulated, the licensing 

system has been replaced with 

a registration system, and the 

regulations that CPV service 

providers must comply have 

been reviewed. 

In addition to these reforms, 

we have seen the intensity of 

competition in the CPV industry 

increase. In Melbourne, there are 

currently three major rideshare 

booking services (Ola, Taxify, 

and Uber) competing on price, 

new taxi booking services 

such as Oiii and Slyyk continue 

to emerge and the number 

of licensed taxis has almost 

doubled since September 2017. 

From a consumer perspective, 

this competition provides a 

greater variety of services to 

choose from and less time 

spent waiting for CPVs. But 

overall, what we are seeing is 

that passengers are using taxis 

less. This means that there are 

fewer taxi fares but many more 

taxis and other CPVs on the 

road. 

For the traditional taxi industry, 

particularly long-time operators, 

this is a time of uncertainty. 

As mentioned above, over the 

coming year, further reforms will 

come into effect. 

The Essential Services 

Commission (ESC) role is to set 

maximum fares for unbooked 

CPVs. Amongst all of these 

shifting conditions, they are now 

required to set (and periodically 

review) unbooked CPV fares 

whereas in the past we set 

maximum fares for booked and 

unbooked taxis. 

Views are mixed about what 

should happen to fares. 

Some submissions received 

recently by the ESC suggested 

fares should increase, some 

suggested that fares should 

decrease, while others stated 

that a change to fares would 

be unhelpful given all of the 

changes the industry is going 

through. 

Draft decision 

The ESC is concerned that 

changing maximum fares for 

unbooked CPVs now might have 

unpredictable consequences. 


An increase could make 

passengers worse-off if the full 

amount is passed through in higher 

fares. Taxi service providers could 

also be worse-off if an increase in 

fares turns passengers away from 

using taxis. An increase in fares 

may also send misleading signals 

to the market and attract even 

more taxis and other CPVs on to 

the road. The result of this could 

be more vehicles competing over 

fewer trips and ultimately further 

reduced earnings for taxi service 

providers. 

The ESC also considered lowering 

fares. There are some signs that 

taxi service providers are under 

pressure to reduce their fares. 

There is even some evidence they 

have some capacity to do so. 

Some of the costs of operating a 

taxi have come down, and in some 

instances, these reductions have 

been quite large. However, if this is 

the case, taxi service providers are 

already free to lower their fares. 

So, in the context of all of the 

changes underway in the industry, 

and noting taxis can already lower 

their fares as a way of trying to 

attract more passengers, the ESC 

are proposing to leave maximum 

fares unchanged for now. 

Time and distance tariffs 

The ESC is also proposing to 

give unbooked CPV service 

providers the choice of using ‘time 

and distance’ tariffs. The ESC 

consider that ‘time and distance’ 

tariffs would make it easier 

for passengers to understand 

unbooked CPV price offerings. 

However, in recognition of the fact 

FEEDBACK SUBMISSIONS 

that the industry is in a transitional 

period, the ESC have left the 

choice of whether to use ‘time and 

distance’ tariffs to unbooked CPV 

Booking Service Providers. 

Cleaning fee 

The ESC is seeking feedback on 

whether a cleaning fee should 

be introduced. Currently, if a 

passenger makes a mess in 

an unbooked CPV they are not 

required to compensate the service 

provider for the time required to 

clean the vehicle. In other states 

taxis may recover a cleaning 

fee. Rideshare companies also 

charge customers a cleaning fee 

if passengers make a mess in a 

vehicle. 

Submit your feedback on the ESC’s draft decision regarding 

maximum fares for unbooked CPVs by: 

• responding to the questions on the CPV fare review’s Engage 

Victoria web page 

• uploading your submission using the online submission form on 

the CPV fare review’s Engage Victoria web page 

• emailing your submission at cpvfares@esc.vic.gov.au 

• faxing your submission to 03 9032 1303. 

Submissions close on 19 July 2018, with the ESC handing down 

their final decision in September 2018.

TRUE COLOURS 

OF A VOLATILE TRANSPORT MINISTER 

VTHF 

No one in a civilised society wants 

their rights violated or their way 

of life thrown into chaos due 

to government negligence. The 

Transport Minister of Victoria 

made sure of this chaos when the 

new regulations turned the taxi 

industry into ash. 

safety. This was expressed by her 

during the Public Accounts and 

Estimate Committee meeting (30 

May 2018) when she deflected 

from a question asked of her. She 

became very volatile and showed 

her true colours by trying to make 

herself look like the victim. 

In reality these harsh reforms 

had a huge human impact that 

have shown no respect towards 

people’s rights and presented an 

underlying message of brutality of 

government. No other state other 

than Victoria has had taxi plates 

revoked, which has left a trail of 

destruction and trauma for so 

many families. 

The Transport Minister for Victoria 

was outraged and felt vulnerable 

about some attention made 

towards her and her family’s 

The cruelty she has bestowed 

on families due to these 

reforms will be felt for quite a 

considerable time. The brutality 

of such reforms shows that the 

government has no concern 

for people’s welfare nor cares 

about the brutality they have 

perpetrated. 

The industry is now flooded 

with cars creating more havoc 

on congested roads. Taxis have 

become unidentifiable and ride 

share cars couldn’t care less 

Jacinta Allan 

Victorian Transport Minister 

for road rules. It was a viable 

industry for the economy and has 

now become a platform for the 

working poor. 

The Transport Minister must take 

full responsibility for the chaos 

and negligence shown to the point 

to point sector. 

Victorian Taxi and Hire Car Families 

Need 

LEGAL 

assistance? 

AMS 

IVANHOE LAWYERS 

176 Upper Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe 

E: amsr@amslaw.com.au 

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Conveyancing 

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Litigation 

Probate 

Superannuation 

Taxation 

Serving the Taxi Industry 

for over 30 years 

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INDUSTRY 

STATISTICS 

The statistical figures 

on this page are as at 

31 May 2018 

These figures are updated 

and published monthly on the 

Taxi Services Commission’s (TSC) website 

Number of Conventional Taxis 

registered with TSC 

TSC Accredited Victorian Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle DRIVERS 

5000 

5760 

7271 7706 8007 

8503 8934 9321 

62076 

65543 

69180 

72875 75731 77789 79234 

CONVENTIONAL TAXIS 

636 671 

30-Sep-17 31-Oct-17 31-Dec-17 31-Jan-18 

28-Feb-18 31-Mar-18 30-Apr-18 31-May-18 

Number of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis 


745 756 780 802 823 846 

WATS 

30-Sep-17 31-Oct-17 31-Dec-17 31-Jan-18 

28-Feb-18 31-Mar-18 30-Apr-18 31-May-18 

IN A NUTSHELL ! 

410 4531 

TAXIS 

ACCREDITED CPV DRIVERS 

30-Sep-17 31-Dec-17 31-Jan-18 28-Feb-18 

31-Mar-18 30-Apr-18 31-May-18 

COUNT IS UP Since April 2018 Since Sept 2017 

HIRE CARS 

COUNT IS UP 2905 

Since April 2018 

32055 

Since Sept 2017 

COMPLIANCE 

OUTCOMES 

1,007 Vehicle inspections 

49 Rectification notices 

104 Infringement notices 

252 Regulation 12 notice 

(vehicle inspection 

notice) 

27 Official Cautions 

(written warning) 

3 Defect notices 

40000 

35000 

30000 

25000 

20000 

15000 

10000 

5000 

0 

Total Commercial Passenger Vehicles 


Taxis incl WATs 

Hire Cars 

30-Sep-17 31-Oct-17 31-Dec-17 31-Jan-18 

28-Feb-18 31-Mar-18 30-Apr-18 31-May-18 


21

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23

OMBUDSMAN REVIEW 

Fairness Fund 

POORLY EXECUTED 

Earlier this year the Victorian 

Ombudsman was asked to 

investigate the taxi and hire car 

industry ‘Fairness Fund’. 

They received 64 complaints 

about the Fairness Fund, 

about delays, letters 

without information, lack of 

communication, apparently 

incomprehensible decisionmaking 

leading to dire personal 

circumstances, and one 

overwhelming complaint: that 

the Fund was not fair. 

money in situations when there 

is no legal obligation to do so, 

when it is believed to be morally 

right,” says Ms Deborah Glass, 

Ombudsman. 

But the discretionary nature 

of such schemes makes it all 

the more important that they 

operate in a timely, flexible 

manner, providing clear advice 

and information to applicants. 

This did not happen. Much of 

this was the result of initial 

miscalculation. 

Inevitably, many complaints 

were also concerned about the 

perceived unfairness of the taxi 

industry reforms, as a result of 

which many licence holders lost 

a great deal of money. 

The Ombudsman couldn’t 

rule on the deregulation of 

the taxi industry as this is a 

matter for government, but the 

Ombudsman most certainly 

looked at the administration of 

the Fairness Fund. 

“The Fairness Fund was set up 

to provide ex gratia assistance 

for licence holders experiencing 

significant financial hardship. 

It is the nature of ex gratia 

payments that they are not 

compensation – they are an ‘act 

of grace’ – providing sums of 

The Fund initially expected 

to receive 150 applications; it 

ultimately received 1,247, which 

in itself is still less than a third 

of the amount who could have 

applied to the Fairness Fund. 

Ms Glass concludes in her report 

that ”This clearly had an impact 

on timelines, as did the fact that 

many applicants did not provide 

the comprehensive financial 

information requested, and the 

high potential for fraud”. 

The report states, “But while 

the Fund was overwhelmed 

with applications and needed to 

ensure that public money would 

not be paid out inappropriately, 

hundreds of people were given 

the bureaucratic run-around. The 

call centre operated on such a 

Deborah Glass 

Victorian Ombudsman 

limited script it is difficult to see 

why it was even set up. Letters 

were pro forma templates with 

little information. Confusion 

persisted about eligibility criteria.” 

The report also states, “We did 

not conclude that the Fund itself 

was flawed, although much better 

planning and communication, 

including managing expectations, 

would have avoided many of 

the complaints. We did not 

examine the fairness of the 

decisions on payment. These 

were made following review by 

external auditors according to 

detailed criteria that could not 

be published to mitigate against 


fraudulent claims, and it was 

reasonable for the Fund to ensure 

it had full and honest financial 

information before making a 

decision on payment.” 

Ms Glass continued to say, 

“It should have anticipated at 

least some of the difficulties 

it encountered. Its poor 

communication, compounded by 

delay, was unreasonable and would 

have exacerbated the distress 

already felt by people who believed 

the government had taken away 

their livelihood or life savings.” 

It is the opinion of the Ombudsman 

that, “Based on the evidence 

obtained in the investigation, 

the department [for Transport] 

has acted in a manner that is 

unreasonable, pursuant to section 

23(1)(b) of the Ombudsman Act, by: 

• failing to establish and resource 

the scheme sufficiently to 

meet the reasonable likelihood 

of demand; 

• failing to transparently 

communicate with licence 

holders about their application 

to the fund, including reasons 

for delay. 

“In these circumstances, despite 

the worthy motive behind its 

establishment, calling it a Fairness 

Fund was asking for trouble,” said 

Ms Glass. 

“The Fund itself has completed 

its work but there are important 

lessons to be learned for the 

handling of such schemes in 

future. Good intentions should not 

be undone – as they were in this 

case – by poor execution,” she 

concluded. 


Joining 

FORCES 

Last month Cabcharge Australia 

Limited entered into an agreement 

to acquire all of the issued 

shares in Mobile Technologies 

International Pty Ltd (MTI). 

MTI, formerly known as MTData, 

is a leading global provider of 

innovative Software as a Service 

(SaaS) automotive dispatch and 

booking technology to the Taxi 

industry. 

The acquisition will fast track the 

creation of innovative dispatch and 

payment tools to deliver seamless 

outcomes for the personal 

transport industry. 

The acquisition provides an 

opportunity to expand Cabcharge’s 

customer reach and increases 

Cabcharge’s ability to compete 

with other fully integrated personal 

transport companies. 

Cabcharge CEO Andrew Skelton 

said, “This collaboration of 

technology and experience will be 

a win for Cabcharge’s customers 

and a win for MTI’s Taxi industry 

customers. Working directly with 

our core dispatch and bookings 

technology enables us to improve 

the service experience for a 

number of key stakeholders.” 

“The transaction signals growing 

confidence in our ability to build 

and integrate technology and MTI 

provides an opportunity to be 

active and competitive on a global 

scale,” he continued. 

MTI will continue with its existing 

management structure and operate 

as a subsidiary of Cabcharge to 

allow it to provide systems and 

service to all customers equally 

and fairly, but with the added 

support of more people power and 

R&D funding. 

Matthew Bellizia will remain as 

Chairman of MTI: “Cabcharge’s 

commitment to improving 

technology makes it the perfect 

home for MTI to accelerate its next 

generation products which are 

designed to support established 

Taxi industry participants to 

compete against new global 

players.” 

“Together MTI and Cabcharge 

will invest over $10 million 

developing technologies to create 

advanced Taxi dispatch and 

payment services, which in turn 

will strengthen operations for our 

Taxi industry customers across the 

world.” 

Transaction completion is 

expected to occur in the second 

half of calendar year 2018 and 

is subject to confirmation from 

the Australian Competition and 

Consumer Commission that it 

does not intend to oppose the 

acquisition. The acquisition does 

not include MTI’s meter business. 


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! 

The unintended consequences 

of the $1 Trip Levy 

by B Gammon 

With the final application of the reforms imminent and the second tranche being the last application a 

discussion on the effects of the $1 levy is well overdue. 

This levy will be catastrophic for all concerned. The extra charge of $1.10 (including gst) on a quick 

ride to the shops or the doctor could mean a fare increase of up to 16%! 

The impact this will have on the most VULNERABLE in our society, the ELDERLY and the DISABLED 

is immeasurable. 

This government obviously has not considered the ECONOMIC, SOCIAL and MENTAL ramifications 

of this. 

Of course the powers that be will say that with the reduction in our “costs” WE should be able to 

absorb this. This is NOT viable. 

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27

INFRASTRUCTURE 

Wheelchairs & 

mobility scooters 

?????? 

Drivers of Wheelchair Accessible 

Taxis have a number of obligations 

when loading and transporting 

people in wheelchairs and scooters. 

Under no circumstances is it 

safe to carry passengers in highcare 

mobility aids. Doing so puts 

passenger safety, and the safety of 

other occupants of the taxi, at risk. 

Drivers found transporting 

passengers in such aids may have 

their accreditation reviewed and 

be legally liable for any injuries 

sustained to passengers. Legal 

liability in these circumstances can 

also extend to operators, licence 

holders and Booking Service 

Providers. 

Legal requirements 

Wheelchair Accessible Taxi licence 

conditions require the driver to: 

• securely restrain wheelchairs or 

scooters being carried in the 

taxi 

• maintain high standards of 

interaction with passengers to 

ensure the passenger is safe 

and comfortable 

• store luggage or other goods 

safely, and ensure they do not 

interfere with the movement 

of passengers in or out of the 

vehicle 

• ensure the lifting equipment 

in a taxi is only operated by 

a 'W' endorsed 

accredited driver. 

Passengers in 

wheelchairs 

A passenger occupying 

a wheelchair must 

not be carried in a taxi 

unless: 

• the wheelchair 

is securely 

restrained by 

applying restraints 

to the floor from 

two points on 

the front and two 

points on the rear 

of the wheelchair frame 

• the passenger is secured by 

a seat belt fitted to the taxi 

and which has been properly 

adjusted and fastened 

• the wheelchair is positioned with 

the occupant facing towards 

the front of the taxi and with 

the wheelchair located between 

the appropriate restraint 

attachment tracks/points on 

the floor. 

Scooters 

A passenger who uses a mobility 

scooter must: 

• be seated in a conventional 

passenger seat for the duration 

of the journey and wear a seat 

belt, and 

• the scooter must be fitted with 

restraints to prevent movement 

of the scooter during the 

journey. In the event that the 

scooter cannot be safely 

secured and restrained within 

the taxi, the scooter must not 

be carried. 

Incorrect carriage of 

passengers 

Drivers of Wheelchair Accessible 

Taxis are cautioned that in addition 

to possible legal action they may 

face arising from negligence, the 

TSC will institute proceedings 

to suspend or revoke the driver 

accreditation of any driver who 

has failed to properly restrain a 

passenger in a wheelchair or has 

attempted to transport a wheelchair 

or scooter in an incorrect manner. 


INFRASTRUCTURE 

Want to participate 

in MPTP services? 

The Taxi Services Commission 

(TSC) is working to expand the 

Multi Purpose Taxi Program 

(MPTP) to all regulated commercial 

passenger vehicle service 

providers, allowing them to offer 

services to MPTP members. This 

includes taxis and hire cars. 

The TSC wants to hear from 

industry participants who would 

like to take part in providing 

services for subsidised trips taken 

by MPTP members. 

The MPTP is administered by 

the TSC and currently has over 

200,000 members in Victoria. In 

2016–17, more than 4.9 million 

trips were undertaken by members 

using their MPTP cards. 

If you are interested in 

demonstrating that your company 

can meet the functional and 

technical specifications outlined 

in the data collection pack on the 

TSC website, you can contact us 

about your data collection options, 

systems and ideas. 

To express your interest or further 

information contact Roland 

Estrella, TSC Manager, Business 

Services, via email roland. 

estrella@taxi.vic.gov.au or phone 

8683 0749. 

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THINK HARD 

Are you putting your eggs in 

the right basket? 

by Rod Barton 

Leader - Transport Matters Party 

We were burnt once, we won’t be 

so gullible this time around. It is 

true that the Liberal “Blue” team has 

been attempting to pour honey into 

the ears of a few of our friends and 

colleagues. 

Do you remember when.... 

• the Liberals gave us Allan Fels 

and his inquiry, which delivered 

the social, financial and 

community harm? 

• the Liberals accepted the 

recommendations that had taxi 

leases fall 30% which, in turn, 

dropped taxi licence values? 

Victorian Hire car licence 

values dropped $20 million 

dollars when the licences were 

dropped from $60,000 back 

to $40,000, they didn’t support 

any compensation then! 

• the Liberals were in power 

when Uber entered the market 

and did nothing to enforce the 

law? They told us we had to 

be more competitive, knowing 

we had our hands tied with 

legislation and debt, and 

Matthew Guy jumping onto the 

Uber cheer squad. 

We have not forgotten this: 

Herald Sun 2015 Matthew Guy 

visiting Uber’s Melbourne’s HQ 

“UBER is here to stay and 

Victorians need to embrace the 

controversial ride-sharing app, 

says Victorian opposition leader 

Matthew Guy. [Oh really!] 

Visiting the company’s 

headquarters this morning, 

Mr Guy urged the Andrews 

Government to implement 

regulation to allow the company 

to operate in Victoria now. 

We have a situation where Uber 

is operating,” Mr Guy said. 

“It needs to have the Government 

participate in a frank discussion 

with the taxi industry and Uber to 

work out how the two are going 

to work because clearly Uber is 

here and Uber is here to stay.” 

“It is about time the Government 

stopped with this all talk and no 

action supposed review into how 

Matthew Guy 

State Opposition Leader 

Uber is going to operate here in 

Victoria.” 

Mr Guy’s comments come after 

he defended using the service in 

January. The ride sharer app and 

other alternatives are currently 

being looked at by an industry 

forum set up by Transport 

Minister Jacinta Allan. 

A working group is investigating 

how other states and 

international governments have 

adapted to regulating Uber and 

other new entrants.” 

We have not forgotten Matthew Guy 

jumping into an illegal UberX vehicle 

in 2015 and goading the Andrews 

Government to let Uber operate. 


THINK LONG 

You should also remember: 

At no stage have the Liberals 

supported publicly the fair 

buy-back of all taxi and hire 

car licences at market value as 

at a date before Uber entered 

the market with no conditions! 

The reason for this is that they 

don’t believe in it! It is also 

noted that the Liberals have not 

supported an enquiry into the 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

Industry (CPVI) reforms and the 

Unfairness Fund. 

There is a big difference between 

what gets said and what gets 

done! 

The VTA noted the following in 

June 2017.... 

“The Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Industry Bill 2017, the 

Government’s first piece of 

legislation to effect the reforms 

to the industry they announced 

last August, passed the Upper 

House last Friday 23 June. 

There was fast and furious 

negotiation and discussion 

between parties throughout 

last week. Unfortunately, given 

the transition assistance was 

not part of the legislation, little 

of the negotiation centred 

on this issue. Even Liberal 

MPs who made speeches 

about the inadequacy of 

compensation ultimately 

supported the amendments 

to the Bill which were agreed. 

In fact, very little of member 

statements or questions related 

to compensation. This just 

TRANSPORT MATTERS because it affects you, 

your family, your job, your community, your 

safety and your environment. 

P BECOME A MEMBER 

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We’re the TMP, the Transport 

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We are a group of people who 

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of life - passionate enough to 

have formed and registered a 

political party to contest seats 

in this year’s State election (24 

November 2018) and beyond. 

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DO YOU CARE DEEPLY about 

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31

THINK CAREFULLY 

TRANSPORT MATTERS because it affects you, 

your family, your job, your community, your 

safety and your environment. 

We’re the TMP, the Transport 


revealing that it was much more 

politically expeditious for MPs 

to pay lip service to supporting 

the industry but saw more value 

in negotiating changes to the 

issue they think will impact on 

the community (voters at large) 

the most - the levy.” 

We have not forgotten! 

Daniel Andrews and the Labor 

Party as they lied to our face. They 

promised us rock solid guarantees! 

How did that work for you? 

This photo (on the right) was 

taken with Premier Daniel Andrews 

before the last election stating 

that he would look after the Taxi 

Industry – yet another broken 

promise. 

It’s most unfortunate that a SMALL 

number of industry stakeholders 

are falling for the same tricks 

of those in opposition only four 

years ago. Perhaps time heals all 

wounds or maybe it’s a case of 

everything old, is new again. 

We are a group of people who 

are passionate about the issues 

that affect the Victorian way 

of life - passionate enough to 

have formed and registered a 

political party to contest seats 

in this year’s State election (24 

November 2018) and beyond. 

ARE YOU PASSIONATE for 

Victoria and the quality of our 

lives? 

DO YOU CARE DEEPLY about 

Victoria’s infrastructure and the 

integrity of our transport system? 

A mark of stupidity is repeating the same thing and expecting 

YES? JOIN different WITH results. US IN OUR 

NEW POLITICAL PARTY! 

If you want to make a difference, try something different 

and join the growing number of members Scan of the QR Transport 

code 

P BECOME A MEMBER 


P BE A TMP CANDIDATE 

A P party SPONSOR for discerning OUR voters CAUSE who can see the strategic plan and 

vision in place to ensure we are not wronged again. 

P GET TO KNOW MORE 

E info@transportmatters.party 

W www.transportmatters.party 

F @TMPVic 

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BELLARINE PENINSULA & 

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Drivers wanted. All shifts available. 

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13 CABS DAY/NIGHT 

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RIDE SHARE VICTORIA 

Vacancies for full time, part time and casual drivers 

Send your resume to info@ridesharevictoria.com.au 

stating your preferences. Accreditation required. 

DAY SHIFT DRIVER 

Silver Top Taxis. New Camry - gas & petrol. Roxburgh 

Park Changeover 4pm. 25 years old with experience. 

Phone 0425 614 473. 

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXI 

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Send details of your DRIVER or JOB 

advertisement to info@drivea2b.com.au 

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SILVER TOP TAXI DRIVERS 

Day shift - Night shift - Full time or Part time 

Must be over 25 years old with at least 3 years 

experience in driving a taxi. changeover in Rowville. 

Commission bases 55/45. Please contact Tony on 

0413 393 594 or sms. You can also emal me on 

tonysursock@gmail.com 

PERMANENT PART TIME WORK 

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WHAT WE 

HEAR ! 

The $1 trip levy is allowed to 

be added to the total on the 

fare box (and therefore will 

really be $1.10 incl GST). 

Essential Services Commission 

will make their determination 

on the maximum fare 

review for unbooked trips 

in September 2018, but it is 

looking like we won’t have an 

increase. 

Uber Black drivers now 

have to show their 

insurance details to be able 

to continue Black work. 

Not just private insurance 

- commercial insurance 

including $10 million for 

Public Liability. 

Transport for Victoria (TfV) 

says that it’s all too hard and 

too costly to have vehicles 

supply safety restraints 

for children under 7. Why? 

Safety is paramount - 

especially for our children! 

Vehicle Insurance is still not 

being made mandatory by 

Transport for Victoria or 

the TSC. So, it is up to the 

individual networks/operators 

to ensure that they have 

sufficient insurance cover on 

their vehicles. 

has a 

redesigned logo. They have 

been closely associated 

with orange since 1924 with 

the start of Yellow Cabs 

Qld, and orange apparently 

represents trust and 

reassurance. 

BE 

A PART 

OF THE 

STORY 

Join the Conversation 

DRIVE A2B loves hearing what you think about the magazine, your vehicle owner or driver, 

your Booking Service Provider, or just Commercial Passenger Vehicles (CPVs) 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. 


Interstate 

News 

NSW & QLD CTP 

INSURANCE 

by Denis Doherty 

TASMANIA 

Uber is a ride-sharing app which allows smartphone 

users to set their location and destination without 

making any phone calls and with a cashless system. 

Uber Tasmania manager Lucas Groeneveld said Uber 

was looking forward to providing North Tasmania with 

a safer, more affordable and more reliable transport. 

“There is a couple of ways it will have a really 

positive impact on the community with access to 

transportation in the region,” Mr Groeneveld said. 

“For locals who are out and about in the region on a 

Friday and Saturday night it will be a safe ride home 

and on the tourist side, access for tourists to help 

them explore the region,” he said. 

He said data showed almost 40,000 people had 

opened up the Uber App across Launceston, 

Devonport and Burnie. 

“40 drivers have passed the background check, been 

approved by the Department of State Growth and 

passed a vehicle inspection and are ready to go.” 

THE Gold Coast could be set for a taxi war 

after NSW slashed compulsory third party 

insurance premiums for cabbies and an 

alternative ridesharing group opened business 

in the area. 

The move by NSW, which will see the amount 

of CTP Fund Levy cabbies pay match the 

amount paid by ridesharing services, has led 

to calls from the Taxi Council of Queensland 

to match the move. 

From 1 July 2018, the Taxi CTP fund levy 

component of greenslips will be reduced from 

an average of $580 to $142 in Sydney and 

$680 to $110 in country NSW. 

NSW Taxi Council CEO, Martin Rogers 

welcomed the decision by the Minister 

of Finance, Services and Property Victor 

Dominello saying the reduction would put 

taxis on a more level playing field in the point 

to point transport sector. 

While the move may put Tweed cabbies on 

a higher playing field than their Gold Coast 

counterparts, TCQ CEO Blair Davies said the 

group would ideally like to see Queensland 

adopt a model in place in Victoria which would 

see CTP payments plummet even further, 

“In Queensland it costs the owner of a taxi 

licence $4460 a year to cover CTP while an 

Uber driver is paying only $580,” he said. 


SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

A driverless public electric shuttle 

has started operating around the 

Tonsley Innovation District as part 

of a five-year trial of autonomous 

vehicle technology set to 

encompass public roads in South 

Australia for the first time. 

Funded by the State Government 

and industry partners, the Flinders 

Express (or ‘FLEX’) will initially 

provide ‘first mile–last mile’ shuttle 

services between the nearby 

Clovelly Park Train Station and 

Tonsley’s Main Assembly Building 

(MAB), then connections to bus 

stops on the main South Road and 

businesses within the Tonsley area. 

Commuters arriving by traditional 

bus or train to Tonsley can book a 

ride online on the Flinders website. 

Free rides can be booked on 

weekdays from Monday to Friday 

between 10am and 2pm during 

the first stage of the trials. 

“Demonstrations and trials of 

these driverless vehicles that 

involve the community are a really 

good way of building acceptance 

of this type of new technology,” 

says Professor Zito. 

“Our aim is not to prove the 

technology but rather expose the 

public to this new type of transport 

service and learn from their 

responses and reactions to help 

driverless vehicles gain general 

acceptance.” 

The French-designed Navya Arma 

electric shuttle can carry up to 15 

passengers at speeds of up to 40 

km per hour, but will travel up to 30 

km per hour during the trial. FLEX 

will be managed by an on-board 

chaperone informing users of the 

technology and ensuring safety. 

When not in use the vehicle will 

be docked within a six bay solar 

recharge garage to be constructed 

within two months near the 

Mitsubishi Administration building. 

The solar garage will also be 

available to the public wanting 

to recharge their own electric 

vehicles for free. 


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TAXIS 

HIRE CARS 

UBER CARS 


What’s On in 

Melbourne 

Skating at Melbourne 

until 15/7/2018 

Crown Riverwalk, Yarra Promenade, Southbank 

For the first time, a Skating At pop-up ice-skating rink will 

be located at Crown Riverwalk. This affordable familyfriendly 

event is ideal for people of all ages and skill levels 

with something for everyone on offer. The world-class 

40-metre open-air ice rink provides a magical winter 

precinct with lighting, music, Kanga skating aids and 

delicious dining options nearby. 

Circus Oz Precarious 

until 15/7/2018 

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria 

Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne 

This year, the Circus Oz Big Top will be nestled within 

the trees beside the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, 

presenting a 70-minute non-stop spectacle of acrobatic 

mayhem for audiences of all ages. Inspired by the 

surrounding gardens, Circus Oz explores what happens 

when the overseers of nature fail in their duty of care. 

28 - 29/7/2018 

Over 200 buildings, homes and venues around Melbourne will open 

their doors for the 11th Open House Melbourne weekend. Tours 

are free, but some require bookings. Please check individual venue 

listings for details and Open House Melbourne’s website for the full 

list of July talks and events. 

MULTICULTURAL FESTIVALS 

Melbourne Documentary 

Film Festival 

6 - 14 July 

participating venues - Howler Art Space, 

Long Play, Cinema Nova, Backlot, Loop, 

Music and Effects. 

Showcasing a curated program of over 60 feature 

and short documentaries direct from Cannes, 

Telluride, Hot Docs, Doc NYC, SXSW, & Sundance! 

Melbourne doco lovers can expect 2 World 

Premieres, 10 Australian Premieres and 6 

Melbourne Premieres over 9 exciting days! 

Bastille Day 

French Festival 

14 - 15 July 

Blackwood Street 

North Melbourne 

Melbourne-based French 

businesses and associations 

celebrate French culture 

through food and drink, live 

music, art exhibitions, movie 

screenings, masterclasses 

and workshops 

Melbourne Tartan 

Festival Gala Dinner 

21 July 

Melbourne Town Hall 

Part of a four-day event showcasing 

Scottish culture and heritage, the 

black tie/kilt Gala Dinner will be a 

grand affair. Pipers will greet guests 

for a red carpet arrival with drinks 

and canapes, and a three-course 

meal and drinks will be served 

throughout the evening. 


NEWS 

FROM 

around the 

World 

TURKEY - Istanbul 

Uber will no longer be in use in 

Turkey’s metropolis, Istanbul, 

President Recep Tayyip 

Erdoğan has said, weighing in 

to a month-long heated dispute 

between the yellow taxi and 

Uber drivers. 

“Something called Uber or Muber 

has arisen, that business is over now. 

There is no such thing anymore ... We 

already have a taxi system. Where 

has that arisen out of? It exists in 

Europe, I do not care,” he said at an 

iftar (fast breaking) dinner organized 

by the private public bus association in 

Istanbul on June 1. 

“The governor has all the authority on 

this issue. Our Interior Minister has 

given the order ... The traffic police will 

have a crackdown on them, they will do 

what is necessary. We will not let the 

taxi drivers to be exploited,” he added. 

On May 25, the government changed 

the Road Transport Law to increase 

the fines applied to contract-based 

transport certificate holders who 

illegally serve as taxis. 

According to the new rules, a 

certificate holder company caught 

carrying passengers illegally will 

be fined 3,006 liras. If the offence 

reoccurs then the certificates related 

to all of the company vehicles will be 

revoked and the company will be put 

on a blacklist for two years, making it 

unable to apply for a certificate. 

More than 6,200 Uber drivers have 

been fined a total of 18.9 million 

liras so far this year, while 3,613 

transport certificates have been 

revoked, according to traffic control 

data compiled by daily Hürriyet. Uber 

passengers have also been fined a 

total of 2.1 million liras. 

Istanbul Mayor Mevlüt Uysal voiced 

support for the government’s new 

regulation to restrict ridesharing. 

“Individuals and firms that have got 

tourism certificates can only transport 

their tourist customers between 

certain points, or they can show their 

customers around Istanbul. We will not 

permit the misuse of documents that 

we have issued,” Uysal said. 

“We advise taxi drivers to renew 

themselves on a system that would 

be a complete substitute to Uber,” he 

added, promising to support regular 

yellow taxi drivers if they subscribe to 

a mobile application developed by the 

municipality, called “iTaksi.” 

The average price of a taxicab license 

plate in Istanbul has increased 6.6 

percent to 1.6 million liras between May 

29 and June 1, amid expectations for a 

clampdown on Uber. 


JAPAN 

Toyota Motor Corp. is considering a plan to turn 

self-driving vehicles into unmanned mobile 

convenience stores in cooperation with Seven- 

Eleven Japan Co. 

Under the plan, the autonomous electric vehicles 

would carry Seven-Eleven products to bring self-service 

convenience to underpopulated areas where it is less 

profitable to run convenience store outlets. 

Toyota could also team up with Yamato Holdings Co. on 

door-to-door delivery using driverless vehicles. The leading 

automaker is also looking to offer similar services, such as 

mobile cafes, to sell Starbucks coffee. 

IRELAND - Dublin 

A man who accepted €25 

to give a lift to five people 

who mistakenly thought he 

was a taxi driver could face 

a fine of up to €5,000. 

On May 5 2018, Det Garda 

Kevin Heffernan spotted 

a Honda Civic and its rear 

was very low to the road. 

He stopped the vehicle and 

found three males seated 

in the back seat with a 

fourth male across them 

- none wearing seatbelts. 

Baig was driving and 

another person was in the 

front seat. 

“It transpired they did not 

know the driver,” Det Garda 

Heffernan said. “They 

thought the car was a taxi. 

They had paid him €25 to 

take them to Ballinhassig 

from Kinsale.” 

Mirza Baig faces a number 

of charges, including two 

under section 22 of the Taxi 

Regulation Act relating to 

not having a licensed PSV 

and not having a licence 

to operate a PSV. Anyone 

found guilty of those 

offences can face a fine of 

not less than €4,000 and 

not more than €5,000. 

“He was not advertising as 

a taxi driver,” said Mr Taaffe 

(Baig’s solicitor), adding 

there had been no signs or 

paraphernalia”. 

“There was nothing to 

indicate [it might have been 

a taxi] other than the type 

of car it was.” 

“These regulations are 

there to deal with people 

setting up an enterprise,” 

he continued, “and it’s a 

classic case of legislation 

being drafted in Dublin with 

no idea how it applies in the 

rest of the country. 

ENGLAND - Canterbury 

by Joe Wright 

Sex offenders, arsonists and burglars are 

being handed licences to drive taxis in 

Canterbury. 

Canterbury City Council admits cabbies with 

convictions and cautions for serious offences - 

many of them for violence - have been granted 

permits to operate in the district. 

Shocked Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has now 

called for an immediate review of the authority’s taxi 

licensing policy. 

”To learn that the people we trust to professionally 

escort us to our destinations have such convictions 

and cautions is deeply worrying,” she said. 

”The council must act immediately to review and 

rectify their licensing policy to ensure that everyone 

is safe. As a parent, I am particularly worried that 

children, young adults and vulnerable people are 

being put in harm’s way on their way to school, on 

their way home after a night out, or on their way to 

work.” 

The list of offences, obtained through a Freedom 

of Information request, covers new and renewed 

licences handed out to taxi and private hire vehicle 

drivers since 2015. 

Fifteen of the 38 drivers who admitted past 

discretions owned up to violent offences, ranging 

from common assault, to affray and causing 

grievous bodily harm. 

Three were convicted or cautioned for possessing 

drugs, two for burglary, plying illegally for trade, and 

driving off without paying for fuel. 

”I am further disgusted to learn that individuals 

convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol 

or drugs are permitted to hold a licence,” Ms Duffield 

said. 

Her call for a review by the authority has been 

echoed by Canterbury and District Taxi Association 

chairman Heather Sewell. 

”Even a minor sexual assault is still serious - they 

should not have got a licence at all,” she said. 


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your taximeter / your car 

your taxi camera / your service 

your protection screen 

Only $35 for 40 words. Payments details are on 

are page 3 of this edition or visit our website at 

www.drivea2b.com.au. 

Wheelchair Accessible Taxi 

(WAT) accredited driver 

needed 

You will deliver a great customer experience 

by adopting a positive, relationship-based, and 

customer-centric approach. Contact Peter or 

Jodie at Vermont Autogas on 9874 8611. 

Advertisers’ 

Directory 

Airport Taxi Car Wash................... 38 

AMS Ivanhoe Lawyers.................. 20 

Autocab..............................................2 

AVA Group....................................... 10 

Bayside Taxi Services................... 29 

Chrysler .................................38 & 44 

CPVAA.............................................. 11 

Embassy Cafe................................ 32 

Jeep.................................................. 23 

Melway............................................ 25 

Transport Matters Party............... 31 

Transurban...................................... 17 

Victoria Taxi Club.....................33, 38 

Yarra Finance................................. 27 

Zevra.................................................. 7 


Police are seeking to identify these men 

If you see something, say something! Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report confidentially online. 

FRAUD 

Kew & Bulleen 

DATE 24 April 2018 

TIME 4:00 PM 

REFERENCE NO. CSV2805 

FRAUD 

Cheltenham 

DATE 30 April 2018 

TIME 1:30 PM 

REFERENCE NO. 

CSV2802 

BURGLARY 

Port Melbourne & 

Melbourne CBD 

DATE 23 January 2018 

TIME 5:00 AM 

REFERENCE NO. CSV2746 

At around 4:00pm on Tuesday, 24 April, 

a woman attended a bank in Kew. The 

woman used a fake Chinese passport 

and withdrew a large sum of money out 

of the victim’s account. 

On Thursday, 26 April at about 12:00pm 

she attended a bank in Bulleen. She 

attempted to transfer money from a 

second, separate victim’s account. 

This transaction was processed however 

subsequently cancelled upon the victim 

becoming aware and contacting the 

bank. 

The woman is perceived to be of Asian 

appearance, approximately 30 to 40 

years of age with short black hair. She 

was wearing dark clothing, black and 

white shoes and a tartan style scarf. 

At about 5:00am on 23 January 2018, two men 

allegedly accessed a Port Melbourne premises 

whilst the residents were sleeping. 

They proceeded to steal a number of items, 

including a wallet containing a credit card before 

leaving. 

The two men then attended a retail outlet on 

Lonsdale Street at about 6.40am to purchase food 

with the stolen credit card. 

The first man 

is perceived to 

be Caucasian in 

appearance, aged in 

his mid-20s with a thin 

build. He was wearing 

a blue hooded jumper, 

black t-shirt and 

camouflage pants at 

the time. 

The second man 

is perceived to 

be Caucasian in 

appearance, aged in 

his mid-20s with a thin 

build. He was wearing 

a peaked cap, black 

hooded rain coat and 

shorts at the time 

and appears to have 

a distinctive tattoo on 

his left calf. 

At around 1:30pm 30 April 

2018, a man attended a 

major shopping centre in 

Cheltenham, and was in 

possession of a stolen debit 

mastercard. 

The man proceeded to make 

numerous cash withdrawals. 

He also purchased a 

mobile phone and phone 

accessories whilst inside the 

centre. 

The male is perceived to be 

Caucasian in appearance, 

approximately 20-25 years 

old with a medium build. 

He was wearing an orange 

and blue Hi Vis shirt, khaki 

shorts, glasses and a blue 

cap. 


43






F O R T H E 

D R I V E N 



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DRIVE A2B July 2018

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