DRIVE A2B July 2018

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).
6 DRIVE A2B magazine · July 2018