DRIVE NOW June 2021

JUNE 2021 - EDITION 46 

National 

Magazine 

Taxis, Hire Cars, 

Wedding Cars, 

Limousines 

Owners, Drivers, 

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Suppliers, Networks, 

Booking Service 

Providers

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8 

22 

Lamborghini Taxi in 

Bangkok, Thailand 

GUIDELINES 

REGULATIONS 

28 

STANDARD 

CONDITIONS 

Lamborghini Huracan 

Taxi in Italy 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

VICTORIA 

8 CPVV, Uber and the Multi Purpose Taxi Program. 

9 Change to CPV Service Levy. 

10 

A massive WIN for Victorian CPV drivers and 

operators. 

12 CPVV – the FAILED Regulator! 

18 TAA meetings with relevant industry stakeholders. 

NATIONAL 

16 

Economic uplift helping driverless vehicle industry 

forge ahead. 

22 Businesses can reward vaccinated customers. 

24 Industry statistics from around Australia. 

QUEENSLAND 

35 Public Register for Personalised Transport. 

NSW 

26 

NSW Taxi Council ad SmartMove have formed a 

powerful partnership. 

28 Out & About – Regional NSW. 

30 Point to Point Transport Reforms. 

32 Get to know Robert Raslan. 

33 

Driver fined and convicted for not displaying their 

Driver ID. 

34 Support needed from NSW Government. 

OVERSEAS 

36 The struggle to find drivers is not unique to large cities. 

37 Northern Ireland firm unable to meet demand. 

37 

Seattle is first US city to implement gig economy labor 

standards. 

www.drivenow-magazine.com.au 

June 2021 

3

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4 June 2021

WHY YOU 

SHOULD GET 

VACCINATED 

AGAINST 

COVID-19 

COVID-19 Vaccination 

will help save lives and 

livelihoods. 

Protect yourself and the community 

• Vaccination is the most effective way to protect 

against infectious diseases. 

• Vaccines strengthen your immune system by 

training it to recognise and fight against viruses. 

• When you get vaccinated, you are protecting 

yourself and helping to protect the whole 

community. 

Help reduce COVID-19 in the 

community 

COVID-19 can spread quickly and widely. It has 

resulted in the deaths of over 3.3 million people 

worldwide and over 900 deaths in Australia. 

When enough people in the community are 

vaccinated, it slows down the spread of disease and 

this is usually a large amount of the population. 

For this reason, public health practices will stay in 

place until evidence shows that: 

• vaccination prevents transmission and 

• herd immunity is achieved in Australia. 

Reduce health, social and economic 

impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic 

Higher vaccination rates make outbreaks much 

less likely to occur. They also reduce the need for 

preventive measures, such as border closures and 

travel restrictions.

FROM THE 

Editor 

Is the maximum fare 

value a fair price? 

STOP 

PRESS 

Rod Barton MP has successfully moved amendments 

that will deliver a modest fare increase of 2.5% 

to Victorian taxi drivers from 1 July 2021. These 

amendments had the support of the entire 

Legislative Council except for 2 Liberal Democrats. 

This increase is in line with the Fair Work 

Commission’s 2021 annual increase. And the even 

better news is that every year from now, Victorian 

taxi fares will be increased by the value for minimum 

wages set by the Fair Work Commission. 

Fair Work Commission has announced that there is to be a 2.5% pay increase for the most underpaid 

workers in Australia, which will equate to an additional 49 cents per hour. This takes the minimum wage 

for Australians to $20.33 an hour, or $772.60 a week for full-time workers. 

Australian’s taxi drivers’ cost of living expenses, road tolls, rents, insurance etc. increase every year. 

Unlike Award wage earners they get no holiday pay, no sick pay, no superannuation and no carer’s leave. 

Yet Governments all around Australia still expect these transport workers to work for half the minimum 

wage and not afford them a marginal increase. 

From 1 July the Victorian $1 Trip Levy will be increased to $1.05. The State Revenue Office states that since 

2018 the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased by 5.4%, so the commercial passenger vehicle levy will 

be increased by the same amount. No doubt all other Australian States which have instituted the $1 Trip 

Levy will also be looking at increasing the amount they receive per fare. 

In Victoria, there has not been a fare increase since 2014 and Rod Barton MP is calling on the Victorian 

Government to rectify this wrong and initiate a pay rise for taxi drivers, by increasing the maximum 

amount that can be charged on the meter. 

The Western Australia State Government has approved a 6.5% increase to maximum metered taxi fares in 

all regions across WA, effective 1 July 2021. The Government states that the approved increase reflects 

changes in the cost of living in Perth and across regional WA since 2014. 

Throughout the rest of Australia it has been a long time (between 4 and 7 years) since taxis have seen any 

increases to rank and hail fares. 

During all the ups and downs of COVID-19 the taxis were and are an essential service. Why then are they 

being penalised by not granting them an increase based on CPI or Fair Work Commission increases every 

year? Where is the fairness in that? How are the State Governments going to make this right? 

Toni Peters 


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VIC News 

CPVV, 

Uber and 

MPT Program 

The Victorian Government 

expanded the Multi Purpose 

Taxi Program (MPTP) to include 

overseas entity Uber, after a socalled 

successful trial by Commercial 

Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) 

and Uber in Geelong. In this trial, 

taken place between 5th of March 

to 31st of May 2020, CPVV and Uber 

facilitated 174 rides and received 

a 5.0 satisfaction rating from 

passengers. 

What we didn’t know until after 

the announcement of the trial’s 

‘success’, is that the amount of local 

MPTP members (passengers) who 

participated in the trial was next 

to none. CPVV failed to mention 

that out of 500 members who were 

invited to participate – with 100 

positions ready to be filled – only 4 

agreed to take part in it. 

CPVV concluded that Uber would be 

fit to undertake MPTP work – but on 

what grounds? On the grounds of 4 

participants? 


VICTORIA news 

CPVV has no real basis for allowing Uber 

to be involved in the MPTP 

On 2nd of March 2021, Rod Barton 

MP requested documents from 

CPVV under the Freedom of 

Information (FOI) act, pertaining 

to the MPTP trial. 

Barton believes a trial with only 4 

people being labelled as successful 

is simply ridiculous, and argues 

that in the same period the trial 

occurred, Geelong Taxis made 

thousands of MPTP trips, which 

illustrates just how small the trial 

was in comparison. 

The MPTP supports the needs of 

people with severe and permanent 

disabilities, who are among the 

most vulnerable in our community, 

by providing them subsidised trips 

to get them from A to B in their 

day to day. 

The program has more than 

220,000 members across Victoria 

and more than 5 million trips were 

taken by Victorian members in 

2018-2019. 

It is not mandatory for Uber to 

have cameras in their vehicles – 

which is a frightening concept 

when you think of our most 

vulnerable citizens riding in their 

vehicles. How can we protect 

them? And most importantly, 

how can their safety rights be 

protected? 

Barton asked CPVV for the 

documents related to the trial to 

ascertain the reasoning behind 

the decision to give Uber the 

opportunity to provide MPTP 

service. Out of the total 464 pages 

Barton received in his FOI request, 

268 were entirely redacted – 

almost 60%. 

This makes us question the 

reliability of CPVV and makes us 

wonder what it’s got to hide. 

Barton has further pushed for the 

redacted pages to be released. 

Let’s see if CPVV obliges! 

Change to CPV 

service levy 

From 1 July 2021, the Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle Service Levy will 

increase from $1.00 to $1.05. 

This levy is a fee that drivers or 

vehicle owners pay each time they 

provide a trip. 

This levy is set under the 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle 


Industry Act 2017 and is collected 

by the State Revenue Office, not 

CPVV. It is calculated in line with 

the consumer price index. 

When the levy was introduced 

in 2018, it was set at $1.00. Since 

then, the consumer price index 

has increased by 5.4 per cent 

meaning the CPV service levy 


increases as well, as determined 

under the Act. 

You can find more information 

about the levy on the State 

Revenue Office website. 

If you have any questions on this 

increase, please call the State 

Revenue Office on 13 21 61. 

9

VICTORIA news 

A Massive Win 

$5000 GRANT FOR VICTORIAN CPV 

OPERATORS AND DRIVERS 

This past month has been difficult for small business in Victoria, especially taxi and hire car operators. 

Lockdowns are absolutely devastating for our industry and there is a significant financial struggle in 

our community. 

It was a sigh of relief to see the Victorian Government include the taxi and hire car industry in their 

support package for businesses affected by the pandemic. Our industry was eligible for a $5000 grant 

as part of the Business Costs Assistance Program. This is a massive win. 

Since the onset of this latest lockdown, I had been advocating for the taxi and hire car industry to be 

recognised in the government’s support 

package. 

I wrote to the Treasurer immediately urging 

the Government to provide support to our 

industry through this lockdown. 

Then, I worked closely with the Treasurer 

and his team to get this support off the 

ground. 

This is absolutely critical in 

the pathway forward out of 

this pandemic. 

It speaks volumes that the Government is 

prepared to recognise the suffering that is 

being experienced in the industry and to do 

something about it! 

Rod Barton MLC 

Leader, Transport Matters Party 

With JobKeeper no longer being provided 

by the Commonwealth Government, many 

did not know how they were going to put 

food on the table during this last lockdown. 


VICTORIA news 

In small rural towns taxi services 

are public transport, patient 

transfers and a dozen other roles in 

between. I have spoken with many 

regional taxi service operators 

who, during last Summer, rescued 

groups of hikers on many occasions 

due to extreme weather. They have 

also assisted many drivers stranded 

on alpine roads and transported 

customers to the local hospital 

when the closest ambulance was 

over 40 minutes away. 

Many of these taxi services have 

been subsidising this essential 

service to the community for well 

over 12 months. Some are at a 

point where they do not see their 

business as financially viable, yet 

the community relies on them to 

deliver an essential service. 

These businesses have 

been decimated. 

They don’t technically ‘shut down’ 

during lockdowns, however they 

are severely impacted. I have 

heard from many that they feel 

a community expectation that 

they will continue to provide a 

taxi service even if it is no longer 

economically viable to do so. 

If regional and rural taxi services 

were to not exist anymore, 

the impact on their respective 

communities would be profound. 

ROADMAP – MOVING FORWARD 

I will be pushing for the Government and the 

vehicles. This will mean the panel will be advising 

industry Regulator (Commercial Passenger Vehicles on the allocation of funding from the recently 

Victoria) to consider innovative solutions to ensure announced $5 million commercial sector innovation 

all taxi services survive as well as commit to a fund. 

roadmap for the industry moving forward. 

This panel will advise how the Government 

As part of this roadmap, I will be returning to my regulates the Victorian CPV industry moving 

position on the Commercial Passenger Vehicle (CPV) forward and I believe with a bit of hard work and 

Advisory Panel. Last year, I worked on this panel with collaboration we can assist the industry in recovery 

MP Steve Dimopoulos to shape the Government’s out of this pandemic. 

$22 million COVID-19 support package. 

I look forward to investigating potential 

This time, I will be bringing a range of issues for the opportunities and strategies on the advisory panel 

Government to consider, including regulations, and shaping the future of the industry. 

data collection and the Multi Purpose Taxi 

Program. 

The panel will also be advising on the Legislative 

Council’s parliamentary inquiry into the 2017 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle (CPV) Industry 

reforms. 

There will also be a focus on the road to recovery 

for the industry as well as the role the CPV sector 

plays in adopting zero and low emission electric 

There is hope for the CPV 

industry. We will be repairing 

the past to lay the foundation 

for the future. 



11

VICTORIA news 

THE 

FAILED 

REGULATOR 

by Gary Schmidt | CEO, Schmidt Electronic Laboratories 

It is obvious to many 

Victorian taxi industry 

stakeholders that 

Commercial Passenger 

Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) has 

been a total failure as an 

industry regulator. If you 

are not convinced of this, 

consider the following: 

During 2020, when the Victorian taxi 

industry was suffering enormously 

from the lack of patronage due to 

rolling COVID-19 lockdowns, CPVV 

approved Uber to process Multi 

Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) 

transactions. This ill-considered 

and poorly-timed decision will 

potentially remove from the taxi 

industry many of the 5 million plus 

per annum MPTP jobs, thereby 

inflicting massive further damage to 

an already crippled industry. 

As if that was not enough, 

CPVV continues to require 

every independent taxi to use a 

Cabcharge EFTPOS terminal to 

process MPTP transactions. These 

terminals cost most independent 

operators $109.00 inc GST per 

month, or $1308.00 per year, to 

rent. That is a huge cost when you 

consider that most sedan taxis 

in Melbourne do very few (if any) 

MPTP transactions. This is a huge 

unnecessary and useless burden 

on taxi operators, and what I 

consider to be a completely unfair 

“MPTP Tax” imposed by CPVV. 

5 YEARS AND STILL 

NO APPROVAL 

This is all the more outrageous, 

given that for the last 5 years, 

my company, Schmidt Electronic 

Laboratories has been trying in 

vain to gain approval to process 

MPTP transactions using our G5 

Taximeters. Our G5 Taximeters 

are the only devices ever custom 

designed for the purpose of 

processing MPTP transactions. 

They may be rented for a fraction 

of the cost of Cabcharge EFTPOS 

terminals. They would provide 

independent operators with a 

much cheaper option to achieve 

MPTP compliance and substantially 

lower the annual cost of operating a 

Victorian taxi. 

During the last 5 years CPVV has 

gone to considerable lengths to 

prevent our company from gaining 

the necessary approval. CPVV has 

consistently stalled our application, 

referred our application from one 

ineffective bureaucrat to the next, 

refused to negotiate commercial 

arrangements with us, refused to 

run a trial of our system, brazenly 

lied to me about its intentions 

and repeatedly misrepresented 

the progress of our application. 

At the same time, CPVV postures 


VICTORIA news 

by pretending that everything 

is on-course and hunky-dory. 

CPVV has adopted a completely 

disingenuous, schizophrenic, 

Jekyll and Hyde approach to 

managing its relationship with 

our company. On the one hand it 

holds us at bay, while on the other 

hand it encourages dialog. Well, 

we have had enough of this 

rubbish – and we are not afraid 

of saying this very loudly indeed. 

TAXI OPERATORS 

ARE DISADVANTAGED 

It is not only our company which 

has suffered from this manipulative 

and officious duplicity. Thousands 

of Victorian taxi operators are 

significantly disadvantaged by 

the lack of an alternative MPTP 

processing option. When the 

regulator commenced to register 

taxi licences for a nominal annual 

fee and opened the possibility 

of setting up a taxi to virtually 

anyone who wanted to do so, it still 

required independent taxis to be 

incontrovertibly shackled to A2B 

Australia for the supply of Cabcharge 

EFTPOS terminals to process MPTP 

transactions. 

But A2B Australia was extremely 

slow to process applications from 

independent operators. Despite 

numerous complaints made to 

CPVV by frustrated operators, CPVV 

steadfastly maintained its egregious 

policy to keep independent 

operators completely shackled 

to Cabcharge terminals, without 

providing any alternative options. 

This created a huge backlog of 

prospective independent operators 

who could not gain access to MPTP 

compliant Cabcharge terminals, 

which forced those operators to 

join a BSP in order to receive a 

Cabcharge terminal. This quickly led 

to a very substantial increase in the 

fleet sizes of major networks. 

Even though it was not mandatory 

for taxi operators to join a BSP, they 

were forced to do so to gain access 

to a Cabcharge terminal in order 

to achieve MPTP compliance. That 

is, these operators were forced to 

join a BSP and pay hundreds of 

dollars per month in BSP fees, even 

if they wished to operate completely 

independently. 



13

VICTORIA news 

IT IS IMPORTANT 

TO CONSIDER WHO 

THE WINNERS AND 

LOSERS WERE IN 

THIS SCANDALOUS 

SITUATION. 

FIRSTLY, CPVV was raking it in by 

processing thousands of applications 

from prospective operators. The 

massive swelling in taxi (unbooked) 

registrations brought hundreds of 

thousands of dollars per year in extra 

funds into the coffers of CPVV. CPVV 

was certainly a substantial winner 

in this situation. 

SECONDLY, the BSPs were signing 

up members at a frantic rate. BSP 

numbers were swelling by hundreds 

of vehicles per month and the BSPs 

were struggling to keep up with 

demand. This poured millions of 

extra dollars into BSP coffers every 

year. When one considers that a 

nominal BSP membership was 

in the range of $700 per month, 

every 1000 additional taxis would 

generate about $700,000 in BSP fees 

per month or around $8.4 million 

per year. But the BSPs’ ranks didn’t 

just swell by one thousand cabs. 

They swelled by many thousands 

of taxis and their revenues swelled 

accordingly. And don’t forget the 

thousands of additional camera 

rentals per month, roof light sales 

and additional income involved from 

sundry additional services such as 

uniforms and EFTPOS commissions 

etc. One quickly realises that the 

BSPs hauled in multiple millions of 

dollars every year from the CPVV’s 

egregious policy of keeping operators 

chained to Cabcharge terminals for 

MPTP compliance. 

THIRDLY, A2B Australia was a 

massive winner, because regardless 

as to whether an operator rented a 

Cabcharge terminal directly from 

them, or whether he or she joined 

a BSP, every operator needed to 

use a Cabcharge terminal. CPVV 

paid A2B Australia substantial 

fees for processing MPTP 

transactions in both scenarios. 

A2B Australia was therefore a 

massive winner in this situation. 

IT IS OBVIOUS 

THAT TAXI 

OPERATORS ARE 

THE UNFORTUNATE 

LOSERS IN THIS 

MATTER. 

Prospective new independent 

operators were forced to pay 

substantial BSP fees and associated 

costs approaching $10,000 per 

annum even though many had no 

desire whatsoever to join a BSP. 

While BSP numbers increased, the 

jobs dispatched by BSPs clearly did 

not. With every new member of a 

BSP, the pool of jobs was distributed 

to an ever increasing number of taxis, 

thereby reducing the volume of work 

for each member. With the reduction 

in the number of jobs dispatched 

per taxi, many new operators and 

longer-term operators have told me 

that it was simply not economically 

viable to be a member of a BSP. Many 

have told me that the BSP fees were 

a complete waste of money and 

that they wished that there was an 

alternative way in which they could 

legally operate their taxis. 

THE UPSHOT OF 

THIS SITUATION 

IS THAT TAXI 

OPERATORS HAVE 

THE FOLLOWING 

CHOICES: 

• Either join a BSP, pay BSP fees and 

hope that they get the occasional 

job dispatched to them, OR 

• Wait patiently for weeks or 

sometimes months while 

A2B Australia processes their 

application, and then pay $109 

per month for the privilege 

of processing a few MPTP 

transactions, if any. 

REGULATOR IS 

OUT OF TOUCH 

Given the dreadful state of the 

industry due to COVID-19, this 

situation is the result of a scandalous 

and abject failure in policy by the 

Victorian regulator CPVV, which 

is completely out of touch with 

the reality faced by taxi operators. 

CPVV appears to have no concern 

whatsoever for the welfare of 

industry participants. While taxi 

operators struggle to make ends 

meet and feed their families, CPVV 


VICTORIA news 

officers who administer this mess 

continue to collect their paychecks 

completely oblivious to the 

enormous suffering they cause in the 

process. 

Throughout my 45 years as an 

industry stakeholder, from the day 

in 1976 when I started to design the 

world’s first microcomputer-based 

taximeter, I have had countless 

interactions with Victorian taxi 

industry regulators through their 

various incarnations, as I have 

had with taxi industry regulators 

in the 32 countries into which tens 

of thousands of my products have 

been sold. In this state, I initially 

dealt with the Transport Regulation 

Board (TRB), then VicRoads, then the 

Victorian Taxi Directorate (VTD), then 

with the Taxi Services Commission 

(TSC) and most recently with CPVV. 

In all that time, I can confidently 

state that I have never seen the 

Victorian taxi industry in a worse 

condition. I can also confidently 

state that I have never witnessed 

the management of a taxi 

industry regulator anywhere in 

the world, conducting itself in a 

more incompetent, disingenuous, 

egregious, deceitful and brazenly 

dishonest manner. 

THE REGULATOR 

HAS LOST ITS WAY 

AND NEEDS A VERY 

SERIOUS AND 

MAJOR OVERHAUL. 

There needs to be a commitment 

to ethical standards of conduct and 

adherence to the values of respect 

and accountability which CPVV 

claims to be core to its value system. 

These values have been completely 

absent in CPVV’s conduct with 

respect to my company. Further, 

CPVV’s priorities need to be reframed 

to properly reflect current realities 

and to meet the legitimate needs 

of ALL stakeholders. A review of 

CPVV’s Annual Report of 2019-2020 

indicates that apart from the issue 

of safety (COVID-19 etc.), CPVV 

has no focus whatsoever upon the 

welfare of drivers or operators, while 

demonstrating substantial focus on 

the welfare of its own staff and the 

travelling public. 

Clearly CPVV views the operators 

and drivers of this industry 

to be the expendable, readily 

replaceable, worker bees or 

drones, whose sole purpose is to 

provide services for the riding public 

and to comply with regulations. 

In contrast to its own staff, CPVV 

demonstrates no consideration for 

the livelihood, welfare or aspirations 

of operators or drivers as workers in a 

workplace, or as valued participants 

in this industry. 

This is both morally reprehensible 

and ethically repugnant. 

Sadly, its entire approach to 

regulating the industry reflects 

CPVV’s negative view of the 

112,000 human beings (yes, 

human beings) upon whose 

back the entire industry rides. 

AS A VERY 

FIRST STEP TO 

OVERHAULING CPVV, 

THE CEO, AARON DE 

ROZARIO, MUST GO. 

I 

understand that Mr de Rozario will be 

leaving the CPVV at the end of June 

2021. This is completely appropriate 

as he must bear the responsibility 

for the colossal failures of TSC/CPVV 

under his leadership. He cannot 

remain at the helm of CPVV if that 

body is to rebuild any credibility 

with the industry. Frankly, I do not 

understand why taxi operators and 

other stakeholders had not risen up 

to demand his resignation a long 

time ago. It is only through replacing 

Aaron de Rozario, that the State 

Government can hope to commence 

the very difficult and painful process 

of repairing the Victorian taxi 

industry. 

For comment, I may be contacted 

via gschmidt@schmidt.com.au. 



15

Economic uplift 

Economic Uplift 

Survey Results and Discussion 

helping ECONOMIC driverless UPLIFT vehicle SURVEY 

to the Australian economy, and help the nation 

industry forge ahead 

Australia’s driverless vehicle industry says it’s 

emerging from the COVID-19 crisis with growing 

business confidence to create more jobs and invest 

more money. 

An economic uplift survey conducted by the Australia “Business confidence is high in this sector. Our members 

and New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI) are telling us that they are employing people and 

has found that 84% of businesses surveyed within the growing investment in their businesses to support the 

industry expected to hire more workers, or keep the driverless vehicle sector,” Ms Excell said. 

Australia’s driverless vehicle 

fully or somewhat recovered driverless vehicle space. 

same levels of employment post COVID-19. 

industry says it’s emerging from from COVID-19’s impact. “Responses In fact, received indicate that activity is 

This was despite 87% of industry respondents saying happening across every “Business state in confidence Australia, is and high 50% in 

the COVID-19 crisis with growing 50% intend to invest more money 

they had been adversely affected by COVID-19 during of this investment is 

this 

self-funded 

sector. Our 

with 

members 

the balance 

are 

2020. business confidence to create in the driverless vehicle coming industry from industry and government grants.” 

telling us that they are employing 

But 

more 

all 

jobs 

businesses 

and invest 

said 

more 

they 

money. 

had fully or 

over 

somewhat 

the next 12 months. 

ADVI – 

Onesixth 

50% say intend they will invest Australia more – has conducted the industry survey of its 

the peak body for the driverless vehicle sector 

people and growing investment 

recovered from COVID-19’s impact. In fact, 

to An invest economic more uplift money survey in the driverless vehicle industry partners yearly since in 2018. their businesses to support 

than $1m in the next financial year. 

over conducted the next by 12 the months. Australia One-sixth and say they will invest 

the driverless vehicle sector,” Ms 

more than $1m in the next financial year. 

New Zealand Driverless Vehicle The survey, which ADVI conducts Excell said. 

The 

Initiative 

survey, 

(ADVI) 

which 

has 

ADVI 

found 

conducts 

that 

annually 

annually 

polling 

polling companies 

companies involved with driverless vehicles, points 

“Responses received indicate that 

to 84% growing of businesses confidence surveyed in the industry despite involved the with driverless vehicles, 

uncertainty activity is happening across every 

within the industry facing many expected businesses to in the points COVID-19 to growing era. confidence 

state in Australia, and 50% of this 

hire more workers, or keep the in the industry despite the 

investment is self-funded with the 

same levels of employment post uncertainty facing many 

balance coming from industry and 

COVID-19. 

businesses in the COVID-19 era. 

government grants.” 

This was despite 87% of industry 

respondents saying they had been 

adversely affected by COVID-19 

during 2020. 

But all businesses said they had 

ADVI Executive Director Rita 

Excell said the industry had the 

potential to provide much needed 

stimulation to the Australian 

economy, and help the nation 

become a world leader in the 

ADVI Executive Director Rita Excell said the industry 

had the potential to provide much needed stimulation 

become a world leader in the driverless vehicle space. 

ADVI – the peak body for the 

driverless vehicle sector in 

Australia – has conducted the 

industry survey of its partners 

yearly since 2018. 


TAA Meetings 

with relevant industry stakeholders 

Transport Alliance Australia (TAA) is prepared to organise and participate in 

meetings with relevant stakeholders such as the Victorian regulator, Commercial 

Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV), so it can deliver further industry insight and 

knowledge to its members, and members have the vehicle to express their views 

as well. 

It is important for all TAA members to be consistently aware of the issues 

the industry faces, proposed solutions and updates on the progress of those 

solutions. The goal is to create positive change in the industry. 

In early May, we facilitated a 

meeting between CPVV and one 

of our partners, Wedding Car 

Association (WCA), to address 

current issues, from both ends, 

and exchange ideas on how to 

move forward. 

WCA sought to voice concerns 

over CPVV’s competency 

in making the Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle (CPV) 

industry a fairer playing field, 

illegal operators providing and 

advertising their services, and 

compliance check protocol. 

CPVV advises that it is moving 

towards a new regulatory 

framework around reviewing 

compliance and enforcement 

policies and overall strategy – 

one that involves engaging with 

various industry participants in a 

more robust and open manner, 

with increased transparency. 

The aim is to hear from different 

parts of the CPV industry on 

their thoughts and experiences 

on dangers within the industry, 

and make progress on safety in a 

collaborative way. 

Compliance and enforcement 

departments are being brought 

to the table to hear the 

perspective of operators. This 

collectiveness will inform CPVV’s 

strategy and allow CPVV to be 

more targeted in its engagement 

with the industry. 

When asked whether more 

meetings will take place between 

all these parties, CPVV informed 

us that it is committed to making 

itself available to meeting 

industry participants and is 

looking at ensuring we have 

regular meetings to discuss what 

it is focusing on and what risks 

are present within the industry. 

Illegal Operators 

Let’s talk about the real issue of 

illegal operators. WCA has been 

counting a lot of illegal operators 

in action whilst working, and 

believes CPVV’s efforts to catch 

them and hold them accountable 

has been extremely low. 

CPVV pointed out that dealing 

with illegal operators is a long 

process – finding out who is in 

the vehicle, determining whether 

they match with the registered 

driver and looking at all the 

accreditation. 

Although many illegal operators 

use a H-plated vehicle, seeing a 

H-plated vehicle is not sufficient 

evidence to deem the owner 


an illegal CPV operator. This is 

also something that we will be 

discussing with VicRoads at our 

upcoming meeting. 

WCA mentioned there are illegal 

operators advertising their 

services on Facebook – which 

includes reviews from apparent 

customers. Unfortunately social 

media accounts and reviews 

belonging to illegal operators 

are not enough to prosecute 

them. However, WCA would 

be satisfied with the illegal 

operators just being removed 

from the platform. CPVV raised 

the point that Facebook is a 

tough organisation to deal with 

especially when it comes to 

advertising. 

The CPVV legal team have 

been writing to Facebook 

administrators, and its requests 

for the removal of illegal 

operators’ accounts have been 

effective to a small extent. The 

team is in the process of drafting 

another letter. 

CPVV has a current project 

in place with the purpose of 

locating operators advertising 

their services when they are not 

registered. CPVV notifies them 

that they need to be registered, 

gives them a rundown on how to 

do this and follows up with them. 

If the operator doesn’t register 

or reply, then the work is shifted 

to the investigation team. 

A number of illegal operators 

have been prosecuted in the 

past, but most of them have 

voluntarily complied after being 

caught. For prosecution, you 

have to confirm who’s in the 

vehicle, that the person in the 

vehicle is the one driving it and 

that they’re getting paid to use 

it. There needs to be hard proof 

which, as an example, may be 

in the form of a statement from 

those who received the service. 

WCA suggested authorised 

officers insert the number plates 

of potential illegal operators into 

their database and CPVV contact 

unregistered vehicle owners to 

remind them to register– WCA 

cares about stopping illegals so 

as to make it a fairer industry and 

keep the public safe. 

WCA put forth the idea to 

develop a letter to send to 

suspected illegal operators 

containing concerns, a reminder 

to register and a note to ensure 

they are accredited. There is 

already a standard legal response 

which is actioned when an illegal 

operator is identified, yet CPVV 

was receptive to the letter 

suggestion and will bring it up in 

the project’s review – which has 

been delayed due to the recent 

lockdown and other critical work. 

Roadworthys 

When we asked CPVV why Uber 

and rideshare don’t have as much 

roadworthy regulation against 

them, it instructed us to go to 

VicRoads to enquire about this 

policy position; we have since 

set up a meeting with VicRoads 

and will report on this in the next 

edition of DRIVE NOW. 

ASK 

YOUR 

QUESTIONS 

Transport 

Alliance Australia 

representatives 

are scheduling 

meetings with the 

regulators in every 

State. 

Let us know what 

burning issues 

you have with your 

industry regulator 

and we will take 

them to these 

meetings. 

Email TAA your 

questions, 

suggestions and 

comments 

Include your name, relevant 

Australian State/Territory, 

contact email and phone 

number to 

info@taa-national.com.au 

Watch future editions of 

DRIVE NOW for updates. 

Transport Alliance Australia – looking after 

the interests of those in the Australian 

commercial passenger transport sector. 



19

R OBJECTIVES: 

continued from previous page 

t of the Australian personal passenger 

Compliance Checks 

k of stakeholders in this sector; 

uestions and Compliance issues involving check protocol this sector; is 

ose legislative something or other we measures delved affecting into, as 

BJECTIVES: 

there is no proper verification 

r/owner remuneration process. This levels; 

he Australian personal 

means 

passenger 

that 

, owners, operators, authorised networks officers and may booking approach 

tor; operators one too many times. 

tities stakeholders within CPVV this wants sector in this officers to sector; createto engage 

ions ies; and with issues operators involving a respectful this sector; way 

s to assist – in communicating maintaining a high why standard they believe 

egislative or other measures affecting 

certain things may be safety 

issues and working in respect of 

ner remuneration the legislation. levels; To verify a check 

RITORY REGULATORS 

ers, operators, has been networks made, we and proposed booking 

ccess Canberra obtaining | www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au 

the officer’s name 

or having business cards in the 

SW within – Roads this and Maritime | www.rms.nsw.gov.au 

vehicle sector so the to officer createcan put down 

o Point Transport | www.pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au 

their name and give a time stamp. 

assist 

ture, Planning maintaining 

and Logistics | www.dipl.nt.gov.au 

a high standard 

Since the meeting, CPVV 

f Transport and has Main had Roads some | www.tmr.qld.gov.au 

initial internal 

discussions around the idea of 

Transport and Infrastructure | www.dpti.sa.gov.au 

issuing an item acknowledging 

recent engagement and is now 

nt 

RY 

of State 

REGULATORS 

Growth | www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au 

considering ways to implement 

Passenger Canberra Vehicles this | www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au 

with Victoria the use | www.cpv.vic.gov.au 

of its SCO 

identification numbers. Due 

artment of Transport | www.transport.wa.gov.au 

Roads and Maritime | www.rms.nsw.gov.au 

to the lockdown and priority 

t Transport | www.pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au 

of monitoring of COVIDSafe 

processes, a compliance check 

Planning verification and Logistics has | www.dipl.nt.gov.au 

not yet progressed 

further. 

sport and Main Roads | www.tmr.qld.gov.au 

A NON FOR PROFIT BODY RUN BY 

MEMBERS, FOR MEMBERS 

Advocating for the betterment of the Australian 

personal passenger transport sector. 

Transport Alliance Australia is a peak body for 

those within the Australian commercial passenger 

transport sector. We represent owners, drivers, 

operators and all industry stakeholders in every 

Australian State and Territory. 

CONTACT DETAILS 

OUR OBJECTIVES: 

advocate for the betterment of Phone: the Australian personal passenger 

Toni Peters – 0400 137 866 

transport sector ; 

André Baruch - 0417 898 698 

maintain a cohesive network of stakeholders in this sector; 

Email: 

consider and deal with all questions and issues involving this sector; 


promote, support and propose legislative or other measures affecting 

this sector; 

Website: 

www.taa-national.com.au 

campaign to improve driver/owner remuneration levels; 

protect the rights of drivers, owners, operators, networks and booking 

service providers in this sector; 

connect individuals and entities within this sector to create 

opportunities for these parties; 

promote ideas and programs to assist in maintaining Phone: a high standard 

Toni Peters – 0400 137 866 

André Baruch - 0417 898 698 

for all TAA members. 

That comes to our conclusion of 

port and Infrastructure | www.dpti.sa.gov.au 

TAA and WCA’s latest dealings 

with CPVV. We will continue to 

ONLY STATE/TERRITORY REGULATORS Email: 

State Growth | www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au 

$29 

keep TAA members in the loop 


ACT 

Access Canberra | www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au 

with the result of these key 

enger Vehicles Victoria | www.cpv.vic.gov.au 

meetings and the status of the 

NSW 

Transport for NSW – Roads and Maritime Website: | www.rms.nsw.gov.au 

ongoing issues addressed. 

Point to Point Transport www.taa-national.com.au 

| www.pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au 

ent of Transport | www.transport.wa.gov.au 

for individual 

NT membership 

Department of Infrastructure, see Planning website 

See website 

and Logistics for full 

for 

details | www.dipl.nt.gov.au 

full details 

by Cindy Man Hun 

TAA Communications 

QLD 

A NON FOR PROFIT BODY RUN BY 

MEMBERS, FOR MEMBERS 

Advocating for the betterment of the Austral 

personal passenger transport sector. 

Transport Alliance Australia is a peak body fo 

those within the Australian commercial passeng 

transport sector. We represent owners, drivers 

operators and all industry stakeholders in ever 

Australian State and Territory. 

CONTACT DETAILS 

Department of Transport and Main Roads | www.tmr.qld.gov.au 

SA 

20 June 2021 

Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure | www.dpti.sa.gov.au 

TAS 

Department of State Growth | www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au


PICK UP YOUR OWN COPY 

EVERY MONTH FROM THESE BUSINESSES 

National 

Magazine 

VIC 


Wedding Cars, 

Limousines 

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Virginia 

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Wooloongabba 

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SA 

Adelaide Airport 

13cabs - Adelaide 

Mile End 

Adelaide Independent 

Taxis 

Wayville 

Equity Transport 

Kilburn 

Suburban Taxis 

Mile End South 

Taxi Council of SA 

WA 

NSW 

Alexandria 

13cabs, NSW 

Taxi Council 

Arncliffe 

Sanitisation 

Station 

Bankstown 

Mikhael & Co 

Mech Repairs 

Cromer 

Manly Warringah 

Cabs 

Granville 

Premier Cabs 

Dubbo 

Dubbo Bus Lines 

Kingsgrove 

St George Cabs 

Leumeah 

Sanitisation 

Station 

Mascot 

RSL Cabs, 

GM Cabs 

Victoria Park 

Swan Taxis Pty Ltd 

Belmont 


Greenfields 

Mandurah Taxis 

Osborne Park 

Nova Communications 

Perth Airport 

Perth Airport Taxi Rank 

Victoria Park 

ComfortDelGro (WA) 

Wangara 


Cameras 

Mayfield West 

13cabs 

Newscastle 

13cabs 

North Parramatta 

Sanitisation 

Station 

Padstow 

Black & White 

Cabs 

Prestons 

13cabs, Taxi Tech 

Seven Hills 

Sanitisation 

Station 

Tamworth 

Sanitisation 

Station 

Wagga Wagga 

Wagga Taxis 

West Gosford 

Central Coast 

Taxis 

Wolli Creek 

Legion Cabs 

Wollongong 

lllawarra Taxis 

ACT 

Aerial Taxis 

Canberra Cabs 

Canberra Elite Taxis 

TAS 

131008 Hobart 

Taxi Combined 

Services 

NT 

13cabs Alice 

Springs 

Casuarina Blue Taxis 

Darwin Radio Taxi

BUSINESSES 

CAN REWARD 

VACCINATED 

CUSTOMERS 

Rewards programs for coronavirus 

vaccinations have been given approval by 

the Therapeutic Goods Administration. 

Businesses have been given the 

green light to offer rewards to 

people who have been vaccinated 

for COVID-19. The Therapeutic 

Goods Administration (TGA) has 

approved arrangements that will 

be in place until the end of 2022. 

Health professionals, businesses 

and media outlets will be able to 

develop their own materials about 

TGA-approved COVID-19 vaccines. 

“They also permit the offer of 

a range of rewards to people 

who have been fully vaccinated 

under the government’s COVID-19 

vaccination program,” the 

regulator said. 

“Businesses can now supplement 

government public health 

campaigns through offers of 

practical support (including 

rewards) that encourage 

Australians to be vaccinated.” 

The messaging must not refer 

to specific brands of vaccine, 

promote non-approved vaccines 


or make statements that are false 

or misleading. 

The rewards could include store 

vouchers, discounts or frequent 

flyer points, but cannot include 

alcohol, tobacco or medicines 

other than listed medicines. 

But any offer of a reward cannot 

be restricted to only those who 

have a vaccination after the 

reward has been announced. 

They must be made available to 

those who have already received 

their first or second doses. 

While the national vaccine rollout 

has ticked over the five million 

mark, the TGA is assessing material 

from Pfizer about extending the 

jabs to 12- to 16-year-olds. 

The Northern Territory is set to be 

the first jurisdiction in Australia to 

offer the COVID-19 vaccine to all 

residents aged 16 years and over. 

The latest figures showed dose 

utilisation ranged from 65 per cent 

in the Northern Territory to 100 

per cent in the ACT. 

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly 

said there was no need for 

states to stockpile, as the federal 

government kept enough supply 

for second doses. 

Vaccine operations co-ordinator 

Commodore Eric Young said there 

was no evidence of deliberate 

state stockpiling, only that some 

were holding on to supplies for “a 

raft of reasons”. 

Pharmacists are pushing to be 

part of the rollout, saying it 

could be done faster with their 

involvement. 

SOURCE AAP - SBS 



23

STATISTICS 

Tasmania 

Number of Registered 

Transport Services VEHICLES 

as at 30 March 2021 

1,600 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

- 


Public Vehicle DRIVERS 

as at 1 April 2021 act drivers 

5,000 

4,500 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

- 

Taxis and Luxury Hire Cars Ride-sourcing 

25-Sep-20 564 1,475 

30-Mar-21 545 1,433 

602 

564 

603 

Tas vehicles 

545 

25-Sep-20 

30-Mar-21 

ACT 


Public VEHICLES 

as at 1 April 2021 act vehicles 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

- 

55 

48 

2,679 

2,634 

1,475 

4,137 

1,433 

Hire Cars Taxis Rideshare 

01-Dec-20 55 182 2,832 

01-Apr-21 48 215 2,481 

01-Dec-20 

Hire Car Drivers Taxi Drivers Rideshare Drivers 

01-Dec-20 602 2,679 4,137 

01-Apr-21 603 2,634 4,317 

182 

215 

01-Apr-21 

2,832 

2,481 

4,317 

Victoria 



VEHICLES 

as at 30 April 2021 

UP 

89,806 

1105 

since 

Dec 2020 



Vehicle DRIVERS 

as at 30 April 2021 

UP 

114,189 

530 

since 

Dec 2020 

81,028 

MULTI PURPOSE TAXI 

PROGRAM 

active members 

01-Dec-20 

01-Apr-21 


New South Wales 

Number NSW Number of of Metro T Plates Licences 

- Metro 

as at 

May 2021 

6000 

5000 

4000 

3000 

2000 

1000 

0 

Jan-20 Jan-21 May-21 

Total Taxi Licences Metro 5587 5284 5256 

Taxi Licences Metro 4,743 4,532 4,531 

WAT Licences Metro 844 752 725 

T Plates on Hold 585 2,041 1,757 

Number of Non-Metro Licences 

as NSW at Number of TC Plates - Non Metro 


1,600 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

- 

Jan-20 Jan-21 May-21 

Total Taxi Licences Non-Metro 1,425 1,432 1,453 

Taxi Licences Non-metro 1,124 1,122 1,122 

WAT Licences Non-Metro 301 310 331 

TC Plates on Hold 65 72 78 

Sth Aust. 


Point-to-Point VEHICLES 

Rideshare 

266 

110 

206 

258 

99 

SPVs (Weddings/Tours) 

Non Metro Chauffeur 

Metro Chauffeur 

Access Taxis (WATs) 

Country Taxis 

Metro Taxis 

99 

276 

265 

110 

194 

986 

253 

102 

278 as at April 2021 

106 

1018175 

as at January 2021 

581 193 

944 


Point-to-Point DRIVERS 

4,630 

as at September 202 

4564 

3657 

Number of Passenger Transport (PT) 

NSW Passenger Transport (PT) 

Driver Licences 

as at 


Driver Licences 

140,000 

120,000 

100,000 

80,000 

60,000 

40,000 

20,000 

0 

77,838 

99,403 

119,847 

127,797 130,069 

Jan 18 Jan 19 Jan 20 Jan 21 May 21 

5239 

Taxi & Large Passenger 

Taxi & Small Passenger 

Small & Large Passenger 

Small Passenger* only 

Taxis only 

* Small Passenger = 

chauffeur vehicle, 

rideshare or 

country taxi 

5317 

780 226 

3358 

as at April 2021 

5553 

655 199 

3772 

as at 1 September 

3324 

as at January 2021 



25

NSW News 

A Powerful 

Partnership 

NSW TAXI COUNCIL AND SMARTMOVE 

The NSW Taxi Council and 

SmartMove Systems are pleased 

to announce they have entered 

into a strategic partnership. 

This partnership utilises the 

Taxi Council’s role as the 

recognised peak organisation 

for the NSW Taxi industry and a 

major contributor to the NSW 

public transport system, as well 

as SmartMove’s world class 

technology as a global leader 

in Taxi technology and supplies 

(including being the pioneers 

of mobile phone dispatching in 

Australia). 

With technology playing an 

ever-increasing vital role in every 

aspect of Taxi and transport 

business, the NSW Taxi Council 

embraces the need to accelerate 

and continuously enhance the 

development of technology 

solutions to ensure the industry 

and its members remain on the 

competitive vanguard. 

The NSW Taxi Council and 

SmartMove partnership brings 

together the long standing and 

valuable contribution of essential 

transport services, together 

with the deep understanding 

and development of world class 

technology for the processing, 

management, and distribution of 

booking and associated services, 

to support NSW Taxi business 

Clockwise... 

Adam Thornley – 

Business Develop. Manager, 

SmartMove Systems; 

Bill Cumpston – 

MD, SmartMove Systems; 

Steve Nyveld – 

COO, SmartMove Systems; 

Martin Rogers – 

CEO, NSW Taxi Council; 

David Bigham – 

CTO, SmartMove Systems; 

Jason Lawrie – 

CEO, SmartMove Systems; 

Greg Kay – 

Memberships & Partnerships, 

NSW Taxi Council; 


owners through organisational 

change management 

and a successful industry 

transformation. 

SmartMove’s understanding and 

development of its state of the 

art dispatching system delivers 

the benefits of GPS positioning 

technology combined with the 

speed and coverage of mobile 

phone networks, to provide 

a state-of-the-art computer 

dispatch solutions incorporating 

an advanced range of dispatch 

and tracking tools. SmartMove’s 

technology has been established in 

many leading Australian and New 

Zealand companies and includes 

advanced booking apps, call 

centre technology, smart dispatch 

algorithms and in-vehicle tablet 

and data terminal solutions. 

“Partnering with SmartMove 

to deliver ongoing advanced 

technology solutions and services 

for our NSW Taxi operators will 

allow our members to consistently 

deliver the best possible customer 

experience whilst also providing 

maximum business operating 

efficiencies”, said Greg Kay, NSW 

Taxi Council Head of Partnerships. 

“Together, working in partnership, 

we will unlock the full potential 

of technology solutions and allow 

our industry members to progress 

on the best path for success in 

the new business technology 

landscape”. 

In addition, SmartMove will 

become a key partner in the NSW 

Taxi Industry Ecosystem, a strong 

network of members and partners 

to provide proprietary access to 

tools, technologies and service 

delivery capabilities that will 

deliver state of the art solutions 

for NSW Taxi business owners and 

operators. 

The NSW Taxi Industry has 

more than 200 authorised 

Taxi networks, over 5,000 Taxi 

operators and more than 30,000 

authorised drivers. 

The opportunity to connect with 

SmartMove’s advanced next-gen 

technology and development 

expertise, represents a step 

change opportunity in a very 

positive way, to ensure that the 

NSW Taxi industry will continue to 

meet the current and future needs 

of the transport market. 



27

NEW SOUTH WALES news 

& 

Out About 

Regional NSWWITH GREG KAY 

NSW Taxi Council Head of Memberships & Partnerships 

(Government & Corporate) 

As a result of COVID throughout 

2020-21, the NSW Taxi Council 

(NSW TC) and Country Taxi 

Operators Association (CTOA) 

planned NSW Regional visitation 

program (together with many 

face to face meetings, AGMs etc) 

was significantly disrupted. 

In March 2021, the NSW 

Regional visitation program was 

authorised to resume, and during 

late April – early May, Greg Kay 

spent important and valuable 

time travelling approx. 2,000 

kms to personally visit and meet 

up with executives, members, 

owners and operators of 10 NSW 

Taxi Networks in the NSW North 

West region. 

The NSW Taxi Council is delighted 

to be able to undertake these 

personal visits and meet up with 

its long standing and highly 

valued taxi operator members 

who are well known local 

residents and who have provided 

outstanding essential transport 

services for their own community 

/ town (on a 24/7 basis 365 days 

of the year) for more than 50 

years. 

All meetings involved twoway 

communications on 

understanding issues / challenges 

relating to each specific area 

plus the opportunity to update 

industry stakeholders on key 

issues in relation to Taxi Industry 

Licence “Buy Back”, Point to 

Point Commission, Regulatory / 

Compliance, Authorisation Fees, 

$1500 NSW Government Grant, 

Membership and new Statewide 

Partnerships (government and 

commercial). 

“It was a pleasure for me to 

be able to personally meet up 

in their own local towns with 

our wonderful Taxi Owners/ 

NSW North West visits included the following: 

Area Visited with 

Singleton 

Werris Creek / 

Quirindi 

Tamworth 

Gunnedah 

Narrabri 

Moree 

Inverell 

Glen Innes 

Armidale 

Scone 

Owner / Operator Andrew 

Owner / Operators Aaron and Colleen 

monthly network meeting with Chairman and 

Director / Secretary Peter 

Owner / Operators Jason and Kerrie 

Executives Lisa, Doug, John and Bert 

Owner / Operators Pat, Carl, Daryl, Dale and Phil 

Owner / Operators Terry, Lorraine, Robert, 

Wayne and Stephen 

Owner / Operators Peter and Sheree, Phil and Geoff 

Executives plus Owner / Operators Debra, David, 

Stuart, Andrew and Brian 

Owner / Operator Kay 



Operators and executives to 

inform, discuss and recognise 

their highly valued Taxi services 

as members of our industry”, said 

Greg Kay. 

“I look forward to continuing 

our Regional visitation program 

together with CEO Martin Rogers 

and Deputy CEO Nick Abrahim 

throughout 2021 and ongoing.” 

Online Australian 

Training 

Courses 

www.drvrtraining.com.au 

Limousine, Taxi, Hire Car, Ride Share 

Fatigue Management 

23 Lessons | $49.00 

Limousine, Taxi, Hire Car, Ride Share 

COVID-19 Hygiene Awareness 

for Transport Drivers 

22 Lessons | $ FREE 



29


GUIDELINES 

REGULATIONS 

STANDARD 

CONDITIONS 

POINT TO POINT TRANSPORT 

REFORMS 

The NSW Government has 

released its response to the Point 

to Point Transport Independent 

Review 2020 and states that 

these changes will deliver more 

choice for customers by freeing 

the supply of taxi licences and 

supporting cheaper taxi fares. It 

believes that this will help to level 

the playing field for all parts of the 

point to point transport industry. 

To help support taxi licence 

owners impacted by these reforms 

the NSW Government is making 

additional industry assistance 

available and will consult with the 

point to point transport industry 

on the design of the scheme. 

These funds will support taxi 

licence owners most impacted 

by the transition to these new 

arrangements. 

Minister for Transport and Roads 

Andrew Constance said “We’re 

cracking on with our plan to 

deliver important changes to 

the point to point industry, so 

providers can come back strong 

after suffering through drought, 

bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 

pandemic”. 

“We’ve been listening to 

customer and industry feedback 

throughout this entire process 

and we’ll keep listening. That’s 

why we’ve generally supported 

all of the recommendations of the 

independent review.” 



All point to point transport 

service providers, operators and 

drivers still need to meet the 

safety requirements established 

under point to point transport 

law. 

The Point to Point Transport 

Commissioner will continue 

to regulate the point to point 

transport industry. 

Freeing the supply of 

taxis 

A taxi licence will still be required 

for anyone wishing to offer rank 

and hail services, and the NSW 

Government will remove limits 

on the number of taxi licences 

available and the operating area 

restrictions. 

Vehicles offering rank and hail 

services will still need to comply 

with all relevant safety, security 

and signage requirements. 

In the future, taxi licences will 

be available on application to 

the Point to Point Transport 

Commissioner, for an 

administrative fee. 

When these changes take effect, 

licences will no longer be able 

to be bought and sold. The NSW 

Government will provide financial 

assistance to taxi licence owners 

affected by this change. 

What about fares? 

All point to point transport 

service providers can already 

set their own fares for booked 

services. 

To provide taxi service providers 

with greater flexibility, the NSW 

Government will stop regulating 

maximum rank and hail fares in 

NSW, in most cases. 

The Independent Pricing and 

Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) will 

be asked to establish an indicative 

fare schedule to guide taxi service 

providers when setting their own 

fare schedules. Service providers 

will be required to advertise their 

schedules on their websites and 

vehicles. 

Customers eligible for the Taxi 

Transport Subsidy Scheme will be 

protected through a regulated 

maximum fare based on IPART’s 

indicative fare schedule. 

Further industry 

assistance 

As part of the post 2015 reforms, 

the NSW Government committed 

to spend up to $250 million on 

transitional assistance for current 

licence owners of which more 

than $145 million has been paid 

(or committed to be paid). 

The NSW Government will, as part 

of this reform package, deliver 

an assistance scheme that will 

provide further assistance to 

owners of ‘ordinary’ taxi licences 

who are most affected by the 

latest changes. 

The $1 Passenger Service Levy will 

remain in place until the levy has 

raised the full amount to fund the 

assistance scheme. 

How much will each 

licence owner receive? 

Priority for assistance will be 

given to the following owners of 

ordinary taxi licences: 

> those in the regions who are 

less likely to have received lease 

income on their licences and 

in many cases, have used the 

licence to invest in their future 

retirement 

> those who have had 

insufficient time to recover the 

cost of their initial investment 

> consideration will also be 

given to providing some further 

assistance to other owners of 

‘ordinary’ taxi licences who are 

affected by the changes. 

How will the 

latest changes be 

implemented? 

The changes will be staged. 

Legislation will be amended to 

enable the proposed changes to 

taxi licensing, maximum fares and 

further industry assistance. 

The initial focus will be on setting 

up a scheme to provide further 

financial assistance to taxi licence 

owners affected by the changes, 

before any changes are made to 

taxi licensing or maximum rank 

and hail fares. 



31


continued from previous page 

Wheelchair Accessible 

services 

The Wheelchair Book & Ride 

service will continue to support 

customers to book an accessible 

vehicle in the Sydney metro area. 

Incentives and subsidies will be made 

available to all authorised point 

to point transport providers with 

wheelchair accessible vehicles as they 

add these vehicles to their fleets. 

The NSW Government will also 

expand the Taxi Transport Subsidy 

Scheme to other point to point 

service providers in the future. 

More equal access 

to roads and related 

infrastructure 

Unequal access to roads, kerbside 

and related infrastructure for 

different types of point to 

point transport service will be 

addressed. 

Taxis will continue to have access 

to bus and transit lanes to assist 

their efficient circulation for 

the rank and hail market in high 

demand locations. 

There is currently an exemption 

permitting vehicles with ‘HC’ 

plates to continue using these 

lanes. This will conclude on 1 

January 2022, in line with access 

for other hire vehicles. 

Get 

to Know... 

Robert Raslan 

Chief Executive Officer 

RSL Cabs 

I have been involved in the Taxi Industry for more than 35 years. I joined the NSW Taxi Industry 

while I was studying and wanted to earn extra income. I started as a Taxi driver and continued 

working in the industry in various roles like – fleet assistant, call centre operator, supervisor, 

customer service, and eventually General Manager and CEO. During this time, I have never 

asked anyone to do my job or take advantage of any position I’ve given. 



In Court 

DRIVER IS FINED AND CONVICTED 

FOR NOT DISPLAYING DRIVER ID 

On 16 June 2021, a Magistrate 

sentenced a NSW taxi driver to a 

conviction and $1,600 fine at the 

Local Court at Sydney Downing 

Centre for failing to display a driver 

identity document (driver ID) while 

providing rank and hail passenger 

services. 

The Magistrate’s decision reflects 

the importance of displaying a 

driver ID and sends a message 

to all taxi drivers that they 

must comply with their safety 

obligations. 

Driver IDs allow passengers to 

identify their driver and the taxi 

service provider and allows them 

to feel confident that the driver is 

an accredited driver. 

All taxi service providers are 

required by law to issue drivers 

with IDs which include the 

driver’s photo and their unique 

identification number. 

6 questions 

TO GET TO KNOW ROBERT RASLAN 

1. Who is someone you admire and why? 

I have always admired our past and present Diggers; 

Anzac Day is the most special day of the year for me. 

I have had the privilege of assisting the Taxi Industry 

with the Anzac Day March for the past 18 years. I 

also admire Nick Abrahim (Deputy CEO, NSW Taxi 

Council) for his dedication and offering his time for 

this special day. 

2. What would be your personal motto? 

“We don’t have problems, we have solutions.” 

This came about in 2015 when I had a call from an 

account holder (DVA) and the caller said to me: 

“Rob, I have a problem, can you help me out?” I said 

out of the blue, “we don’t have problems we have 

solutions” and it just stuck. I have used that ever 

since. 

3. Finish this sentence…. On Sunday mornings, 

you can usually find me reading a real newspaper 

(not on the phone), having a coffee or 3, and 

watching my daughter play Soccer. 

4. How do you think your colleagues would 

describe you? 

They say I care too much – care about drivers, 

our passengers and our accounts. Why do I care? 

Because I love the industry! 

5. What publications do I read? 

I read and collect the Phantom comics. I believe I 

have every copy except 4. I also read the papers on 

the weekends that include all sports. Love to watch 

the Dragons in the NRL and the Swans in the AFL. 

6. Flashback to when you were 10 years old. 

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

When I was 10 I was asked to sing in the Opera 

House with the school choir. We received a standing 

applause and I thought, this is good I can do this 

forever, then I was introduced to girls and all that 

changed. Do not take advantage of your job, 

sometimes you could be the difference whether 

overseas tourists have a good holiday or wish they 

never came to Sydney. 



33


Support 

needed 

from NSW Gov’t 

The NSW Taxi Council (NSW TC) 

together with the Country Taxi 

Operators Association (CTOA) are 

calling on the NSW Government 

to make further adjustments to 

a number of recommendations 

to the NSW Government 

Independent Review led by Sue 

Baker-Finch. 

The CEO of the NSW Taxi 

Council, Martin Rogers, said 

“We don’t accept that all of 

the recommendations of the 

Independent Review by Sue Baker- 

Finch should be adopted.” 

“Our focus is on ensuring fair 

and just compensation for all 

Taxi Licence Owners, seeing 

passengers across all of NSW have 

access to a viable and affordable 

Taxi Service 24 hours a day, 7 

days a week, and a system that 

supports drivers being able to 

make a reasonable earning.” 

If we don’t get these further 

reforms right it will be detrimental, 

resulting in services being cut, 

lower driver earnings, making it 

difficult to earn a living income, 

and taxpayer funds being required 

to underwrite these services, in 

particular, in Regional NSW. 

Not to mention adding to the 

already increasing congestion 

being experienced in major cities. 

Moving to a provider neutral 

approach to subsidies and 

incentives should mean a provider 

needs to offer the complete fleet 

mix of vehicles, including sedans 

and wheelchair accessible vehicles. 

Not cherry picking the ones that 

are most profitable at the expense 

of the most vulnerable in our 

society. It would be discriminatory 

not to. 

NSW TC and CTOA appreciate 

the recognition by the NSW 

Government that more assistance 

is required and they have accepted 

the Minister’s invitation to work 

together to get the detail correct 

and get these reforms right. 



QLD News 

Public 

Register 

FOR PERSONALISED 

TRANSPORT 

You can now check the details of current taxi service 

licences and limousine licences using the personalised 

transport public register. The register also provides 

details of booked hire service licences and booking 

entity authorisations for the personalised transport 

industry in Queensland. 

About the register 

The register provides information about current 

licences and about the vehicle stated in the licence. 

Suspended, cancelled, surrendered, or expired 

licences will not be displayed. 

To perform a search, simply enter either (or both): 

the licence number and/or the vehicle registration 

number. 

For a taxi service licence search, you can also 

search by taxi service licence type: conventional or 

wheelchair accessible. 

Why use the register? 

The personalised transport public register can be 

used by any member of the public who is interested 

in checking the details of current booked hire service 

licences, taxi service licences, limousine licences and 

booking entity authorisations. 

If you’re an authorised booking entity you should 

regularly use the register to check the licence details 

of your affiliated vehicles are current. 

This will help you meet your chain of responsibility 

requirements by ensuring you are only allocating work 

to appropriately licenced vehicles. 

It does not remove the requirement for you to record 

and report details of affiliated drivers and vehicles. 

Examples of how the register 

can be used: 

Example 1: Kelly holds a Booking Entity Authorisation 

(BEA) which allows her to arrange bookings for taxi 

and booked hire services in Queensland. She needs to 

check that her fleet of booked hire, taxi and limousine 

vehicles are attached to current licences before taking 

any bookings. Kelly can search the register by the 

vehicle registration numbers to check these details. 

Example 2: Steve is a taxi driver and wants to check 

that his vehicle is attached to a current taxi service 

licence. Steve can search the register using the vehicle 

registration number to check this. 

Example 3: Michael owns and operates taxi, limousine 

and ride-booking vehicles and he wants another 

entity to arrange the bookings for him. He can use the 

register to check if a booking entity is current. 



35


overseas news 

The struggle to find drivers 

is not unique to large cities 

by Richard Morgan 

NORTHERN IRELAND – In 

Coleraine, County Londonderry, 

Royal Cabs owner William 

McDonald said his firm had lost a 

third of its drivers over the last 14 

months. 

“We have nine people working for 

us at the moment. The other men 

found other work and have left 

the company,” he said. 

“The last few years there has been 

a shortage of taxi drivers and the 

pandemic hasn’t made it easier.” 

“Now places are starting to open 

we certainly need more drivers 

and more cars on the road. The 

night work is picking up a little but 

the drivers aren’t there.” 

“The last few years there has been 

a shortage of taxi drivers and the 

pandemic hasn’t made it easier.” 

“Seventy per cent of my drivers 

would be over 60, it is the older 

population that seem to be taxi 

drivers. There is no new blood 

coming in.” 

“There is absolutely no doubt if 

things keep going the way they are 

going, in another five or 10 years 

there’s not going to be any taxi 

drivers,” he said. 

Eamonn O’Donnell, Manager of 

North West Taxi Proprietors said, 

“We need a process at the minute 

that gets people into the taxi 

industry much quicker – the new 

system takes about six months to 

get a single person through.” 

“They’ve really made it much too 

difficult... the old system which 

worked for 30 years took about six 

to 10 weeks.” 

“Now, what we’re asking for is 

for the Minister to have a tactical 

suspension of the new system 

as part of a post-Covid recovery 

package for the taxi industry.” 


Northern Ireland firms unable to 

meet demand 

Taxi firms have said a shortage of new drivers, combined with people 

leaving the industry, has left them unable to meet demand. 

by Richard Morgan 

OVERSEAS news 

NORTHERN IRELAND – Official 

figures show the number of 

registered taxi drivers in Northern 

Ireland has fallen by a third in 

five years. The pandemic has 

exacerbated the issue. 

Northern Ireland’s largest taxi 

firm said it has 400 fewer drivers 

compared to before the pandemic. 

Stephen Anton, communications 

manager at Fonacab, said there 

needs to be more incentives for 

drivers to join the sector. 

“Now that we have come out of 

lockdown the amount of bookings 

has grown more rapidly than the 

amount of drivers returning.” 

“Some drivers have yet to return 

and we’ve had some say they’ll 

wait for their second jab or for 

social-distancing rules to be 

relaxed.” 

He added: “Others have left the 

industry and have just retired, 

while some have gone to different 

driving jobs or where they could 

find the work.” 

“The major issue is at the 

weekends because demand is 

higher and because we aren’t 

seeing a leap in drivers working. 

It’s a stretch to cover the work 

that is there.” 

“I think from a public perspective, 

it’s a little bit embarrassing. We 

are the biggest taxi firm and 

whenever we can’t do what our 

customers expect from us we are 

as disappointed as they are.” 

“We would like to see some sort 

of restart package to either help 

drivers back into the industry or 

to make it easier for drivers to join 

the industry,” Mr Anton said. 

Seattle is first US city to implement 

gig economy labor standards 

thereby protecting drivers from unwarranted terminations. 

SEATTLE – On July 1, Uber and 

Lyft drivers will become the 

first gig workers in the nation to 

benefit from legal protections 

against unwarranted termination 

when the City’s groundbreaking 

Deactivation Rights Ordinance is 

implemented. 

Also, Seattle’s Drivers Union, 

under contract with City of Seattle 

Office of Labor Standards, will 

launch new support services 

to help drivers. Drivers Union 

support services for Uber/Lyft 

drivers will include consultation 

and support services and direct 

legal representation for drivers. 

Drivers Union and Teamsters Local 

117 led the organising campaign to 

win groundbreaking deactivation 

protections, paid sick days during 

the pandemic, and a minimum 

wage under the City’s Fare Share 

Plan. 

“Courageous immigrant workers 

have led an eight-year campaign 

for fair pay, fair working 

conditions, and a voice at work,” 

said John Scearcy, Secretary- 

Treasurer of Local 117. 

“Around the country, other 

workers who have been denied 

justice will surely look to learn 

from the success of Seattle’s Uber 

and Lyft drivers and their union.” 



37

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Transport Matters Party (TMP) is a political movement focusing on fairness, 

community and offering solutions for our nation’s transport issues. 

2020 was a challenging year, but thankfully with the help of our members, new 

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and this year we are ready to continue focusing on achieving an overall fairer 

industry for those in the community and vulnerable Victorians. 

BECOME INVOLVED 

• Join as a TMP member for only $22 

per year, and become involved in 

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• Donate any $ value to support our 

campaigns aiming to improve road 

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• Volunteer to make a difference in the 

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OUR LATEST ACHIEVEMENTS 

TMP Leader Rod Barton MP’s 

most recent achievements include 

putting forward an Inquiry into 

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compensate former licence holders. 

Be part of a movement that matters.... 

38 June 2021www.transportmatters.org.au/join

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39

Driver JOBS 

VICTORIA 

SHEPPARTON 

Shepparaton Taxis Pty Ltd now has opportunities to 

join our fleet as a taxi operator. A limited amount 

of leases are available. If you are interested in 

operating your own taxi please contact 03 5331 4367 

or email stephen@shepptaxis.com.au. 

BALLARAT 

Ballart Taxis Ltd now has opportunities for drivers 

for all shifts. Permanent or part time day or night 

shifts in sedans or WAVs. If you are interested 

in operating your own taxi we have limited 

opportunities to also lease. Contact 03 5331 4367 or 

email admin@ballarattaxis.com.au. 

GEELONG 

Looking for a professional and reliable driver to 

join our fleet as a casual. Must have exceptional 

customer service and communication skills, be 

well presented and organised, and know their way 

around Geelong. Need a medium or heavy rigid 

licence. Available to work Sundays, flexible working 

hours. Training will be provided. Applicants must 

be Australian residents and have WWCC and Police 

Check. Hourly rates negotiable. Geelong Hummer 

Limousines 1800 486 637. 

BAYSIDE TAXI SERVICE 

Great set price deals with our 50 series hybrids on 

lpg. Bayside Taxi Service, 313 Bay Road, Cheltenham. 

For more info call (03) 9555 1155 or 0414 566 779. 

WODONGA 

Do you want to get out of the rat race? 

Less stress? Less traffic? Cheaper living? Why not 

drive a taxi in Wodonga? We have permanent day 

shift, night shift, sedans and WAT vehicles. Great 

takings and easier driving! Contact Wodonga Taxis 

on 02 6024 3839. 

EAST DONCASTER 

Must be 25+ years old. At least 3 years experience. 

East Doncaster changeover. Call or SMS Tony on 

0413 393 594 or email tonysursock@gmail.com. 

SUNBURY, GISBORNE, WOODEND, KILMORE, 

WALLAN, WHITTLESEA 

Looking for drivers full time, day and night shift, 

starting asap. In the Sunbury, Gisborne, Woodend, 

Kilmore, Wallan, Whittlesea and surrounding areas. 

Must have a Taxi Driver's Certificate and live in the 

area. Call Emre 0404 020 333 or 1300 12 13 14. 

QUEENSLAND 

WARWICK TAXI CABS 

Immediate Start. No experience needed. Full 

time & part time positions available. Day & night 

shifts available. Full training provided. Please 

contact our team by phoning: 0427599170 Or 

email: admin@warwicktaxicabs.com.au. 

CHECKER CABS TOWNSVILLE 

Require drivers in Townsville and Magnetic Island. 

Drivers are required to reduce the wait time 

due to the passenger growth. 2-day mandatory 

training course at no cost if moving from another 

platform. A bonus system will apply. Contact Les 

on 0417 781 810. 

BLACK & WHITE 

All shifts available. Home changeover available 

all over Brisbane. Set Pay or 50/50 Commission. 

Limited Set pay cars available. Albion Cab Centre. 

Call Ronnie today on 0411 864 392. 

BRISBANE CROWN CABS 

All shifts available – 7 days per week. Please 

phone Tuna Guclu - 0419 484 666. 

CHECKER CABS 

Checker Cabs is family owned, and requires a Fleet 

Manager for our taxi fleet covering Townsville 

and Magnetic Island. The position of Fleet 

Manager has become vacant. We are looking 

for a motivated driver to upskill to management 

level. Please forward resume to les.gist@ 

supremegroup.com.au

SUNCOAST CABS 

Covering from Noosa to Caloundra & Hinterland. 

Main duty is passenger pick up & drop off. 

Suncoast Cabs service 250+ account clients 

which may involve delivery of items. Experience 

is gained on the job. A 3-day training session is 

mandatory. Call Glenn 0438 517 500. 

CANBERRA 

ACT CABS 

Earn money driving. Flexible work. Easy to get 

started. Training and support provided to new 

drivers. Full time, part time and casual driver 

positions are available now. We offer great working 

conditions and you’re backed by an experienced 

team of support staff that know the taxi industry 

inside out. Phone ACT Cabs Admin during business 

hours on (02) 6103 0882. 

CANBERRA ELITE TAXIS 

We need drivers for Canberra’s biggest and most 

experienced taxi fleet. Day, night and weekend 

shifts available. If you don’t already have a valid ACT 

“T” licence condition we can help you through the 

process quickly. For more information please email 

feedback@aerialcg.com or call (02) 6126 1500. 

MAWSON 

Full time taxi driver job available – 7 days. Call 

0435080679. 

OWN YOUR OWN BUSINESS - TAXI OPERATOR 

Are you a taxi driver looking to become your own 

boss? If you are, talk to us about leasing a taxi plate 

and working with Canberra’s biggest taxi fleet. We 

will help you through the process of becoming an 

accredited taxi operator and starting your own 

business. Contact fleet@aerialcg.com or call our 

Office (02) 6126 1500. 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

TAXI DRIVER CAREERS 

If you’re thinking of a career as a taxi driver, come 

and join Adelaide’s largest taxi company. 

Great income potential with all shifts available in all 

metro areas. Call ADELAIDE INDEPENDENT TAXIS on 

8202 1200 to book your free information session. 

NEW SOUTH WALES 

COFFS HARBOUR TAXIS 

Taxi drivers needed in Coffs Harbour area. Both 

am and pm shifts are available in sedan and maxis, 

weekdays and weekends. Minimum age of 25, on 

the job training, uniform provided, all costs covered 

by base. Call 02 66586522 or email Rowan via: 

fleetsupervisor@coffstaxis.com.au for more info. 

WOLLONGONG - WANT A CAREER CHANGE? 

This could be an opportunity for you to join the 

team at the Illawarra Taxi Network. Become your 

own boss working flexible hours. Full training 

and assistance with your application is available. 

Must have a full NSW Driver’s Licence for 12 

months. Call (02) 4254 2120 or email john.megas@ 

illawarrataxinetwork.com.au for more details. 

\ 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 

PERTH BLACK & WHITE CABS 

Day shifts (5-7 days). Call Georgina on (08) 9230 

0400. 

MANDURAH TAXIS 

All shifts available, especially nights, weekends and 

wheelchair bus drivers. Flexible hours – work to suit 

your lifestyle. Good income and all training provided 

free. Call (08) 9581 8999. 

CROWN CABS 

Drivers wanted full time or part time in Morley and 

Perth. Contact Tuna Guclu on 0419 484 666. 

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43

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