DRIVE NOW August 2021

SHOULD WE
QUALIFY
VEHICLE
QR CODES?
The fascinating complexities of enforcing, or
being too lax, on QR Code utilisation
Resistance from individuals not
wanting to use QR Codes when
hopping into their everyday taxi
or ride share vehicle has been
observed, and perhaps for good
reason. Whilst QR Codes may help
track potential contact points for
tracing the infamous COVID-19
virus, it is perhaps not indispensably
essential to enforce their usage in
vehicles.
Now, this isn’t to say QR Codes
should be left out of vehicles all
together! But rather we should
acknowledge that drivers cannot
force their passengers to check in.
So, whilst we highly recommend
checking in, it is understandably
difficult to enforce, and challenging
if an individual is perhaps too
intoxicated, has run out of phone
battery, etc.
Should their lack of competency
to check in affect their ability to
use taxi and ride share services?
Absolutely not.
In this time, we need to accentuate
the importance of not driving if it
is not a safe option. For instance,
driving intoxicated or unwell is
utterly dangerous, and taking means
of public transportation can leave
individuals at high risk of contracting
COVID-19.
Victoria
Notably, Commercial Passenger
Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) has outlined
that “vehicle owners [in Victoria]
are responsible for ensuring the
Service Victoria QR Code is available
in their vehicle”. This typifies
how the Victorian government
could be on the right track, as the
Code would be made available to
individuals, with the understanding
that a vehicle owner cannot force an
individual to sign in. It demonstrates
how the Victorian government
whilst being sensible, would not
allow an individual’s ‘un-ableness’ to
hinder a driver’s income.
However, the CPVV’s verbalisation
contradicts with that of the Victorian
government where it states “All
owners of commercial passenger
vehicles (CPVs) are required to use
the QR Code service to record the
passenger’s first name and family
name, phone number, date and
time the passenger used the service,
registration number of the vehicle”,
and thus enforce its use.
New South Wales
Similarly, the same slippery road
is shared with our friends in New
South Wales (NSW), as the Point-to-
Point Transport Commissioner has
established that “it [is] mandatory
for drivers to check in at the start of
their shift and for all passengers to
check in at the start of or early on
during their journey”.
8 August 2021