DRIVE NOW October/November 2021

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 - EDITION 50 

National 

Magazine 

Taxis, Hire Cars, 

Wedding Cars, 

Limousines 

Owners, Drivers, 

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Suppliers, Networks, 

Booking Service 

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4 October/November 2021

15 

29 

26 STATS 

34 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

NSW 

8 Passenger Service Levy & Smartmove dispatcher. 

9 Bathurst Taxis delivers hampers. 

10 Transport for NSW partners with Motional. 

11 Get to know Susan Thompson. 

12 Industry reforms and licence assistance. 

VICTORIA 

14 TAA presentation to MPTP Inquiry. 

20 Shebah is in the hands of administrators. 

22 Drivers welcome back passengers. 

24 VALE - Isobel White. 

QUEENSLAND 

28 Mediation services for PT industry. 

29 There’s no excuse for abuse. 

FEATURES 

18 Australia must speed up the shift to electric vehicles. 

30 Where are new car sales headed? 

34 Exclusive lanes needed for autonomous vehicles. 

40 Uber and Lyft rideshare bubble bursts. 

42 Beware the yellow line. 

44 It’s a flying car. 

OVERSEAS 

46 Uber drivers are employees, not contractors. 

47 

Ride-hailing coverage issues push passengers 

back to black taxis. 

SOUTH AUS. 

50 Transport Subsidy Scheme has been updated. 


October/November 2021 

5

FROM THE 

Editor 

The people 

refute the 

NSW Taxi Reform 

Taxi Licences were once considered to be a perpetual asset (the same as a house) by the highest 

court in the Australian judicial system. Now, in most Australian States, they are worthless. 

How on Earth has it come to this? Well, it simply dumbs down to one word - Uber. 

I will explain. When 

Uber invaded Australia 

in 2012, the States’ and 

Territorys’ governments 

did nothing of substance 

to get them out, even 

though they were 

operating illicitly. After 

Uber infiltrated the 

Australian transportation 

industry, taxi licence 

values all around 

Australia began to depreciate. Don’t believe me? Look at the figures for NSW; they do not lie. 

As you will be able to descry, a licence that was once worth upward of $400,000 is now worth 

next to nothing. And to exacerbate things, the proposed NSW Taxi Reform plans to devalue the 

worth of these Taxi licences categorically. 

The NSW government has failed to outline an exact monetary value for its State’s Taxi Licences’ 

worth after the reform, only pointing towards a sneakily phrased initiative called the ‘financial 


assistance scheme’. There is widespread conjecture that this is indicative of a oneoff 

amount of $50,000 per licence, for up to two metropolitan Taxi licences and 

nothing for any subsequent licences. 

It is simply an attempt to cover their butts. Despite the government contending 

that devaluing these licences may avail the struggling economy and sanction them 

to have better control over the number of vehicles on the road, they have clearly 

not considered the salubrity of the drivers and stakeholders. 

In a recent interview, 2GB radio presenter, Ray Hadley said, “I represent the taxi 

industry because they’re decent, hardworking people and, yes, they have to 

accommodate competition – we understand that but they can’t be treated like 

offal by the New South Wales State government,” and “They want to take back all 

taxi plates for a minimal sum, and that’s if you’ve got two plates. If, as you would in 

some rural areas, have six or seven plates, you only get the money for two.” 

This typifies the unjust nature of the proposed reform. 

In the same broadcast, Martin Rogers, CEO NSW Taxi Council, commented, “The 

government needs to go back to 2015, pre reforms, look at the values that these 

people have invested in and pay appropriate compensation. You can’t just cancel 

someone’s asset that they’ve worked hard for and give them minimal or nothing 

for it.” 

He also went on to say, “There was an Upper House inquiry that found that 80% 

of the losses of [licence plate] value were a direct result of the government’s 

handling of the introduction of ride-share and they recommended a buyback of 

all ordinary taxi licences. Unfortunately, the government chose to ignore the 

recommendations of that inquiry”. 

Drivers and owners are losing so much with this reform, and they know it. This 

reform will extravagantly impact the lives of these hard-working people. They will 

have their hard-earned assets stripped away, and for what? To help international 

conglomerates, and fail the Australian Taxi industry? 

“If they want to deregulate it – go for your life, but make sure you compensate 

the people who’ve operated in the system that’s been in place for decades and 

decades and decades” (Ray Hadley). 

I couldn’t agree more! 

Toni Peters 


October/November 2021 7

NEW SOUTH WALES news 

NSW News 

Passenger 

Service 

Levy and 

SMARTMOVE DISPATCHER 

SmartMove Systems 

– A strategic partner 

of the NSW Taxi 

Council has recently 

launched a new 

feature on its Taxi 

Dispatch System 

– SmartMove, 

that will help Taxi 

Service Providers 

(Taxi Networks), 

Operators and 

Drivers collect, 

report and pay the 

Passenger Service 

Levy (PSL) on the 

driver/operator’s 

behalf. 

This newly installed feature allows Networks to: 

• Collect pre-payment of the levy by debiting the driver’s credit card. 

• Set the debit to be automatic when the driver’s balance is below a 

threshold. 

• Run a Driver Credit Management report which will highlight those Drivers 

with low balances (e.g. their direct debit failed). 

• Run Job Totals to report and pay the levy to the appropriate authorities on 

the Driver’s behalf. 

For the Drivers, the feature: 

• Allows the driver to add a credit card to set and forget paying the levy. 

• Shows their current levy credit balance on the Driver’s Portal along with all 

the transactions that occurred. 

• Warns the driver via a Driver message when their balance is below 

threshold. 

Discussing the new feature of SmartMove’s dispatch system, Adam Thornley 

– Business Development Manager, SmartMove said, “Some Taxi networks pay 

for third party products to manage the collection of the various passenger 

service levies from the Driver/Operator of the Taxi. The new PSL collection 

feature minimises the hassles and headaches Service Providers face associated 

with managing the collection, reporting and payment of the various state 

passenger service levies to meet their own State’s regulatory obligations, saving 

administration hours.” 



Bathurst Taxis 

DELIVERS HAMPERS 

Bathurst Taxis and the Bathurst 

Uniting Support Services (BUSS) 

partnered to create hampers for 

people in need during lockdown. 

The idea came from Bathurst Taxis 

chairman Arshdeep 'Ash' Nat, who 

has been supported by directors 

Mick Clayton and Amrit Singh. Mr 

Nat approached BUSS to see if they 

could work together to create the 

hampers, and a partnership was 

born. 

“During these tough times, it's 

good as a united community if we 

can help each other. If we are able 

to help, we should help, that's the 

whole idea behind it, so whoever is 

isolated, they can get the support,” 

Mr Nat said. 

Together, they created 20 family 

hampers and 30 singles hampers, all 

of which were delivered by Bathurst 

Taxis drivers in September 2021. 

The hampers included groceries 

purchased from Bernardi's Bathurst, 

such as bread, noodles, pasta, tea, 

coffee and muesli bars. 

Bathurst Taxis contributed $1,500, 

while the Bathurst Uniting Church 

chipped in $500 to help buy items. 

BUSS coordinator Julie Fry said it 

has been a team effort to create 

the hampers, not just with Bathurst 

Taxis, but with businesses and a 

community member who donated a 

significant number of oranges. 

“It's been a great partnership. We 

worked with [Bathurst Taxis] to 

design the hampers and to get 

a list of people together,” she 

said. “They brightened people’s 

day and showed that they are not 

forgotten.” 

by Rachel Chamberlain 

The new Passenger Service Levy 

(PSL) collection feature is fully 

integrated with the SmartMove 

dispatch system and is included 

as part of the popular all-inclusive 

pricing model. The driver “prepays” 

the PSL using a nominated 

credit card. The PSL is automatically 

deducted after each applicable 

job (some jobs may not attract the 

PSL). When the balance is below a 

threshold, the driver’s credit card is 

automatically debited to top up the 

balance. 

The Taxi Network can run daily, 

weekly or monthly reports to 

determine how much PSL is payable 

by each driver/operator. 

For more information, email 

contact@smartmovesystems.com 

or visit www.smartmovesystems. 

com. 



9


The Driverless 

Future 

TRANSPORT FOR NSW 

PARTNERS WITH MOTIONAL 

New South Wales is one step 

closer to autonomous mobility 

with Transport for NSW launching 

a plan to investigate driverless 

rideshare services. 

Joost de Kock, Deputy Secretary 

Customer Strategy and 

Technology, Transport for NSW 

said the plan would help lay the 

foundation to prepare the launch 

of a future robotaxi service in 

what would be an Australian-first. 

“We need to start thinking 

about a number of factors such 

as locations and infrastructure, 

passenger demand, connections to 

public transport, and the benefits 

to local communities,” Mr de Kock 

said. 

“To help us start that journey, 

we’re announcing a new 

partnership with a global leader in 

driverless technology, Motional. 

“The partnership will help us 

better understand how a driverless 

rideshare service could improve 

the NSW network by providing 

safer, more accessible, efficient, 

and affordable mobility options 

and understanding what needs to 

be adapted for Australian roads.” 

Motional is at the forefront of 

driverless technology and is 

behind some of the industry’s 

largest leaps forward. In 

Singapore, the company launched 

the first-ever robotaxi pilot, and in 

Las Vegas it operates the longeststanding 

commercial robotaxi in 

service. 

That service has provided more 

than 100,000 rides with zero atfault 

incidents. Earlier this year, 

Motional also became among the 

first in the world to operate fully 

driverless vehicles on public roads, 

following a robust two-year safety 

evaluation process.


Get 

to Know... 

Susan Thompson 

Advocacy Advisor, Vision Australia 

My work involves supporting people who are blind 

or have low vision to address barriers they have 

faced in doing something in their lives because of 

their blindness or low vision. Sometimes, it is direct 

discrimination such as denying them access with a 

Seeing Eye Dog. Sometimes an organisation has not 

thought of people with disabilities when they have 

introduced a new way to do something (such as a 

touch screen check-out scanner) or touch screen 

information kiosks. 

I represent the organisation on a range of 

We 

asked 

Susan... 

1. Tell us three things you find 

annoying. 

• People who don’t do anything in 

their daily life towards protecting 

the environment. 

• People who seem to have no 

rational reason for not being 

vaccinated against diseases which 

can spread and have a big impact 

on those who catch them. 

• Friends who say “what’s up” 

when I call them to say “hello”. 

2. If you could be anywhere other 

than here where would you be? 

I would love to have the experience of 

being in space - so I would love to be on 

the International Space Station. 

3. Flashback to when you were 10 

years old. What did you want to be 

when you grew up? 

I clearly remember setting up 

classrooms with chairs, playing teacher, 

dressing up as a nurse, and as I got 

towards the end of school I wanted 

to be a physiotherapist. This meant 

going to England to train as there 

were no training courses in Australia 

that catered for people who were 

blind. However, as it turned out, I did 

not achieve the end of school, results 

needed. 

consultation forums including the NSW Taxi Council’s 

Disability reference group. 

As I am totally blind, taxi travel is an important part 

of my link to the community, and I am committed 

to working with the taxi industry to continuously 

improve the experience for all people who are blind 

or have low vision. 

Prior to coming to Vision Australia, I worked for 

the Australian Broadcasting Authority for 20 years. 

During that time, I took a year off and lived and 

worked in Anchorage, Alaska for a year. 

4. If we went to happy hour, what 

would you order? 

I love to try out new beers and also love 

the cocktail mojito but, these days can’t 

handle having hangovers so I probably 

wouldn’t drink both these in the same 

night. 

5. Finish this sentence. On Sunday 

mornings, you can usually find 

me... 

Sitting up in bed with a coffee and a 

talking book of science fiction, crime 

and detective or good old-fashioned 

romance keeping me company. 

6. How do you think your 

colleagues would describe you? 

Forthright, having definite opinions and 

being supportive. 



11


& 

INDUSTRY 

REFORMS 

LICENCE ASSISTANCE 

The NSW Taxi Council is advocating 

for fair and just compensation for 

the drastic drop in the value of Taxi 

licences in NSW and the ensuing 

loss suffered by its members 

(licence holders). The NSW Taxi 

Council submitted a petition to 

the NSW Parliament to buy back 

the Taxi licences in September - 

October 2019. This petition was 

unanimously accepted by the 

Parliament and resulted in - 

1. Point to Point Independent 

Review 2020 - conducted by the 

NSW government; and 

2. Parliamentary Upper House 

Inquiry into the Operation of the 

Point to Point Transport (Taxis and 

Hire Vehicles) Act 2016 

The reports for both the 

review and inquiry have been 

released, and the government 

has responded to the 

recommendations in both the 

reports. 

Based on recommendations in 

the reports, Transport for NSW 

has announced the Point to Point 

Transport Reforms 2021. 

As part of the industry 

consultation for these reforms, 

Transport for NSW conducted a 

series of webinars and surveys. All 

webinars and surveys have now 

been completed and closed. Fact 

sheets for information from the 

webinar is available. 

NSW Taxi Council is currently 

asking all Taxi licence owners 

across NSW to visit their local 

members of parliament and 

update them about the NSW Taxi 

Industry reforms proposed by the 

NSW government. 

NSW Taxi Council continues to 

engage with the NSW government 

and advocate for fair and just 

financial assistance to Taxi licence 

owners and help Taxi licence 

holders and businesses stay in the 

industry and transition to new 

ways of working as smoothly as 

possible. 

HAVE YOU VISITED YOUR LOCAL MP? 

NSW Taxi Council has compiled a document 

containing hints on what to talk about with your 

local MP. You can download the document at 

https://bit.ly/3ws1fNf 

It is important that “we all continue to be a part 

of the chorus”. 

If you haven’t made an appointment with your 

local MP, please go to https://bit.ly/3FbgLAv to 

find details of your local MP. 

Reminder, if you do not get a response from 

your Local Member, Jo Haylen (Shadow Minister 

for Transport and Roads) and Jenny Aitchison 

(Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and 

Roads) would be interested to hear from you. 

Please email them at summerhill@parliament. 

nsw.gov.au. 


THE HASSLE FREE 

ALTERNATIVE TO 

SELLING YOUR CAR! 

Donate Your Car is run by Kids Under Cover, a not for profit organisation that prevents youth 

homelessness in Australia. Kids Under Cover does that by providing studio accommodation in family 

backyards as well as education scholarships. 

100% of the proceeds from the sale of your vehicle will go towards helping young people 

stay connected to their families, education and community and stop them from experiencing 

homelessness. Plus, your vehicle donation is 100% tax-deductible! 

Ready to get started? 

Visit our website today! 

www.kuc.org.au/get-involved/donate-your-car/

TAA Meetings 

with relevant industry stakeholders 

Victorian Parliament’s Economy and Infrastructure 

Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into the 

Multi Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP). 

The inquiry is primarily about the safety standards for 

members of the public who travel on the Multi Purpose 

Taxi Program (MPTP), including but not limited to — 

Transport Alliance Australia – looking after 

the interests of those in the Australian 

commercial passenger transport sector. 

1. a review of the minimum safety requirements for vehicles operating within the 

MPTP scheme; 

2. the consideration of a mandatory maximum fare rate across all MPTP work; 

3. an examination of how of rorting and exploitation of vulnerable users will be 

prevented; 

4. an assessment of the financial impacts to services within the broader disability 

sector and how this will be managed; 

5. an examination of pathways for the industry to absorb major change post- 

COVID-19; 

6. ensuring proper probity and good governance are applied following careful 

consideration and reporting of all possible ramifications of consultations with 

both industry and disability stakeholders; and 

7. an assessment of the impact of the expansion on MPTP clients, taking into 

account feedback on the expansion from Victorians living with disability and the 

disability sector. 

Many industry stakeholders had already lodged written submissions to be 

considered by this inquiry, and a few were invited to present and called upon to be 

witnesses to this inquiry, including TAA, VTA, 13cabs, Uber, Vision Australia, Bendigo 

Taxis, Geelong Taxis, Wodonga Taxis and CPVV. 


TAA was invited to present to the committee and we have printed 

their opening comments here, for your information. 

Transport Alliance Australia 

represent the owners, drivers, 

operators of taxis, hire cars, 

and rideshare in the Australian 

commercial passenger transport 

sector. The roots of our 

association are in Victoria, as are 

the majority of our members. 

The committee no doubt 

appreciates the magnitude 

of the impact the pandemic 

has had on the CPV industry 

in Victoria. The industry has 

been devastated, with up to 

a 90 - 95% reduction in trips 

and associated revenue for an 

extended period of time. 

Booking Service Providers 

(BSPs) that are still in business 

are operating with skeleton 

staff, in an effort to reduce 

costs to remain in business with 

a large proportion of vehicles 

parked or sold. 

The CPV industry operates an 

essential service for vulnerable 

members of our communities. 

Those transporting MPTP 

participants give an added layer 

of service and this standard 

needs to be maintained now 

the MPTP is available to nontaxi 

service providers. Those 

in authority naively gave 

accreditation and support to 

an inexperienced entity to 

partake in the MPTP scheme. 

Further on, the study conducted 

to investigate this entity’s 

suitability to transport these 

passengers had a minuscule 

sample size. You would be inane 

to not have serious concerns for 

the users of the MPTP scheme. 

In our submission, the TAA 

made five recommendations 

that urgently need attention 

and action, to ensure the needs 

of MPTP users are being met 

now and in the future, and their 

safety is given priority. 

1. Introduction of 

mandatory training for all 

drivers operating within 

the MPTP scheme. 

We know that training and 

educating workers in any 

industry has a positive impact 

on performance. As you would 

have seen in our submission, 

Guide Dogs Australia managed 

to halve the amount of 

complaints by guide dog 

handlers in NSW by introducing 

monthly training of Taxi drivers. 



15

Other States have training 

requirements and Queensland 

has taken a positive step 

forward and implemented 

mandatory requirements, for all 

personalised passenger transport 

drivers to complete Disability 

Awareness, Sexual Harassment 

and Anti-Discrimination training. 

With the rideshare industry being 

plagued with sexual harassment 

complaints, and reports of 

drivers discriminating against 

passengers with a disability, it is 

paramount drivers are educated. 

For the safety of all passengers, 

especially MPTP passengers, 

we recommend that the CPVV 

takes a progressive leap and 

introduces mandatory training 

for all commercial passenger 

vehicle drivers. 

2. We also recommend 

the Introduction of a 

mandatory requirement 

for approved cameras in 

vehicles operating within 

the MPTP scheme. 

It is essential for taxis (unbooked 

vehicles) within the CPV 

industry to have an approved 

and operational safety camera 

installed within their vehicle. 

The safety of our society’s 

vulnerable, needs to be a 

priority. 

These cameras have been 

proven to act as a deterrent of 

unethical acts and crimes, and if, 

unfortunately, an unlawful event 

took place, accountability could 

be served. 

We believe that all CPVs eligible 

to transport MPTP passengers 

must be required to have safety 

cameras installed. 

3. We recommend the 

Introduction of maximum 

fare rate for all MPTP 

trips. 

Surge pricing for MPTP 

passengers during peak periods, 

would unfairly eat into the 

annual limits of the MPTP user, 

and this needs to be prevented. 

Implementing a maximum fare 

rate for all MPTP trips would 

prevent surge pricing. 

4. Our 4th 

recommendation is 

the Introduction of a 

requirement for operators 

accredited to offer the 

MPTP rebate scheme 

to have a minimum % of 

their fleet as approved 

wheelchair accessible 

vehicles. 

Many MPTP users ride in sedans 

and not WAVs. Having a WAV on 

the road is a costly exercise. A 

typical taxi company operating 

WAVs uses the income from the 

other vehicles in their fleet to 

subsidise the cost of the WAVs. 

Allowing MPTP service 

providers to operate without 

WAVs is taking sedan work 

from the participants who 

have WAVs in their fleet. 

Subsequently, it will cripple 

the already struggling BSPs 

with WAVs and reduce the 

number of WAVs available 

to MPTP users. 

If a BSP would like to be a MPTP 

service provider in the disability 

sector, they should be required 

to be a full participant and not 

permitted to discriminate for 

their own financial gain. 

5. Lastly we recommended 

the Introduction of 

mandatory requirement 

for MPTP service 

providers to have 

Comprehensive Insurance 

and Public Liability 

Insurance 

It is important to have both as 

Public liability insurance kicks in 

where comprehensive insurance 

stops. 

It is relied on in scenarios where 

the driving journey has ceased 

for example, if a passenger trips 

and falls after disembarking 

the vehicle or if a mobility aide 

accidentally gets damaged while 

being removed from the vehicle. 

READ 

TRANSCRIPTS 

OF THE 

PUBLIC 

HEARINGS 

of the Economy and 

Infrastructure Inquiry into the 

MPTP webpage at 

https://bit.ly/31HLKpe 


VICTORIA news 

High-poweing very low instances 

of dumping and vandalism due 

to the quality of both the bikes 

and the operator, a council 

spokesperson said. 

by RHIANNON STEVENS 



17

Australia must 

SPEED UP 

the shift to 

electric 

vehicles 

Emissions from road transport 

account for 10 per cent of global 

emissions – and that number is 

rising faster than any other sector, 

as highlighted in the latest Global 

EV Outlook report. 

Developed nations around the 

world, including the United 

Kingdom and Canada, have already 

pledged to phase out sales or 

registrations of new internal 

combustion engine cars by a certain 

date - but Australia has not. 

Nowhere near the 

finish line 

Despite being one of the world’s 

leaders in renewable energy 

research and innovation, Australia’s 

vehicle emission standard is still 

based on the European Emission 

Standard five, which is now over 

a decade old. More than 80 per 

cent of the global car market now 

follows 'Euro Six' vehicle emission 

standards, including Europe, the 

United States, Japan, Korea, China, 

India and Mexico. 

Beyond the failure to reduce 

regional air pollution, Australian 

standards have also fallen behind 

in mandating fuel efficiency and 

hence lower greenhouse emissions. 

Cleaner and more fuel-efficient 

internal combustion engine cars 

can assist in reducing both local 

air pollution and greenhouse gas 

emissions. 

So how can Australia commit to 

zero-emission vehicle goals if it’s 

behind on global vehicle emission 

standards? 

Associate Professor Iain 

MacGill, Joint Director of UNSW 

Collaboration on Energy and 

Environmental Markets, says 

Australia hasn’t made a serious 

effort to address transport-related 

emissions. 

“The transport sector is one of 

the continuing growth areas of 

Australia's emissions profile,” he 

says. 

“However, we’ve seen so many 

petrol-fuelled sports utility vehicles 

and twin cab utes being purchased 

that it seems likely that the average 

fuel efficiency of Australian cars is 

going backwards.” 

Chicken and egg 

debate 

The pathway to zero-emission 

transport almost certainly requires 

electric vehicles fuelled by zeroemission 

electricity. Last year, less 

than one per cent of new cars 

bought in Australia were EVs. That 

compares with more than four per 

cent globally, almost six per cent 

in China and nearly 75 per cent in 

Norway. 


Renewable energy expert, 

Associate Professor Anna 

Bruce from UNSW School of 

Photovoltaics and Renewable 

Energy Resources, says the 

absence of clear government 

policy is the biggest reason why 

Australia is lagging in the transition 

to EVs - making it difficult for 

manufacturers to focus on serving 

the Australian market. 

“It’s like the chicken and egg 

dilemma – but without proper 

policy and regulation, then demand 

for EVs will remain low.” 

The same can be said about 

the network of EV charging 

infrastructure, says A/Prof. MacGill. 

“Australia’s an interesting mix in 

that we’re highly urbanised - so we 

take the view that our car should 

get us around town for 51 weeks of 

the year. But for the other week, 

we might want to drive all the way 

to another state. 

“In most cases, nearly all the 

charging happens at home anyway 

but it’s for those special occasions 

where we need to drive long 

distances. 

“The charging network can 

satisfy the number of current 

EVs but if that number were to 

double overnight, there will be 

challenges.” 

Electrify everything 

UNSW PhD candidate Katelyn 

Purnell, says “While private vehicles 

make up a majority of transport 

use, there is a huge opportunity 

to electrify the entire transport 

network including bicycles, buses, 

taxis and rideshare and even 

ferries,” she says. 

“Cross modality transport is an 

important factor in reducing 

emissions because people are 

moving around differently - so 

policy discussions shouldn’t be 

limited to just motor vehicles.” 

The road ahead 

If Australia wants to get serious 

about reducing emissions from 

transport, then it needs to start 

with a cohesive and holistic 

approach from both the State and 

Federal government, adds Purnell. 

“If we look at Norway, they 

went with a portfolio method 

when introducing policy. Beyond 

initiatives such as reducing upfront 

capital costs, subsidies, or access 

to special lanes, they signalled to 

the market that they were serious 

about this and there was no going 

back.” 



19

VIC News 

Shebah 

in hands of 

administrators 

Australian women-only rideshare business Shebah is in 

voluntary administration, after falling through the cracks 

in government COVID-19 support and struggling to attract 

backing from the venture capital sector or the government. 

Sam Kaso and Rachel Burdett of Cor Cordis have been 

appointed as administrators, and will try to save the 

business through a sale or restructure. 

Founded in 2017, Shebah raised a record $3 million in equity 

crowdfunding two years later, with women making up 94% 

of investors. 

George McEncroe 

Shebah Founder and CEO 

Pre-pandemic, the startup was 

providing up to 10,000 trips 

each month. As well as being 

used to take women to social 

events, Shebah provided school 

transport for children and 

worked with domestic violence 

support services to provide 

safe transport for women and 

children. 

It is licensed to carry 

unaccompanied children, with 

80% of cars fitted with car seats. 

That means it can be used for 

transporting foster children and 

other vulnerable minors. 

Founder and chief executive 

Georgina McEncroe describes 

running Shebah throughout the 

COVID-19 crisis as “staring at a 

roulette table”, wondering which 

way the ball is going to go. 

Revenues dropped by 70% as 

workplaces and schools shut 

down across the country, time 

and time again. 

While drivers could receive 

JobKeeper and the Victorian 

Business Assistance Grants, 

Shebah itself wasn’t eligible for 

government support as it was 

able to continue trading. 

McEncroe had also been trying 

to attract more equity capital. In 

fact, she came close to closing a 

round before the latest COVID-19 

lockdowns caused investors to 

back out. 

“We have been trying to attract 

more equity for more than a 

year, but potential investors had 

no clear line of sight on when 

things would return to normal. 

We were hoping we could hang 

on until the states were fully 

open, but we ran out of time 


VICTORIA news 

and had no option but to appoint 

Voluntary Administrators.” 

She also applied for the federal 

government’s Boosting Female 

Founders grant scheme without 

success, and explored selling the 

business herself. 

“I was just watching the bank 

balance the whole time,” she tells 

SmartCompany. 

“Gotta to do the right thing,” she 

adds, “Gotta call it.” 

McEncroe said Shebah has a pool 

of over 1000 drivers, but less than 

half were active during lockdowns. 

The typical driver is aged 49, 

single, with older children. 

She said it would be another blow 

to women at a time when they’ve 

been hard hit if Shebah could not 

continue. 

“Women have suffered 

disproportionately during Covid 

and we have learned how much 

many women rely on this service 

to make them feel safe for 

themselves and their children,” 

she said. What’s next for Shebah? 

McEncroe believes the best 

outcome for Shebah, its drivers 

and its customers will be a sale 

and a continuation of the service. 

She believes wholeheartedly 

in the business; safe travel for 

women and children is “such a 

fundamental right”, she says. 

“The world doesn’t belong to the 

childless.” 

The service is used by many 

vulnerable women, children and 

youth, and that demand is not 

likely to drop. 

The company had been making up 

to 10,000 trips a month nationally 

before the pandemic hit, including 

children to and from school – it’s 

the only rideshare with a licence to 

transport unaccompanied minors. 

Shebah could be valued at up to 

$15 million because of the valuable 

exemptions to anti-discrimination 

laws the startup holds, and its 

database of women drivers 

and licences which enable it to 

transport unaccompanied minors. 

“A number of interested parties 

have cottoned on to, obviously, 

the need for women who would 

prefer to drive with another 

woman” McEncroe said. “Lo 

and behold this has become an 

apparent market.” 

Administrator Sam Kaso said 

in a statement he is hopeful 

the business will attract strong 

interest from potential buyers. 

“Shebah has some unique qualities 

and upsides in a market that will 

recover as lockdowns are lifted,” 

he said. 

The business will continue to 

operate while the administrators 

“stabilise” and assess operations 

before seeking expressions of 

interest. 

Embassy 

Cafe 

WE’re open 

WE NEVER CLOSE 

547 Spencer Street 

West Melbourne 

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21

VICTORIA news 

Drivers 

welcome back 

passengers 

After a long and grueling lockdown, Victoria has now reopened its doors and welcomed people back into 

everyday life and our drivers back on the roads, transporting passengers to where they need to go. 

Since its reopening, the Victorian government has announced that all commercial passenger vehicle drivers 

must have a COVID-19 vaccine if they wish to continue providing CPV services. If a CPV driver has a driver 

agreement in place with the vehicle owner, then it is the vehicle owner’s responsibility to keep a record of 

those vaccinations. However, those registered as a Booking Service Provider (BSP) are expected to keep their 

own records. 

Why isn’t the CPVV keeping a register 

of full vaccination statuses against 

every driver’s accreditation details, 

instead of choosing to rely on an 

honesty system? It’s concerning 

that the CPVV is not following the 

government’s lead on requiring 

proof of vaccinations, while patrons 

entering pubs, or a shopping centre 

are required by law to show they’re 

double vaxed when scanning their 

QR code. There will be no such 

requirement for travelling CPV 

passengers, posing a significant risk 

on our drivers. 

Rod Barton MLC 

Leader, Transport Matters Party 

I asked the Minister for Transport 

about this and the substantive 

response received stated: “The 

commercial passenger vehicle 

industry regulator, Commercial 

Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV), 

has provided advice and guidance 

to industry on the application of the 

mandatory vaccination requirement 

and will continue to support 


VICTORIA news 

the industry to remain safe and open. The 

mandatory vaccination requirement will be 

enforced in accordance with the public health 

direction.” This, however, does not answer my 

question. 

The Legislative Council’s Economy and 

Infrastructure inquiry in the Multi Purpose 

Taxi Program (MPTP)scheme has been 

examining safety standards of the MPTP and 

the commercial impacts of extending the MPTP 

to Uber. 

Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) 

readily acknowledges that of almost 90,000 

registered commercial passenger vehicles, only 

approximately 35,000 are active. 

Given the increase in the Wheelchair Accessible 

Vehicles (WAVs) was only about 300, to begin 

with, it is not an unreasonable assumption that 

there could easily be 500 WAVs included in the 

dormant 55,000 CPVs, which are inoperative. 

A new vehicle fitted-out for carrying a 

wheelchair can cost up to $100,000; where 

operators make only marginal profit at the 

best of times from offering these vehicles to 

Victoria’s wheelchair community. 

The committee is looking at vehicle safety 

requirements, maximum fare rate, prevention 

of rorting and exploitation of vulnerable users, 

the financial impacts on all affected by the 

expansion of the MPTP scheme. 

“Only 35,000 

CPVs are 

currently active 

and on the road. 

One taxi operator has informed me that they 

have only been able to continue to offer MPTP 

services for so long because they have been 

able to cross-subsidise with their usual sedan 

work. This taxi operator has had to reduce 

their fleet and divert their resources to protect 

the profitable sedan work. The committee is 

also looking at the possibility of limited WAVs 

available, especially in regional communities. 

I have requested the Minister for Transport to 

provide accurate data on the number of WAVs 

that are currently active in the industry. 

The committee is collecting, collating, 

analysing and assessing all information 

presented, both in writing and verbally, with 

regards to the MPTP scheme, in order to make 

careful and constructive recommendations to 

government on how the MPTP scheme should 

be operating in the future. 

The inquiry is to handover its report and 

recommendations on this matter by 18 

February 2022. 



23


ISOBEL MARGARET WHITE (nee YOUNG) 

30 December 1929 – 27 September 2021 

Isobel was a kind and gentle soul who lost her sixmonth 

battle with heart and lung failure on 27th 

September 2021. We lost a very special lady that day. 

A kind and loving lady with an astute business sense. 

Isobel was born in Young, NSW and worked at 

her parents’ market garden store while attending 

secondary school. Stan was 15 years old when he 

entered the life of Isobel (then 20 years old) when 

she needed a helping hand in selling and delivering 

the fruit and veggies. Stan also frequented the family 

General store where, as an SP bookie, Isobel would 

take his bets. 

Isobel followed Stan when he went to Melbourne 

to start his career as a Bookie in 1960, and in 1961 

they were married. This year they celebrated their 

Diamond Anniversary of 60 years of marriage. 

Isobel’s home was indeed her castle, her door was 

always open, and she welcomed everybody with open 

arms. She kept up to date on the latest current affairs, 

completed the sudoku and crosswords daily. 

Isobel and Stan started “Taxi Talk” (now called 

“Drive Now”) magazine back in 1966. Isobel was the 

best proofreader we ever had until last year when 

it became too tiring for her to continue. She was 

a proud advocator for the Victorian taxi industry, 

attending many Victorian Taxi Association functions 

and conferences, supporting those within the industry 

who sought her help, and making her opinions heard 

through the magazine. 

She was a devoted Collingwood Football Fan and 

knew all the players’ names, numbers and what they 

had been up to. She even had a flagpole erected in 

the backyard so that the mighty magpies’ flag could 

fly high. 

Any time spent with her grandchildren, Amy, Stuart, 

Eric and Spencer, was cherished time for her. She 

adored them, they adored her, and she was so very 

proud of them all. 

Isobel will be greatly missed, but we have wonderful 

memories of time spent together, and we will cherish 

them always. Loving wife to Stan, mother of Toni 

and Donna, mother-in-law to Marc, Grammy to Amy, 

Stuart, Eric, Spencer and Lillie, and a friend to many. 

She was my Mum, and I miss her every day. Farewell 

Isobel – I will certainly not forget to miss you. 

Toni Peters 

Editor, Drive Now magazine 



25

STATISTICS 

South Aus. 

#of Registered 

Point-to-Point VEHICLES 

as at 31 October 2021 

SA - Vehicles 

5000 

4500 

4000 

3500 

3000 

2500 

2000 

1500 

1000 

500 

0 

SPVs - 

Weddings/Tours 

Chauffeur 

Vehicles 

Taxis Rideshare 

01-Sep-20 175 384 1299 4,211 

01-Jan-21 194 386 1382 4,564 

21-Oct-21 200 373 1365 4,594 

NT 

nt vehicles 

# CP VEHICLES as at 30 September 2021 

800 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

Taxis 

Multiple 

Purpose 

Taxis 

Private Hire 

Cars 

Rideshare 

01-Jul-21 187 48 14 681 

30-Sep-21 193 49 14 702 

nt drivers 

# CPV DRIVERS as at 30 September 2021 

1,600 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

Rideshare Taxi Private hire car 

01-Jul-21 1,285 1,340 471 

30-Sep-21 1290 1281 442 

# of Registered 

Point-to-Point DRIVERS 

as at 30 September2021 

6000 

5000 

4000 

3000 

2000 

1000 

0 

Tasmania 

# of Registered Transport Services 

VEHICLES 

as at 31 August 2021 

Tas vehicles 

1,600 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

- 

SA - Drivers 

Taxis 

Rideshare, Country Taxi & 

Chauffeur 

01-Jan-21 4626 5317 

01-Jul-21 4343 5234 

30-Sep-21 4252 5235 

Taxis & Luxury Hire Cars Ride-sourcing 

31-Dec-20 554 1,496 

30-Jun-21 543 1,335 

31-Aug-21 540 1,459 

31-Dec-20 30-Jun-21 31-Aug-21 


New South Wales 

# of Metro & Non-Metro 

LICENCE PLATES 

as at 31 October 

NSW 

2021 

Taxi Licences 

6000 

5000 

4000 

3000 

2000 

1000 

0 

Taxi Licences Metro 

Taxi Licences Non-Metro 

Jan-18 5399 913 

Jan-19 5576 1210 

Jan-20 5587 1425 

Jan-21 4492 1432 

Jul-21 4673 1456 

Oct-21 5229 1455 

Queensland 

# of Registered Personalised 

Transport LICENCES 

as at 30 September 2021 

18,000 

16,000 

14,000 

12,000 

10,000 

8,000 

6,000 

4,000 

2,000 

- 

QLD Vehicles 

Limousine Taxi Service Booked Hire Service 

30-Sep-20 495 3,252 16,136 

30-Jun-21 491 3,250 16,215 

30-Sep-21 485 3,249 15,549 

8,000 

7,000 

6,000 

5,000 

4,000 

3,000 

2,000 

1,000 

# of Total Taxi Licences & On Hold TREND 

as at 31 October 2021 

- 

TOTAL NSW Taxi 

Licences 

nsw licences on hold 

Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jul-21 Oct-21 

6,312 6,786 7,012 5,924 6,129 6,694 

Taxi Plates on hold 379 558 650 2,113 1,940 2,007 

Victoria 

# of Registered Commercial 

Passenger VEHICLES 


Vic Vehicles 

100,000 

90,000 

80,000 

70,000 

60,000 

50,000 

40,000 

30,000 

20,000 

10,000 

- 

21,412 

61,999 

81,885 

88,701 88,835 90,663 

Dec-17 Jan-19 Jan-20 Dec-20 Jun-21 30-Sep-21 

# of Passenger Transport (PT) 

DRIVER LICENCES as at 31 October 2021 

NSW Driver Licences 

140,000 

127,797 130,752 131,149 

119,847 

120,000 

99,403 

100,000 

77,838 

80,000 

60,000 

40,000 

20,000 

0 

Jan 18 Jan 19 Jan 20 Jan 21 Jul 21 oct 21 

# of Registered CPV DRIVERS 


140,000 

120,000 

100,000 

80,000 

60,000 

40,000 

20,000 

- 

65,543 

92,479 

Vic Drivers 

109,142 

113,659 115,363 117,633 

01-Dec-17 01-Dec-18 01-Jan-20 31-Dec-20 30-Jun-21 30-Sep-21 



27


QLD News 

Mediation 

Services 

FOR PERSONALISED 

TRANSPORT INDUSTRY 

The Department of Transport 

and Main Roads (DTMR) aims 

to support customers and 

personalised transport industry 

participants in resolving disputes 

in the most effective way. 

The Department of Justice and 

Attorney-General is offering 

an industry-specific mediation 

service for disputes arising in the 

taxi, limousine and ride-booking 

industries. 

The service has been 

established as part of their 

Dispute Resolution Branch, 

which specialises in providing 

alternative dispute resolution 

options to the public. 

All mediators are trained to help 

people resolve disputes and 

reach a mutually agreed solution. 

Mediation can help you settle 

disputes quickly and at a lower 

cost than other approaches, such 

as going to court. 

It is an option available when you 

are unable to resolve your issue 

directly with the other party. It 

involves a structured meeting 

to identify, understand, and 

negotiate your dispute. 

The mediation services: 

• are provided at no cost to 

participants 

• are confidential 

• are facilitated by accredited 

professionals 

• may help you and the other 

party preserve your business 

relationship 

• may save you time and 

money compared to 

litigation. 

To find out more about these 

services offered, visit the 

Department of Transport and 

Main Roads website at https:// 

bit.ly/3HaXIYO. 


QUEENSLAND news 

A MOMENT OF ANGER JUST ISN’T WORTH IT 

Be safe; 

Be professional; 

There is no excuse for 

abuse. 

Everyone involved with Queensland's personalised 

transport system – passengers, drivers and rank staff 

– is entitled to either a journey or a job free of verbal 

and physical abuse and intimidation. 

TMR expects that passengers, drivers and rank staff 

will behave respectfully to one another. This will 

further contribute to our state's reputation of having 

a first-class, professional, personalised transport 

industry that is safe, sustainable and accessible. 

There are likely to be individual consequences for 

abusive behaviour, and it will also affect other 

industries, such as tourism and hospitality, if 

Queensland's reputation as a safe, fun, familyfriendly 

destination is put at risk by careless words or 

actions. 

Instances of 

illegal behaviour 

such as assault 

or physical 

abuse should 

be reported to 

the Queensland 

Police Service 

without delay. 

For taxis, this 

will ensure that 

relevant security 

camera recordings of incidents may be retrieved 

expeditiously and possibly used as evidence. For 

other booked hire services, it will mean that 

information can be provided to the Police while 

memories are still fresh. 

In the case of verbal abuse and intimidation – which 

includes being threatened, sworn at or racially 

abused - passengers and drivers are encouraged by 

TMR to notify the relevant booking entity as soon as 

possible after the incident. 

Passengers abusing drivers and rank staff face 

potential police action. Drivers who abuse 

passengers or rank staff may face disaffiliation, 

suspension or 

cancellation 

of their Driver 

Authorisation, 

and possibly even 

criminal charges. 

Rank staff who 

abuse drivers 

or passengers 

face potential 

dismissal and 

potential charges 

laid by the Police. 



29

WHERE ARE NEW CAR 

SALES HEADED? 

A LOOK AT THE STATS 

by Adrian Edlington 

There are almost as many cars 

as there are people in Australia. 

According to the Australian 

Bureau of Statistics, there are 

20.1 million registered motor 

vehicles – that’s almost one 

per person of driving age. Over 

2020, the national fleet grew by 

1.7%. It would seem our appetite 

for new cars remains steady, 

despite lockdowns, the COVID-19 

pandemic, and other economic 

factors. 

2020 saw one of the biggest 

slumps in new car sales since the 

Global Financial Crisis of 2007- 

2008. International new car sales 

slowed from 91.3 million in 2019 

to 63.7 million in 2020, according 

to Statista. Over 2019-2022 

(predicted) this represents a 13.8% 

slump. 

Add this to a global 

semiconductor shortage, which 

has affected the supply of almost 

everything reliant on electronics: 

smartphones, games consoles, 

and of course, modern vehicles. 

However, Australia is a big outlier. 

Sales of vehicles are up 33% 

compared to the same time 

last year (81,999 vs 60,986), 

according to the Federal Chamber 

of Automotive Industries. This 

means passenger vehicles, light 

commercial, heavy commercial, 

and SUVs are all trending upward. 

This is despite some parts of 

Australia being physically unable 

to purchase cars at dealerships 

due to prolonged lockdowns. 


So, what does that mean for the 

future? 

Where are new car sales headed 

in Australia? What are people 

buying? What are the top-selling 

brands? Are people going electric 

or hybrid in the wake of rising 

petrol prices? What do dealers 

think? Let’s take a dive: 

New Car Sales In 

Australia – Bucking The 

Trend 

According to the FCAI, the 

Passenger Vehicle Market is 

up by 2,581 sales (17.5%) over 

the same month last year; the 

Sports Utility Market is up by 

8,603 sales (26.6%); the Light 

Commercial Market is up by 

8,002 sales (71.2%), and the Heavy 

Commercial Vehicle Market is 

up by 1,027 sales (39.3%) versus 

August 2020. 

Total automotive sales in the 

United States plummeted by 

15.83% in 2020, according to data 

from the US Bureau of Economic 

Analysis through the site Good 

Car Bad Car. Compared to August 

2020, car sales have decreased 

by 47.7% (1,298,489 vs 619,806) 

which appears to have “fallen off 

a cliff” compared with Australian 

sales. 

This is despite 6.6% Q2 2021 

GDP growth in the US – not an 

all-encompassing indicator, but 

one that is a far cry from a great 

recession. 

SUV – The New Family 

Sedan? 

SUVs have been the consistent 

performer Australia wide, 

outselling passenger vehicles by 

4:1 in most months throughout 

2021. SUV sales are up by 

26.6% as mentioned before – 

in August, 40,981 new SUVs 

were sold, compared to 17,339 

passenger vehicles and 19,236 

light commercial vehicles. This 

correlates with 2020’s results 

that showed SUVs sales comprise 

almost half of all new car sales 

(49.6%) with passenger car sales 

only taking a quarter (24.22%). 

The popularity of “Medium SUVs” 

that have a smaller profile, yet 

spacious interior may explain 

this trend; but the fact is that 

Australians are abandoning the 

“traditional” passenger segment 

for the SUV. 

In the passenger car market, small 

(over $40,000) and light (under 

$25,000) cars were the highest 

sellers (13.3% combined.) Medium 

cars sold a combined total 2.9%, 

while the next largest segment 

was under $40,000 small cars at 

1.2%. The entry-level sports market 

(under $200,000) accounted 

for 1% of sales, while large cars 

comprised 0.6%. 

The Popular Marques 

Remain, Well, Popular 

The top car brand is Toyota, 

which sold 21,076 vehicles in June 

2021. According to the ABS, there 

were three million registrations 

of Toyota branded vehicles in 

Australia last year. 



31

Mazda came in at 2nd with 12,225 

sales in June, up 29.8% year-onyear. 

Ford came in third with 

8,456 sales. Other major shifts 

occurred in Mitsubishi, down 

24% y-o-y, MG which shot up by 

219.9%, and Isuzu, the truck and 

commercial manufacturer, up 

49.2%. 

As for year to date, Toyota 

remains the clear leader, selling 

118,953 cars. This is followed 

by Mazda (60,466), Hyundai 

(38,634), and Kia (37,894.) Only 

three western marques are in 

the top 10 (Ford, Volkswagen, 

and MG) with Izuzu’s Ute division 

settling in at 11th (18,805). 

Unsurprisingly, the runaway 

success in the medium car market 

in June 2021 was the ever-reliable 

Toyota Camry (1,026 sales). 

In the small segment, the Kia 

Cerato sold 2,711 units, followed 

by the Hyundai i30 (2,331), and 

Toyota Corolla (2,175.) Among 

medium SUVs, the Mazda CX-5 

was the strong performer (3,018), 

followed by the Toyota RAV4 

(2,501), and Hyundai Tuscon 

(1,496). 

The top three selling models for 

the 2021 year to date is the Toyota 

Hilux (28,076), the Ford Ranger 

(25,336) and the Toyota RAV4 

(20,359.) 

What Dealers Say – An 

Analysis 

Anecdotally, according to 

dealers, the numbers of car loan 

applications have been strong, 

though the wait time on vehicles 

such as ex-fleet cars has blown 

out to months. The same goes for 

new cars. Some buyers are paying 

a deposit and having to wait for 3 

to 7 months. 

This may also show in the 

statistics: according to the ABS, 

the average age of a roadworthy, 

registered vehicle is 10.6 years, 

an increase over last year. The 

youngest fleet is found in the 

ACT (9.5 years) and the oldest in 

Tasmania (13.3 years.) 

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According to automotive expert 

and founder at Carloop Riz 

Akhtar, Australians are still keen 

to buy cars despite up to twelvemonth 

waits. 

“COVID is still playing a big role 

in the U.S. compared to what’s 

happening out here,” he says. 

“Apart from the recent lockdown 

in New South Wales and Victoria, 

the rest of the country is still 

doing pretty well. Manufacturers 

were not anticipating this sort of 

a surge in demand. That’s on the 

back of various factors, such as 

the stimulus packages that have 

been handed out to job seekers.” 

“Dealers don’t have any trouble 

selling cars. There are just too 

many people that want them at 

the moment.” 

Why the surge in SUV 

sales? 

Riz from Carloop puts it simply: 

“It’s all about the marketing 

manufacturers have put behind 

it. SUVs are cheaper to produce. 

They’re basically building a box 

and embedding whatever they 

want in it. The margins are way 

better than sedans or other 

types of larger vehicles. 

“From a marketing point of view, 

people have gotten the message 

that they are the cars that they 

want, and they’ve turned these 

SUVs into more of an aspirational 

purchase, as well as a lifestyle 

purchase. And that’s caused 

quite a huge shift from sedans 

over to SUVs now, which I don’t 

think will turn back anytime 

soon.” 


Transport Matters Party (TMP) is a political 

movement focusing on fairness, community and 

offering solutions for our nation’s transport issues. 

Show your support to Rod Barton MP 

by becoming a TMP member today! Only $22! 

Join and help TMP advocate for improved road safety, 

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vehicle industry in Victoria. 

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TMP LEADER ROD BARTON MP’S LATEST ACHIEVEMENTS 

✔ TAXI FARE INCREASE 

The first for 13 years and the Essential Services Commission will no longer hold 

responsibility for setting the fares for rank and hail taxi services. Taxi fares will now 

be set by the Fair Work Commission each year around the Consumer Price Index. 

✔ BUSINESS SUPPORT PACKAGE 

Thereby allowing drivers in the taxi and hire car industry to be included in the 

Victorian Business Support Package. There was an initial $5,000 grant, then 

$2,000, and recently $2,800. 

✔ADVISORY PANEL 

Advising the government on key issues relating to the ongoing sustainability of the 

Victorian Commercial Passenger Vehicle industry. 

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www.transportmatters.org.au/join 

33

Exclusive lanes for 

autonomous vehicles 

is driving future road modelling 

While we may have to wait a little 

longer for fully automated flying 

cars, the future of automated 

vehicles is not far away. 

High-end models of existing 

vehicles in the market, such as 

Tesla, already have adaptive cruise 

control features. This means the 

vehicles have autopilot hardware 

to drive by themselves without any 

input from the driver and are fitted 

sensors to detect when objects are 

too close. 

The next stage of automation 

will be for the vehicles to 

communicate and interact with 

each other. But what will that 

mean for the cars that are not 

automated? 

Published in the Journal of 

Transportation Research Part C: 

Emerging Technologies, a study by 

engineers from UNSW proposes 

a freeway network design with 

exclusive lanes for autonomous 

vehicles. 

Using computer modelling of 

mixed scenarios, they found 

dedicated lanes significantly 

improved the overall safety and 

traffic flow in a hybrid network of 

pedestrians, cyclists, automated 

vehicles and legacy vehicles. 

Lead author Dr Shantanu 

Chakraborty from UNSW School 

of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, says that if the 

road and transport network is 

not prepared for these vehicles 


when they enter the market, it 

will significantly hinder the travel 

experience of all road users. 

“Traffic congestion costs the 

economy billions of dollars every 

year in all the extra time spent 

commuting. The proposed model 

will help minimise interaction with 

legacy vehicles and reduce overall 

congestion on the road,” says Dr 

Chakraborty. 

“The mix of autonomous vehicles 

and legacy vehicles will cause 

issues on the road network unless 

there is proper modelling during 

this transition phase. If we get 

caught out, and we’re not ready, 

we won’t reap the full benefits 

of the technology behind these 

autonomous vehicles.” 

“If you look at our existing 

network, we already have 

something similar with dedicated 

bus lanes – so we’re not 

reinventing the wheel here. 

“Freeways are also the best 

network of car lanes to trial as 

they have dedicated entry and 

exit points where drivers can 

automatically switch on and off 

their automated features.” 

Improving traffic flow 

and road safety 

Autonomous vehicles not only 

have the potential to provide 

cost-effective mobility options, but 

road users can reap the benefits of 

reduced congestion. 

Dr Chakraborty says road users 

can activate the autopilot features 

of their vehicles while they are 

in these exclusive lanes. The 

automation of movement of the 

vehicles means the flow of traffic 

would significantly improve in 

these lanes as drivers are not 

solely relying on their attention 

and reaction time to traffic 

conditions. 

“Say you’re sitting in traffic and 

the traffic light turns green, the 

driver doesn’t instantaneously 

take off that second; there is 

usually a response time before 

you press on the pedal and the car 

moves,” he says. 

“Then the driver behind you reacts 

and so forth and by this stage, 

there has been some time passed. 

“However, with autonomous 

vehicles, the movement is more 

coordinated because the vehicles 

are fitted with sensors. When the 

signal turns green, all the vehicles 

move simultaneously, which will 

improve traffic flow and reduce 

congestion. 

“I believe, this is the future of 

mobility.” 

Stay in your lane 

Dr Chakraborty says variable 

signboards could be used to 

change the lane designation based 

on the traffic condition at the 

time. This will mean during peak 

hours, roads can be used more 

efficiently depending on the traffic 

conditions at the time. 

But how do we ensure drivers of 

legacy vehicles don’t misuse the 

new lane system? 

“Similar to existing high-occupancy 

lanes, for example, transit lanes 

or T2 or T3 lanes, we can apply 

a fine when drivers of legacy 

vehicles enter lanes dedicated for 

autonomous vehicles," he says. 

“Like any other road rules, we can 

only trust that drivers obey the 

signs and road rules.” 

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35

THE AUSTRALIAN TAXI 

INDUSTRY IS 

PIVOTING ITS WAY BACK 

by Megan Whelan, Sales ANZ at Taxi Butler and Driver Bubble 

Without question, the pandemic 

has left an indelible mark on our 

lives. Businesses such as tourism, 

hospitality, entertainment, and 

the aviation industry may take a 

few years to recover. One of the 

industries that have equally faced 

an adverse impact in its business 

operation is the taxi industry in 

Australia. 

Strict lockdowns and reduced 

travel has led the taxi industry 

to suffer significant losses in 

business. 

Constraints on public 

transportation, border barriers, 

work-from-home policies, 

and travel prohibitions have 

greatly affected the taxi sector, 

with workers experiencing 

unemployment and financial 

uncertainty. 

Many businesses have shut, while 

just a handful have found ways to 

diversify and bounce back. 

According to a report by Taxi 

Butler, the Australian and New 

Zealand taxi market in May 

saw a 22.3% increase in B2B taxi 

bookings since the beginning of 

this year. 


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By the end of 2021, the global taxi 

booking market could experience 

steady growth across the globe, 

and taxi demand in Australia is 

expected to gain momentum. 

The largest market for taxi 

services in Australia is New South 

Wales and coming in second is 

Victoria. The taxi bookings in 2020 

witnessed a significant fall of 

nearly 80% as compared to 2019. 

Meetings, engagements, and 

airport departures and arrivals 

are vital sources of revenue for 

the taxi business in Australia. 

Their decline has had a significant 

influence on the industry in recent 

months. 

A few local industries are on the 

edge of bankruptcy, where some 

drivers cannot earn enough to 

pay their monthly bills. There are 

concerns that a business collapse 

may leave the ageing population 

and people with disabilities 

unable to visit places. 

Keeping Safe 

While PPE equipment like face 

coverings in indoor public areas 

are mandatory, some taxi firms 

are looking at installing unique 

vehicle partition screens to 

protect the safety of drivers and 

customers. The screens give an 

extra layer of protection with 

up to 95% surface coverage and 

avoids direct contact between 

the drivers and passengers. The 

vehicle partition screens allow the 

passengers to remain connected 

without being isolated. 

With the increased concern 

around health and safety, drivers 

across the taxi and ride-share 

industry are still hesitant to drive 

passengers, highly impacting the 

efficiency of the services. Here 

are some guidelines for drivers 

to help prevent the spread of the 

virus. 

• A face mask is highly 

recommended (and in 

some States mandatory) 

for both the driver and the 

passenger. Unless the person 

has a medical reason for not 

wearing a face mask, the 

face mask should adequately 

cover the mouth and nose. 

• Taxi and ride-share drivers 

are encouraged to be led by 

their safety when performing 

their responsibilities and 

adopt appropriate sanitary 

standards while on the job. 

• It is crucial for drivers to 

constantly sanitise their 

vehicles, including door 

handles and all surfaces in 

contact with the previous 

passenger, as potential 

contamination may increase 

the risk of COVID-19. 

• Drivers should also switch 

the air conditioning to 

external ventilation rather 

than recirculation and 

provide passengers with a 

hand sanitiser. 


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39

Uber and Lyft 

RIDESHARE 

BUBBLE BURSTS 

Piece by piece, the mythology around 

ride-sharing is falling apart. 

Uber and Lyft promised ubiquitous 

self-driving cars as soon as this 

year. They promised an end to 

private car ownership. They 

promised to reduce congestion in 

the largest cities. They promised 

consistently affordable rides. They 

promised to boost public transit 

use. They promised profitable 

business models. They promised a 

surfeit of well-paying jobs. 

Well, none of that has gone 

as promised (but more about 

that later). Now a new study is 

punching a hole in another of 

Uber and Lyft’s promised benefits: 

curtailing pollution. The companies 

have long insisted their services 

are a boon to the environment 

because they reduce the need for 

short trips, can pool riders heading 

in roughly the same direction 

and cut unnecessary miles by, for 

instance, eliminating the need to 

look for street parking. 

It turns out that Uber rides 

do spare the air from the high 

amount of pollutants emitted 

from starting up a cold vehicle, 

when it is operating less 

efficiently, researchers from 

Carnegie Mellon University 

found. But that gain is wiped out 

by the need for drivers to circle 

around waiting for or fetching 

their next passenger, known as 

deadheading. Deadheading, Lyft 

and Uber estimated in 2019, is 

equal to about 40% of ride-share 

miles driven in six US cities. The 

researchers at Carnegie Mellon 

estimated that driving without 

a passenger leads to a roughly 


20% overall increase in fuel 

consumption and greenhouse gas 

emissions compared to trips made 

by personal vehicles. 

The researchers also found that 

switching from a private car to ondemand 

rides, like an Uber or Lyft, 

increased the external costs of a 

typical trip by 30-35%, or roughly 35 

cents on average, because of the 

added congestion, collisions and 

noise from ride-sharing services. 

“This burden is not carried by the 

individual user, but rather impacts 

the surrounding community,” 

reads a summary of the research 

conducted by Jacob Ward, 

Jeremy Michalek and Constantine 

Samaras. “Society as a whole 

currently shoulders these external 

costs in the form of increased 

mortality risks, damage to vehicles 

and infrastructure, climate impacts 

and increased traffic congestion.” 

But as Lyft would have it, 

“By using Lyft to share rides, 

passengers are helping to reduce 

the carbon footprint left by our 

country’s dominant mode of 

transportation — driving alone.” 

That’s what the friendly Uber 

alternative claimed way back in 

2016. 

So what about all those other 

pledges? They’ve proved to be just 

as illusory. 

Take urban congestion. Uber 

and Lyft envisioned a future in 

which software algorithms would 

push each car to host three or 

more passengers, easing traffic 

and providing a complement to 

public transit options. Instead, 

passengers have largely eschewed 

pooled rides and public transit in 

favour of private trips, leading to 

downtown bottlenecks in cities 

like San Francisco. The duration of 

traffic jams increased by nearly 5% 

in urban areas since Uber and Lyft 

moved in. 

Lyft’s president, John Zimmer, 

once claimed the majority of rides 

would be in autonomous vehicles 

by 2021, but the company has 

largely backed away from its selfdriving 

efforts, including selling its 

developmental unit to a Toyota 

subsidiary this year. Uber, which 

once characterized robot cars as 

“existential” to its future, sold off 

its autonomous vehicle division 

last year after mounting safety and 

cost concerns. 

The efficiencies of ride-hailing 

were supposed to all but end car 

ownership; instead, vehicle sales 

are on the rise again this year, 

after a down year in 2020. There is 

also evidence that Uber and Lyft 

may actually spur an increase in 

car sales in cities where they begin 

operating. 

Public-transit use in some areas, 

despite the companies’ claims, has 

been waning, according to several 

studies, as more consumers opt 

to jump in Ubers and Lyfts that 

drive them door to door. That was 

before the pandemic spooked 

users into staying away from 

crowded subway cars and buses. 

Underwritten by venture capital, 

Uber and Lyft hooked users by 

offering artificially cheap rides that 

often undercut traditional yellow 

cabs. But labour shortages and a 

desperate need to find some path 

to a profitable future have caused 

ride-share prices to skyrocket, 

perhaps to a more rational level. 

After burning through billions of 

venture capital dollars, Uber said it 

was on a path to profitability last 

year, using an accounting metric 

that ignores many of the costs that 

actually make it unprofitable. By 

the same measure, Chief Executive 

Officer Dara Khosrowshahi is 

projecting this quarter could be 

profitable. That remains to be 

seen. Sure, the pandemic had an 

outsize impact on ride-sharing, 

but even though food delivery 

helped prop up Uber’s results, the 

company still lost a staggering 

$6.8 billion last year, following $8.5 

billion in 2019 losses, in supposedly 

better times. Lyft hasn’t fared 

much better, racking up $4.4 

billion in combined losses over the 

same period. 

Despite the hype for the 

companies’ market debuts, some 

Lyft investors are underwater 

more than two years later, while 

Uber stockholders have eked out 

meagre gains. Hardly winning 

business models. 

The companies are correct 

that they offer a useful service, 

including food delivery to the 

homebound, an alternative to 

drunken driving and access to 

transportation in underserved 

areas. But after years of bluster, 

it’s hard to believe them about 

much else. 

SOURCE: The New York Times 



41

BEWARE THE 

YELLOW LINE 

THAT THREATENS 

DRIVERS WITH FINES! 

by Antonella Kearns 

Don’t be caught out parking near a kerb with a continual yellow line 

next time you’re out on the road, or it will cost you. The continuous 

yellow line is synonymous with the no stopping sign, meaning cars are 

prohibited from stopping or parking in that area. The yellow lines may 

be used in conjunction with a no stopping sign or used instead of one, 

so don’t be fooled if there is no sign! 


The not-so-well-known rule 

has been around since the late 

1990s and was implemented by 

governing authorities to reduce 

the number of no stopping signs 

cluttering the streets. 

Queensland government 

Department of Transport and Main 

Roads listed this offence as one of 

the most common parking fines in 

2014, further highlighting the lack 

of awareness among drivers. 

To make things a little more 

complicated, there are two types 

of yellow lines to look out for: 

A broken yellow 

line signifies a 

CLEARWAY 

This means that cars are not 

permitted to stop or park in that 

area between the hours shown 

on the sign (except in a medical 

emergency); however, buses, 

taxis, and hire cars (but not rideshare) 

are permitted to stop, to 

pick-up or drop-off passengers. 

An Unbroken or 

continuous 

yellow line means 

NO STOPPING 

Drivers caught disobeying these 

rules can be up for some hefty 

penalties, including loss of demerit 

points. Here’s a breakdown of 

what these penalties look like 

across Australia: 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 

Prepare to lose one penalty unit 

(equivalent to $50) if you decide to 

stop on the forbidden yellow line. 

VICTORIA 

If you’re caught parked on a single 

continuous yellow line, you’ll 

receive an on-the-spot fine of $109. 

TASMANIA 

Parking on a continuous yellow 

line will see Tasmanian drivers 

issued with a $130 fine. 

NORTHERN TERRITORY 

Authorities will decide whether 

you lose one demerit point or 

cough up a $157 fine for illegally 

stopping on a continual yellow 

line. 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

South Australians are looking at 

a fine of $198 if they are caught 

stopped in that area. 

NEW SOUTH WALES 

Expect to receive a hefty $272 fine 

from local authorities if caught 

parked on a continual yellow line. 

QUEENSLAND 

Drivers will be issued a penalty 

of two demerit points which is 

equivalent to a $275 fine. 

ACT 

Issuing the harshest penalty of 

all the states, ACT drivers will be 

penalised with a $280 fine for 

parking in areas with a single 

yellow line. 

The moral of the 

story here is:- 

Don’t park on the 

yellow line, and you’ll 

be fine – not fined! 



43

LOOK, 

UP IN THE SKY! 

It’s a bird, it’s a plane! 

NO, IT’S A FLYING CAR! 

While the idea of hovering motor 

vehicles might once have been 

considered farfetched, it’s certainly 

not the case today. 

Companies around the world are 

reaching new heights to develop 

flying cars that could one day be 

flown by commuters to work or 

even over longer distances for 

leisure travel. 

UNSW aerospace design expert, 

Dr Sonya Brown from the School 

of Mechanical and Manufacturing 

Engineering, says the aim of these 

vehicles is to eventually provide 

another means of urban air mobility 

to help reduce congestion on the 

road. 

“Long-term, flying cars will offer 

us another means for short and 

personalised travel,” she says. 

“We’re starting to see an 

emergence of flying car variants 

in development around the world, 

and even here in Australia, as more 

companies are investing in these 

vehicles. 

“Some early adopters of these 

technology include rideshare 

companies and emergency services, 

given some vehicles are being 

designed to be more versatile than 

traditional aircraft and helicopters.” 

What exactly are they? 

Flying cars resemble a cross 

between a drone and a small 

aircraft, so most will have wings 

and typically include between four 

to eight rotors. 

They can fly a few hundred to a 

few thousand metres above the 

ground, occupying the air space 

44 September 2021

above where you’d expect to see 

drones flying but below standard 

flying commercial aircrafts. 

While it probably won’t get 

someone from Sydney to 

Melbourne on one battery charge, 

flying cars could potentially travel 

up to 250 kilometres in one ride. 

“The underlying technology that’s 

so important with flying cars is the 

ability to both take-off and land 

vertically and fly horizontally as 

well. This makes the mechanics 

much more complex than a 

helicopter which primarily has 

vertical propulsion,” says Dr 

Brown. 

“And that's why we're calling 

them flying cars because they 

resemble the type of travel we 

would do with cars.” 

A win for the 

environment 

Prototypes of flying cars are 

currently being designed with 

electrically powered rotors 

meaning they can be battery 

operated. As long as the batteries 

are recharged in a sustainable 

manner, for example, using wind 

or solar energy, the flying cars 

won’t emit any harmful emissions 

into the environment. 

“Ideally, the aim is to design these 

green vehicles so that they reduce 

emissions whilst reducing traffic 

congestion on the ground as well,” 

says Dr Brown. 

“With growing research in the 

renewable energy sector, I think 

there’s huge potential to consider 

other alternative energy sources, 

such as hydrogen, to power the 

flying cars in the future.” 

Keeping the hand brake 

up for now 

Slow down - flying cars won’t take 

off just yet; there’s a few bumps to 

get over first. 

Some of the challenges the 

industry is looking to solve are 

around regulation and traffic 

control. Similar to commercial 

flights, flying cars will need traffic 

control rules, corridors and flight 

paths to establish right of way to 

avoid any potential collisions. 

“There's a lot of work going into 

developing collision avoidance 

systems, particularly focusing on 

how these vehicles are going to 

communicate with each other to 

make real-time decisions on things 

such as right of way,” says Dr 

Brown. 

“It will be up to regulators and 

managing government bodies 

around the world to work out 

what licensing category it fits into 

– because currently there isn’t 

one.” 

Flying cars also bring technical 

challenges such as battery life, 

particularly how many times it can 

be recharged before the battery 

duration starts to decline. Also, 

many of these vehicles can have 

up to eight rotors – which can be 

very noisy. 

“More acoustic studies need to 

be done to try to minimise the 

noise of the propeller inside these 

rotors,” says Dr Brown. 

“In the future, if there are going 

to be hundreds or even thousands 

of these occupying the skies 

above highly populated areas, 

it’s important that we consider 

the impact the noise will have for 

people in their homes below.” 



45


overseas news 

Uber drivers are employees, not 

contractors, says Dutch court 

by ANTHONY DEUTSCH AND TOBY STERLING 

AMSTERDAM, Uber drivers are 

employees, not contractors, and 

so entitled to greater workers’ 

rights under local labour laws, a 

Dutch court ruled in September 

2021, handing a setback to the U.S. 

company’s European business 

model. 

It was another court victory for 

unions fighting for better pay and 

benefits for those employed in the 

gig economy and followed a similar 

decision this year about Uber in 

Britain. 

The Amsterdam District Court sided 

with the Federation of Dutch Trade 

Unions (FNV), which had argued 

that Uber’s roughly 4,000 drivers in 

the capital are employees of a taxi 

company and should be granted 

benefits in line with the taxi sector. 

Uber said it would appeal against 

the decision and “has no plans to 

employ drivers in the Netherlands”. 

“We are disappointed with this 

decision because we know that the 

overwhelming majority of drivers 

wish to remain independent,” said 

Maurits Schönfeld, Uber’s general 

manager for northern Europe. 

“Drivers don’t want to give up their 

freedom to choose if, when and 

where to work.” 

The court found drivers who 

transport passengers via the 

Uber app are covered by the 

collective labour agreement for taxi 

transportation. 

“The legal relationship between 

Uber and these drivers meets 

all the characteristics of an 

employment contract,” the ruling 

said. 

The FNV hailed the ruling. 

“Due to the judge’s ruling, the 

Uber drivers are now automatically 

employed by Uber,” said Zakaria 

Boufangacha, FNV’s deputy 

chairman. “As a result, they will 

receive more wages and more 

rights in the event of dismissal or 

illness, for example.” 

Uber drivers are in some cases 

entitled to back pay, the court said. 

The judges also ordered Uber 

to pay a fine of 50,000 euros 

($58,940) for failing to implement 

the terms of the labour agreement 

for taxi drivers. 

IN THIS YEAR 

March - Uber said it would 

improve workers’ rights, including 

the minimum wage, for all of its 

more than 70,000 British drivers 

after it lost a Supreme Court case in 

February. 


Uber recorded $600 million in 

first-quarter charges to account for 

the UK benefits, highlighting the 

financial toll of wider changes to 

its contractor model. read more 

Unlike in other European 

countries and the United States, 

UK employment law offers a 

unique “worker” status - a legal 

definition that situates drivers 

between independent contractors 

with no benefits and full-fledged 

employees with extensive 

benefits. 

Uber has advocated for a similar inbetween 

status in other countries, 

but said those initiatives would 

require changes to employment 

laws. 

February - Uber released a 

white paper that called on EU 

regulators to recognise the value 

of independent contracts in job 

creation as they consider new rules 

to protect gig economy workers. 

“We believe a new approach 

is possible - one where having 

access to protections and benefits 

doesn’t come at the cost of 

flexibility and of job creation,” 

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said 

in a blog post at the time. 

The company is pushing for similar 

models in the United States and 

Canada, where it faces dozens 

of lawsuits over the status of its 

drivers. 

May - Uber faced a legal 

setback when the U.S. Supreme 

Court rejected its bid to avoid a 

lawsuit over whether drivers are 

employees and not independent 

contractors. 

BACK TO BLACK: 

Ride-hailing coverage issues 

and high prices pushing 

passengers back into black 

taxis 

by PERRY RICHARDSON | TAXI-POINT.CO.UK 

LONDON,ENGLAND – Passengers 

are going back to black using 

London’s iconic taxis as ride-hailing 

coverage issues and increased surge 

pricing pushes demand for black 

cabs. 

At the height of the pandemic many 

taxi drivers were forced to turn to 

different jobs and employment to 

tide themselves over as work levels 

dipped to record lows. Fast forward 

to September onwards and demand 

has now returned, spiking to record 

highs. 

According to London’s biggest taxi 

fleet rental, Colts Cabs, the firm 

reported card payment transactions 

hitting its highest figure since the 

COVID pandemic forced restrictions 

in March 2020. More than 40,000 

transactions were recorded 

on Thursday 9 September. In 

comparison, a daily number of card 

transactions in June 2020 fell below 

3,000 payments. 

Black cab app, Gett, has reported 

a 40% increase in rides each day 

compared to the first quarter of 

2020. 

The increase in demand has been 

caused by many factors since 

people returned back to work 

OVERSEAS news 

space offices and are again enjoying 

leisure activities banned throughout 

large parts of the pandemic. 

A national shortage of private hire 

drivers has seen the unmet demand 

pushed towards the licensed taxi 

sector. The minicab driver shortages 

have also pushed prices higher than 

regulated taxi fares. 

Since Spring time, ride-hailing firm 

Uber having been looking to recruit 

an additional 20,000 private hire 

drivers. Operator Addison Lee has 

also committed to finding an extra 

1,000 drivers in the capital. 

This month TaxiPoint reported the 

number of registered minicabs 

entering London’s Congestion 

Charge zone in mid-August 2021 

was 43% lower than that recorded in 

April 2018. 

In April 2018 the daily average 

number of PHVs entering central 

London stood at 17,271, however 

post-pandemic that number has 

dropped to just 10,121. 

Driver shortages in the sector are 

thought to be due to drivers leaving 

the industry during the pandemic to 

pursue different careers in similar 

paid logistic and delivery jobs. 



47

Driver JOBS 

QUEENSLAND 

MACKAY WHITSUNDAYS TAXI 

Is it time for a seachange? Drive for a great team. All Shifts 

available. Immediate start. Full-time or Part-time Day and 

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income. Contact the team on (07) 4944 4999. 

KENSINGTON, BUNDABERG 

Taxi Driver needed, must have an open licence and no 

traffic offences. contact 0429 066 111. 

MOOROOKA 

Want to make extra money? Drive casually and join us 

driving a taxi - business class, Maxi and Camrys available. 

Casual, full time and weekend shifts available. Change 

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BRISBANE CROWN CABS 

All shifts available – 7 days per week. Please phone 

Tuna Guclu on 0419 484 666. 

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All shifts available. Home changeover available all over 

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA 

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PERTH BLACK & WHITE CABS 

Day shifts (5-7 days). Call Georgina on (08) 9230 0400. 

CROWN CABS 

Drivers wanted full time or part time in Morley and Perth. 

Contact Tuna Guclu on 0419 484 666. 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

TRANMERE 

Friday or Saturday Night Driver wanted. Immediate 

start. Call 0416 821 840. 

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 (08) 8202 1200 to 

book your free information session. 

NELSON BAY 

NEW SOUTH WALES 

Nelson Bay Taxis are looking to hire additional 

drivers in preparation for COVID restrictions easing. 

Drivers are required to assist in the transport of 

passengers around the Tomaree Peninsula to medical 

appointments, shopping trips and social engagements. 

You must have held a full NSW driver licence for at least 

12 months and willing to get an ABN and be registered 

for GST. Forward your resume to combinedlimos@ 

gmail.com or phone (02) 4984 6699. 

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.

VICTORIA 

& DRIVERS 

OWNERS, OPERATORS 

ADVERTISE 

HERE FREE 

Send details (word limit=50) of your 

DRIVER or JOB advertisement to 

contact@drivenow-magazine.com.au 

or sms 0400 137 866 and we will print 

your advert here for 3 months. 

EAST DONCASTER 

Driver wanted full time for Silver Top car. Please call 

Harvey 0404 847 699. 

GISBORNE, KILMORE, SUNBURY, WALLAN, 

WHITTLESEA, WOODEND 

Looking for drivers full time, day and night shift, 

starting asap. Must have a Taxi Driver’s Certificate and 

live in the area. Call Emre on 0404 020 333 or 1300 12 

13 14. 

BALLARAT 

Ballarat Taxis Ltd now has opportunities for drivers 

for all shifts. Permanent or part time, day or night 

shifts in sedans or WAVs. Also, opportunities to 

lease for those who are interested in operating 

their own taxi. Call (03) 5331 4367 or email admin@ 

ballarattaxis.com.au. 

SHEPPARTON 

Lots of opportunities than Melbourne to operate an 

INDEPENDENT taxi in Shepparton. No expensive local 

network fees. Ralph 0473 189 190 


Hungry Driver Wanted. All shifts available - Day, Night 

part-time and full time. Phone 0409 357 614. 

NORTHERN SUBURBS 

Full time taxi driver wanted. Must have taxi licence. 

Looking for someone to start ASAP. A lot of work 

provided on dispatch. Looking for someone who lives 

in the northern suburbs. Call 0404 020 333. 

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. 


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. 

SHEPPARTON 

Shepparton 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. 

CANBERRA 

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. 

ACT CABS 

Earn money driving. Flexible work. Easy to get 

started. Training and support for new drivers. Full 

time, part time and casual driver positions available. 

Great working conditions and you’re backed by an 

experienced team of support staff who know the taxi 

industry inside out. Phone ACT Cabs Admin business 

hours on (02) 6103 0882.

SA News 

Transport 

Subsidy 

Scheme 

A new digital experience for the 

South Australian Transport Subsidy 

Scheme (SATSS) taxi travel has 

been introduced. This includes an 

app for drivers, called the ‘SATSS 

app’, and a new barcoded ID card 

for SATSS members. 

All active metropolitan SATSS 

members have been provided with 

their new SATSS barcoded card. 

Since 2 August 2021, SATSS 

members who have received 

their new SATSS card are no 

longer using paper vouchers for 

subsidised travel in metropolitan 

areas. 

While barcoded ID cards have 

been issued to active SATSS 

members, drivers may still be 

presented with a paper-based 

vouchers from those who still 

have the old ID card. All paperbased 

vouchers must be accepted 

while SATSS members transition 

to the new card scanning system. 

Drivers will be notified when this 

transition period has ended and 

paper vouchers will no longer be 

accepted. 

More than 13,300 SATSS journeys 

are now recorded digitally each 

week as opposed to members 

using the manual paper voucher. 

Over 11,000 SATSS members are 

now actively using their new card, 

and 1,900 taxi drivers have logged 

into the SATSS app. 

A driver cannot refuse a SATSS 

member who does not have a 

voucher, if they are using the new 

barcoded card. The Department 

is working closely with the 

metropolitan Central Booking 

Services (CBSs) to identify drivers 

that have yet to download the app 

and assist them in the transition to 

the new digital arrangement. 

Note that drivers who do not 

have the SATSS mobile application 

downloaded or refuse to provide a 

SATSS member (with only a SATSS 

ID for scanning) a subsidised fare 

will be in breach of the SATSS 

Conditions of Use for Drivers 

of Taxi Services and Certain Car 

Services. 

Advertisers’ 

Directory 

AMS Ivanhoe Lawyers.................. 43 

Depot Maestro.........................39, 45 

DRVR Training................................ 35 

Embassy Cafe................................ 21 

Kids Under Cover........................... 13 

Melbourne Airport Car Wash....... 39 

13cabs......................................... 3, 37 

Rod Barton MP............................... 17 

Schmidt Elec. Labs........................ 39 

Simplex Insurance...................32, 39 

TIAIB....................................................2 

Toyota Australia............................. 52 

Transport Matters Party............... 33 


Only $ 35 for 

50 words 

Payment details are 

listed on page 4 

ADVERTISE HERE! 

• meters for sale and installation 

• cars for sale & for lease 

• businesses for sale 

• taxi security cameras 

• finance or insurance 

• vehicle repairs 

Basically anything that can be 

used with, in or for a taxi, hire car, 

limousine. 

FOR SALE: Taxis of Hamilton 

Office building, plant and equipment. 6 sedans. 3 WAT 

vehicles. 2 Caprice Hire Cars. With contracts. POA. 

Contact: Wayne 0409 332 368 or Jan 0407 858 188. 

Transport Security Cameras 

Approved industry cameras 

* Latest Technology MDVR, internal & external 

* 1 Tb heavy duty Hard Drive 

* Audio & video capable 

* Warranty 100% on all parts & equipment 

* Lowest installation fees 

* Over 28 years experience in the Transport Industry 

We will BEAT any Price 

Book your next appointment on our website at 

www.transportsecuritycameras.com.au or 

phone/SMS: 0419484666. 

Leases Wanted - Brisbane 

We are expanding in Brisbane. We will pay $100 to lease 

assignments. Call into our office in Salisbury & ask for Tuna 

Guclu or call 0419 484 666 to discuss price & terms. 

CPV Centre 

For all your CPV requirements 

• Security cameras and equipment installation 

• 30 years Master Mechanic 

• RIDESHARE Mini Internal Cameras CPVV approved 

• Taxi Domes / Taxi stickers / Taxi Tactile / Braille # 

• Independent Taxi 

• Cabcharge supply and installation 

• Car window tinting 

www.cpvcentre.com.au - call 0434 423 423 

Discount Taxi Equipment 

Specialists 

Everything you need for an Independent Taxi 

• Rent or Buy - installments available for Approved 

Customers 

• Low Cost Taxi Cameras 

• G5 Taximeters - protect your privacy and keep 

control of your business 

• Automated CPVV Booked Trip Reports 

• Duress Alarm and Tracking 

• EFTPOS and MPTP installations 

• Roof Lights and Spot Lights 

• Roof Racks 

• 2 year warranty on all installations 

• Decals and Tactile door numbers 

• Professional Back-up Service 

• More than 40 years experience fitting Taxis 

Schmidt Electronic Laboratories Pty Ltd 

907 Princes Highway, Springvale, Vic. 

Ph: (03) 9546 6990 — Email: info@schmidt.com.au 

Website: www.schmidt.com.au 

Approved CPV 

Taxi Security Camera-THS VIC1 

• THS VIC1 - Latest Technology - 1080P 1TB HD 

• Taxi Braille - Tactile numbering - CCTV stickers 

• CabCharge approved installer / repairer 

• 30 years Master Mechanic / Technician 

• ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL CPVs 

Visit www.taxiservices.com.au or call 0434 423 423. 

Best Prices - Call us Last!

TOYOTA FOR BUSINESS 

GREAT FLEETS COME 

IN SMALL PACKAGES 

Yaris ZR Hybrid and Yaris Cross Urban electric AWD Hybrid shown. 

Have it all with the Toyota Yaris range 

Low emissions, incredible fuel efficiency, plus a powerfully safe 

drive. That’s our commitment to re-imagining your business 

mobility in the Toyota Yaris range. Power up your new fleet in the 

Yaris, packed with smart onboard infotainment features, doubledecker 

cargo storage and intuitive design. Yaris Cross is our 

nimble city car engineered with the freedom of an SUV, that’s 

brimming with new connected features. 

When it comes to safety, our Yaris range protects your people with 

Toyota Safety Sense, our intelligent on-road safety technology. 

To find out more, visit your local Toyota Dealer or call 

1800 679 247 

toyota.com.au/fleet 

1 

Driver assist feature. Only operates under certain conditions. Check your Owner’s Manual for explanation of limitations. 

Please drive safely.

DRIVE NOW October/November 2021

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