DRIVE A2B June 2018

DRIVE 

Voice of the Victorian Point-to-Point Transport Industry 

JUNE 2018 

NO 13 

INDUSTRY 

NEWS 

PUBLISHED 

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TAXI CLUB

CONTENTS 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

8 $1 .00 CPV levy 

The $1 Trip Levy commences on 1 July 2018. 

10 Industry update 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association of Australia 

(CPVAA) has been busy with submissions regarding 

regulations and liaising with Melbourne Airport. 

12 Response to RIS 

Response to the Regulatory Impact Statement for the 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry 2017 legislation. 

Find us at ... 

Editor 

Mrs Toni Peters 

www.drivea2b.com.au 

DRIVEA2B 

@DRIVEA2Ba 

info@drivea2b.com.au 

Publisher 

Trade Promotions Pty Ltd 

PO Box 2345, Mount Waverley Vic. 3149 

22 Who will embrace AVs first? 

Will it be the seasoned drivers, the computer nerds or 

the millennials? 

27 Industry statistics 

Number of taxi and hire car vehicles on the road in 

Victoria, with comparisons to previous months. 

30 Infrastructure 

Updates from the Taxi Services Commission. 

36 Interstate News 

What’s happening in 

our other States. 

40 Overseas news 

Snippets regarding 

the point-to-point 

industry around the 

world. 

FRONT COVER: Webb Bridge, 

Docklands, Melbourne at night 

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DRIVE A2B magazine · June 2018 5

EDITORIAL 

SAFETY IS 

PARAMOUNT 

The safety of our drivers and passengers should always be first and 

foremost at the top of the list. 

ON DEMAND 

TRANSPORT 

In the recent e-News from the 

Taxi Services Commission (TSC) 

they talk about large international 

companies that have entered 

Victoria’s market. 

“These new market entrants now 

include four out of the five biggest 

ridesharing companies in the 

world – Uber, Taxify, DiDi Mobility 

and Ola.” 

Just in case you are unaware: 

• Uber is operating in all 

Australian states and the 

ACT. 

• Taxify operates in Adelaide, 

Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth 

and Sydney. 

• DiDi Mobility, a subsidiary 

of Didi Chuxing (China), 

provides a range of app-based 

transportation services to more 

than 450 million users across 

400 cities in China and started 

in Geelong in May 2018. 

• Ola is in operation in Perth 

and Sydney and is currently 

registering driver-partners 

in Melbourne, Brisbane, 

Gold Coast, Adelaide and 

Canberra. 

And together with the dozen or 

so smaller app based on-demand 

transport booking services, we 

certainly have quite a few modes 

of transport on offer for the 

travelling public. 

The TSC e-News goes on to 

state “This is a sign that the new 

legislation is doing what it was 

intended to do, including opening 

the market up to new entrants, 

creating more competition, and 

giving passengers more transport 

options”. 

Yes, that is most certainly true. 

But even though it has created 

more competition there is actually 

less money to be made per 

business. There are only so many 

people who wish to travel by a 

commercial passenger vehicle 

and therefore only so much 

money to be shared amongst all 

these players. 

How sustainable is this? 

Especially when the TSC tells 

us that it expects other large 

companies to follow and begin 

operating in Victoria in the very 

near future. 

Perhaps the government should 

place a limit on the amount of 

CPV licences it allows to be 

issued? 

Oh, that’s right. Legislation says 

we don’t have upper limits any 

more! 

6 DRIVE A2B magazine · June 2018

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ANNUAL 

INSPECTIONS ARE 

COMPULSORY 

The government has announced 

that all vehicles registered as a 

Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

(CPV) must be annually inspected 

by either a Licensed Vehicle Tester 

(LVT) for roadworthy inspections 

or a CPV Inspectors. Both these 

inspectors must hold an LVT 

certification. 

Upon cross checking the CPV 

Inspection schedule with RWC 

Inspection schedule we have 

found that all the headings are 

the same and fully covered in the 

CPV Inspection schedule. 

The only thing we are unable to 

determine is the depth of the 

inspection, how fastidious the 

inspectors have to be to pass/ 

fail taxis and hire cars when 

conducting a CPV Inspection. 

Hopefully they will be quite strict. 

There is certainly no substitute 

for safety when it comes to 

transporting people on the road. 

$1 TRIP LEVY 

The Essential Services 

Commission (ESC) has given 

permission for the taxi fare to be 

increased by $1.10 ($1 trip levy 

+ 10% GST) in July when the Trip 

Levy comes into action. 

This is the Trip Levy; $1 for the 

levy and 10 cents for GST. This 

is not a fare increase - just an 

addition onto the fare box. You 

the drivers and operators are 

effectively tax collectors for the 

state government. 

The facts and figures regarding 

the actual Victorian taxi fares, and 

hopefully an increase, is still being 

discussed by the ESC and a draft 

decision will be released in June 

2018. 

TAC PREMIUMS 

Now for some very good news! 

The annual TAC component of 

the vehicle registration currently 

set at $2586 for all Melbourne 

metropolitan taxis and hire cars 

(excluding ride share drivers) is 

about to be reduced to $510. 

It’s great that the state 

government has recognised 

that the ride share/on-demand 

transport vehicles were receiving 

a bonus by only have to pay 

personal TAC insurance of $510 

while taxis and hire cars had to 

pay $2076 more for the right to 

be registered as a commercial 

passenger vehicle. 

These changes will be introduced 

on July 1. If the government is 

truly wanting to level the playing 

field they should also refund 

those taxi and hire car owners 

who have paid $2076 per year 

more than Uber drivers and 

others over the past six years. It 

doesn’t seem quite fair that the 

ride share/on demand transport 

vehicle owners get to pay less 

than other commercial passenger 

vehicles when they are effectively 

performing the same task. 

And yes, regional and country taxi 

owners TAC charges are going to 

be reduced from $1289 to $396. 


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DRIVE A2B magazine · May 2018 

7

$1 

CPV 

LEVY 

From 1 July 2018 a $1 trip levy 

applies to every taxi and hire 

car (which includes ride share/ 

on demand transport vehicles) trip 

that originates in Victoria. 

The Essential Services 

Commission, which regulates how 

much the maximum fare is for 

taxis in Victoria, has approved an 

increase to the taxi fare schedule 

by $1.10. This increase is to 

cover the cost of the Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle levy - $1 for the 

levy and 10cents for GST. 

The levy is being introduced as 

the Victorian government’s way of 

funding the Transitional Assistance 

Package that was offered to a 

select number of people within the 

Victorian taxi and hire car industry, 

when the government zero-valued 

the taxi and hire car licence plates. 

In Victoria the following rules for 

who must pay the levy are:- 

PREBOOKED 

Booking Service Provider is 

liable for the levy. 

FROM A TAXI RANK 

OR STREET HAILED 

Owner/Driver must pay the levy 

Where the driver is employed by 

the vehicle’s owner - the Owner 

pays. 

In February 2018, New South 

Wales also introduced a $1 service 

levy. But the difference between 

NSW and Victoria is this is a 

charge applicable to point to point 

transport operators. This levy is to 

be paid by the owners/operators 

and not necessarily passed onto 

the customers. 

“This is, in essence, a charge on 

operators and not being funded 

through taxpayer dollars that 

are better spent on running the 

state’s hospitals and schools,” said 

NSW Transport Minister Andrew 

Constance. 


Over in South Australia the 

situation is similar, but different. 

All relevant service providers (ie 

Centralised Booking Services, 

Transport Booking Services 

and independent Operators) are 

responsible for paying the levy to 

the Government. 

But the major difference is that 

the South Australian regulations 

state the Booking Service 

Provider [Operator] is to collect 

the levy from persons using the 

service, that is passengers. $1 

must be added to the total fare/ 

charge at the end of each journey 

commencing in the Adelaide 

metropolitan area, regardless of 

the number of passengers and 

GST is not applicable. 

Also in South Australia the levy is 

only applicable for transportation 

that originates within Adelaide - 

not country areas. 

In all states the levy aims to 

pay-back the money that 

the respective State 

governments have granted 

to some of their State’s 

taxi and hire car licence 

owners who have been 

impacted by the industry, 

since the introduction of 

ride-sharing platforms 

such as Uber. 

Yet it does seem to be a 

lot of work put back onto 

the workers within the taxi 

and hire car industry, just 

so the government can 

collect this money to pay 

for their alterations to the 

industry. 

Register to collect $1 Levy 

• Victorian Commercial Passenger Vehicle businesses 

must register with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). 

• New businesses must register before the end of the first 

quarter in which they begin operating. 

• All businesses - Booking Service Providers, Owner/ 

Drivers and Fleet Operators must lodge a quarterly 

return and pay the levy using the ATO online portal to 

submit a return and pay the levy every quarter (four 

times a year). 

• Completing a return involves reporting the number of 

trips attracting the levy in each quarter. 

• If you do not lodge a return and do not pay the levy by 

the due date, you may receive an assessment notice and 

be charged interest and penalty tax. 

• GST applies on the full-fare of any trip. If a business 

passes the cost of the levy on to its customers via 

increased fares, it is part of the full-fare and is subject 

to GST. 

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The Victorian Hire Car Association 

has been rebranded to the 


Association of Australia 

CPVAA 

INDUSTRY 

UPDATE 

As a major stakeholder in the Victorian Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle industry, the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association 

of Australia (CPVAA) welcomed the opportunity to make comment 

and provide feedback on points within the Regulatory Impact 

Statement for the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry 

Regulations 2018. 

COMMERCIAL PASSENGER 

I am sure that we were not alone in submitting feedback to these 

proposed regulations, as many other industry stakeholders 

would have taken this opportunity to voice their opinions on this 

proposal. 

As Transport for Victoria (TfV) reviews our submission we trust 

that TfV appreciates that the CPVAA’s submission is based on 

feedback from consumers who actually use our services. The 

decisions on the regulations that are to accompany the legislation 

for the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Bill 2017 which 

will take effect in July 2018, will be made once the TfV have 

reviewed all submissions. 

We have reprinted our submission in this edition of DRIVE A2B, 

so that you are informed as to what we said on behalf of our 

members. 

10 DRIVE A2B magazine · May 2018

ROD BARTON 

President, CPVAA 

Melbourne Airport 

Congestion is still causing angst in 

peak periods at Qantas domestic 

car park since Melbourne Airport 

management decided to allow 

taxis to use this area. 

There have been an extra 24 parking 

spots made available for Hire Cars 

on level one, north end of the car 

park. However, the congestion has 

led to disputes between drivers. 

This mess is not a good look 

for Melbourne Airport, primarily 

because of the safety concerns for 

customers and drivers having to 

negotiate this car park congestion 

to get to their vehicles. 

The CPVAA will continue to work 

with Melbourne Airport for a 

better outcome for customers 

and drivers, and we will keep you 

informed as soon we have updates. 

Maurice Blackburn 

Class Action v UBER 

The Class Action has continued to 

grow and this serves to strengthen 

our proposed case against 

Uber. Maurice Blackburn is now 

investigating the possibility of taking 

this proposed action nationally. 

We are now in a stronger position 

and we are feeling somewhat 

bullish. 

We are not quite over the line as yet 

and this will take some time. We 

have the best litigation company 

in Australia, Maurice Blackburn, 

working on this with a team of 

very skilled lawyers working on our 

behalf. 

It’s not too late to register 

If you haven’t already registered for 

the potential class action against 

Uber, it is certainly not too late to 

do so. 

Visit www.mauriceblackburn.com. 

au and register your details. 

Rod Barton 

President, CPVAA 

DRIVE A2B magazine · June 2018 

11

RIS FEEDBACK 

RESPONSE 

TO PROPOSED GOVERNMENT 

REGULATIONS 


This document details the response 

from the Commercial Passenger 

Vehicle Association of Australia 

submitted to Transport for Victoria, 

in relation to government’s proposed 

regulations for the Victorian 


Industry legislation which will be 

effective July 2018. 

CATEGORIES OF COMMERCIAL 

PASSENGER VEHICLES 

The CPVAA believes it is imperative that we keep the 

distinction between the traditional “HIRE CAR” and 

“TAXI” categories of Commercial Passenger Vehicles. 

In keeping with this we suggest the addition of a new 

CPV category – namely “ON DEMAND TRANSPORT” 

vehicles. 

VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION 

For the purpose of this document 

we have abbreviated some terms. 

LEGEND 

ADR Australian Design Rules 

ANCAP Australasian New Car Assessment 

Program 

BSP Booking Service Provider 

CPV Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

CPVAA Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

Association of Australia 

LVT Licensed Vehicle Tester 

RIS Regulatory Impact Statement 

TAXI CPV with meter + dome + camera 

TfV Transport for Victoria 

TSC Taxi Services Commission 

The CPVAA believes that all CPVs should be able 

to be instantly recognised as a CPV. The CPVAA 

wishes to maintain the VHA - VHZ series of plates for 

those hire car operators who want to keep them – for 

other CPVs there needs to be a form of permanent 

visible signage on the exterior of the CPV, to ensure 

the public’s safety. 

The public have a right to know that they are getting 

into an accredited CPV and external identification is 

one of the best ways to achieve this. Our thousands 

of customers, in myriads of conversations over the 

last several years, unanimously support this position. 

The CPVAA also believes that if a vehicle doesn’t 

meet all the requirements applicable to the provision 

of unbooked CPV services then it should not be 

allowed to operate and should be prohibited from 

being identified as a TAXI. 


RIS FEEDBACK 

The CPVAA further believes that for a CPV to operate 

as a TAXI it requires the following attributes: 

• Branding (external signage) including the 

word TAXI 

• Dome (world-wide recognition that the 

vehicle is a taxi) 

• Meter (either physical or electronic) 

• Safety Camera 

• Stickers stating the calculation of fares, 

flagfall, etc. 

ROAD SAFETY ROAD RULES 2017 

We believe that there should be legislative recognition 

of a CPV that meets specified regulations as a TAXI - 

as this is a publicly recognised world-wide service. 

Only CPVs that are registered to carry out unbooked 

trips (ie TAXIS) may stand on taxi ranks. 

Any change in legislation that reduces the ability of 

CPVs to service their travelling public will be seen by 

the public in a negative light. As such, the CPVAA 

strongly recommends that the use of Loading Zones 

for VHA - VHZ plated vehicles continues. Also the 

ability for TAXIS and VHA - VHZ plated vehicles to use 

bus lanes and transit lanes should be maintained. 

SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS AND 

PASSENGERS IS PARAMOUNT 

The CPVAA insists that safety for both passengers 

and drivers in an accredited CPV is non-negotiable; 

regardless of what price point the service is given at. 

Under the former regulatory regime, where there were 

only hire cars and taxis, there is no evidence to support 

the need for safety cameras to be installed in what we 

knew as traditional hire car services. The CPVAA has 

paramount concern for the safety of all our members 

and their clientele and since the new regime’s 

intentions (if not the law) have been used as the basis 

for [illegal] operations there have been numerous 

media reports about some “On Demand Transport” 

vehicles’ drivers allegedly being involved in assaults. 

There is sufficient media and anecdotal evidence 

state-wide and nationally to suggest that “On 

Demand Transport” vehicles should be fitted with 

safety cameras. 

The CPVAA also agrees that all unbooked CPV 

services (ie Taxi services), such as rank and hail 

services, should have safety cameras installed in the 

CPVs. 

CONDITION OF VEHICLE 

The CPVAA stands by our previous statement that 

public safety is non-negotiable. Therefore, it follows 

that all CPVs should have regular roadworthy 

assessments carried out on them by a licenced 

vehicle tester. Our experience tells us that vehicles 

used as CPVs – that incur higher than average 

mileage – deteriorate at a much faster rate when 

compared to vehicles used in a private capacity. 

It is our understanding that the uptake of 25,000 “On 

Demand Transport” vehicles have only had a “safety 

check” that was organised by Uber – not a full 

roadworthy assessment by a licenced vehicle tester. 

This is actively misleading the public. Feedback that 

we have gathered suggests that the public expects 

all CPVs to be in roadworthy condition at all times. 

In our discussions with many consumers there is 

an overwhelming support for annual roadworthy 

inspections to be undertaken by a licenced vehicle 

tester. 

The CPVAA has also collected feedback that 

suggests that up to 1 in 3 vehicles fail to meet 

their initial roadworthy expectations and require 

rectification to ensure they meet the minimum 

standards. 

This is supported by our 25+ years industry 

experience. If the TSC has documented evidence 

that contradicts this, they should present it as part 

of this RIS discussion, so that it may be perused and 

analysed. 

Currently and in previous years, the TSC has failed to 

ensure that roadworthy assessments are undertaken. 

We are aware that the TSC does not send out 

reminder notices and does not keep track of whether 

these vital safety inspections have occurred – rather 

they appear to rely on the goodwill and honesty of 

operators. 

The CPVAA believes a simple solution to this issue is 

that a roadworthy certificate must be submitted at 

the time of, and be a condition precedent to, receiving 

both a CPV licence and a CPV annual renewal. 

Given that there are no longer any age limits on CPVs, 

the CPVAA feels that this is imperative to ensure the 

maintenance of the safety of the CPV fleet. 


Australian Design Rules (ADR) are national standards 

for vehicle safety, anti-theft and emissions of all new 

and used vehicles entering the Australian market for 

the first time. These rules were brought in for the 

protection of the Australian public and their motor 

vehicle. 

ANCAP, Australasia’s leading independent vehicle 

safety advocate, provides consumers with advice and 

information on the level of occupant and pedestrian 

protection provided by different vehicle models in the 

most common types of crashes. ANCAP’s vision is 

“To eliminate road trauma through the testing and 

promotion of safer vehicles”. 

Then there’s the Victorian initiative “Towards Zero”, 

which strives for us to have a future free of deaths 

and serious injuries on our roads. The campaign’s 

aim is to ensure that we have a safe road system 

in place. A system that protects us from our own 

mistakes, and those of others. 

With all this infrastructure and projects relating to 

vehicle safety surrounding us, the CPVAA finds it 

staggering that the TSC and TfV failed to consider 

the safety of the vehicles when granting accreditation 

of vehicles for use as a CPV. We believe that, moving 

forward, all public transport vehicles should, as a very 

minimum, meet a 5 star ANCAP safety rating before 

they are accredited as a CPV. 

INSURANCE 

ALL CPVs must be individually covered by a 

commercial vehicle insurance policy which includes 

business liability insurance. This should be a 

condition of the CPV licence. The CPVAA can provide 

evidence of “On Demand Transport” drivers being 

involved in accidents where they have either had 

minimum (private) or no insurance at all. This is 

unacceptable both to the CPVAA and the general 

public. The public expects that the CPV they are 

travelling in is fully and adequately insured. If the 

TSC thinks otherwise, they should supply evidence 

to support their rationale that commercial vehicle 

insurance is not necessary, for further analysis and 

discussion. 

TO REGISTER OR/RENEW AS A 

COMMERCIAL PASSENGER VEHICLE 

The CPVAA believes that the following criteria should 

be met and submitted with every application for CPV 

accreditation and every annual renewal of same. 

• Annual Roadworthy certificate 

(where CPV is a taxi this check to include all 

taxi equipment– meter, dome, etc. ) 

• 5 star ANCAP rating certificate 

• Comprehensive commercial vehicle 

insurance policy 

RISK REGISTER 

The CPVAA recognises that the traditional single 

car operator will be unduly burdened by the costs 

of having to create and continuously maintain a risk 

register. This has been unnecessary for the last 30 

years within the pre-booked vehicle industry; we do 

not feel that it adds any value (except, possibly, to 

maintaining bureaucracy). 

The CPVAA does not understand why safety 

incidents in CPVs need to be logged and maintained? 

Are these logged and maintained for EVERY driver 

on the road? Once again, we note that this has 

been unnecessary for the last 30 years within the 

pre-booked vehicle industry; we do not feel that it 

adds any value (except, possibly, to maintaining 

bureaucracy). 

The CPVAA does not believe that TfV needs to track 

notifiable incidents. According to Peter Drucker, 

“what gets measured gets managed” but we do not 

see any record of management from the TfV, and in 

particular from the TSC. Therefore, in our opinion, 

there is no need to collect data that will not be used 

and acted upon. 

We cannot comment on what the expected 

compliance or implementation costs of the proposed 

new requirement for BSPs to provide certain 

information to the hirer, until such time as the 

operating requirements and conditions of being a 

BSP are released. We note that at a recent meeting 

of the CPVAA, 95% of attendees had no idea of the 

requirement to even become a BSP, let alone any 

other requirements and their costs. 


Response by the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association of Australia to the Regulatory 

Impact Statement for the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Regulations 2018 


RIS FEEDBACK 

EXEMPTIONS FOR BOOKING 

SERVICE PROVIDERS 

The CPVAA believes that single CPV operators 

should be exempt from the requirements of being a 

BSP. Currently the proposed legislation requires any 

operator off-loading even one job (where payment is 

made to the operator, and not to the driver doing the 

job) to be registered as a BSP. We believe that this is 

too onerous on the operators. We further believe that 

enforcing this requirement will have the unintended 

consequence of many small businesses leaving the 

industry. 

Another possible unintended consequence by 

exempting certain providers from registration, is 

that TfV may create a case where it is “commercially 

advantageous” for unscrupulous operators to find 

ways to exempt themselves from registering as a 

BSP; and therefore avoid paying the “$1 Uber tax”. 

RECORDS & RECORD KEEPING 

The CPVAA believes that there is no need to keep 

“End Trip Time” or “distance” information. Some 

operators will already be keeping a record of 

complaints, but probably consider this information 

to be commercial-in-confidence and will not feel 

comfortable sharing this information with the TfV. 

To state in the RIS that the TSC’s compliance 

monitoring and enforcement operations would utilise 

the information contained within these records is 

interesting. Based on previous experiences over 

several years the CPVAA has zero confidence in the 

TSC’s ability to enforce any type of compliance. 

The CPVAA does agree with TfV’s assessment that 

these records would most probably already be kept 

as part of business management or tax purposes. 

In the majority of cases these requirements will 

not impose a significant burden; however for small 

operators this will be perceived as an additional layer 

of red tape and could be quite an encumbrance. 

opens up additional sources of income (eg carrying 

babies and toddlers) or not. 

The CPVAA is aware that other States and Territories 

have this set up – we recommend that Victoria aligns 

itself with the rest of the country and actively pushes 

for a country-wide set of sensible safety conditions 

for the travelling public. 

REGULATIONS NOT PROPOSED TO 

BE MADE 

With relation to the regulations that are not proposed 

to be made the CPVAA has the following comments:- 

No. 23 Interference with equipment in or on 

taxi-cab - This regulation should not be rescinded 

just because there is less equipment within CPVs. 

There is still opportunity for people to interfere with 

the equipment and they are less likely to do so if the 

offence is a regulation. 

No. 24 Livery & No. 25 Sign on a taxi-cab 

- Regulation for the minimum livery/signage on a 

CPV should be retained. TAXIS should be able to 

be identified as a Taxi; Hire Cars should be able 

to be identified by consumers either by their VHA- 

VHZ series plates , or for those who choose to not 

have VHA-VHZ plates – by their CPV identity sticker 

attached to the windscreen. 

No. 29A Payment of fares and additional charges 

- This regulation should not be rescinded. The RIS 

states that removing this regulation is to empower 

consumer choice – but it should not be giving 

consumers the choice to evade payment of fares for 

trips given. 

No. 39 No drinking liquor or possessing open 

liquor containers - The CPVAA believes that this 

regulation should not be rescinded. The CPVAA 

believes exceptions can be made on a case by case 

basis where approval to drink while in a vehicle is 

sought and received from the operator PRIOR to the 

trip commencing (eg. A glass of champagne in a 

stretch limousine). 

CHILD RESTRAINTS 

As stated before safety is paramount. Therefore 

all CPVs must be able to provide child seats / 

booster seats / capsules to the public as required. 

It becomes the CPV operator’s choice whether he 

wishes to provide these additional services, and thus 

Now, we wait until the government has made its 

determination after reviewing all the recommendations, 

suggestions and feedback it has received regarding the 

Regulatory Impact Statement on the CPVI Regulations 

2018. We will know soon enough though, because the 

outcomes are to be introduced in July this year. 



WANT A VOICE WITHIN THE VICTORIAN 

TAXI & HIRE CAR INDUSTRY? 

ONLY 

$ 

120 

per person 

per year 

CPVAA Executive members are part of the government Industry Implementation 

Group and also the Melbourne Airport Consultative Committee 

We listen to all members and take your 

messages to the decision-makers. 

WHY WAIT ANY LONGER? 

JOIN CPVAA TODAY! 

for Drivers & Owners of Taxis & Hire Cars 

website: www.cpvaa.com.au 

email: info@vhca.com.au 


Sharing the road 

There are rules for drivers and bike riders to follow when interacting with pedestrians whilst travelling 

on the road. Basically as a driver of a motor vehicle (car, bike, bus, truck) we must always give way to 

pedestrians and bike riders. Bike riders must also always give way to pedestrians. 

ROAD TIPS 

PEDESTRIANS 

• Drivers must give way to pedestrians at a pedestrian 

crossing, and must not overtake another vehicle which 

has stopped at a pedestrian crossing. 

• When turning at any intersection (except a roundabout), 

you must give way to any pedestrians crossing the road 

you are entering. 

BIKE RIDERS 

• Be patient and keep your distance 

from bike riders, at least one metre, 

more if travelling over 60km/h. 

• After overtaking, make sure you are 

well clear of the bike rider before 

moving back. 

• At roundabouts be aware of pedestrians needing to cross, 

slow down and give them the space and time they need. 

• When entering or leaving a driveway, you must give way 

to pedestrians and bicycles on any footpath, path or 

nature strip you cross. 

• In a shared zone you must give way to pedestrians 

• You must give way to any pedestrian at or near the stop 

sign or line. 

• DO NOT drive in bicycle lanes. 

• Give way to bike riders in bicycle 

lanes if you are turning across the 

lane. 

• Check behind you before opening 

your car door, use your mirrors 

and do a head check. Make sure 

your passengers are careful when 

opening their car doors too. 


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HAVE 

YOUR 

SAY 

Send your thoughts to us! 

Send your email (info@DRIVEA2B.com.au) or 

sms (0400 137 866) to us and we shall print 

it here - where you can HAVE YOUR SAY! 

Government should refund TAC overcharge 

The Victorian Minister for Public 

Transport stated in a media 

release dated 21 April 2018 that 

the Andrews government is 

going to reduce the annual taxi 

TAC component by $2,000 per 

taxi vehicle. 

Ms Allan states this is being 

done to ensure a level playing 

field and to show support for taxi 

licence operators. 

However, it is NOT effective 

until 1 July 2018; even though 

legislation to legalise and 

“regulate” RideShare (fake taxi) 

companies was first introduced 

into the Victorian Parliament in 

February 2017 ! 

Uber was operating in Melbourne 

with the support of the Victorian 

Government from late 2016 and 

was officially supported by State 

Parliament in August 2017. 

During this period there has been 

NO level playing field with Uber’s 

motor reg, TAC and stamp duty, 

being no more than $800.80 for 

a private car while taxi licence 

operators continue to pay 

$2,776.50 per taxi up to 1 July, 

2018. 

This is an admission by Minister 

Jacinta Allan that the Andrews 

government is still financially 

exploiting the taxi industry. 

BY J GLAZEBROOK 

A level playing field means that 

taxis should have been put on 

par with RideShare operators at 

least from the time legislation 

was first introduced into 

parliament in February 2017,not 

1 July 2018. 

I believe there is a legitimate 

case for Minister Jacinta Allan 

and the Andrews government 

to refund taxi operators the 

full amount we have been 

overcharged since the state 

Labor government allowed 

RideShare companies to operate 

in Melbourne. Based on my 

calculations this amounts to 

around $9M in total. 

CityLink charges 

BY H VISSCHER 

On 19 March I took a fare 

from Burwood to the Airport, 

using both the Monash and 

Tullamarine Freeways. 

On the Monash I met with 

very heavy traffic and, with 

the consent of the passenger, 

left the freeway at the City exit 

and resumed the freeway at 

Flemington road. 

At the end of the trip my 

despatch computer showed 

a combination toll of $8, but 

I felt that I might have been 

charged two separate $6.10 

tolls. I could only charge the 

passenger $8 but examination 

of my toll account confirmed 

my suspicion and was charged 

twice $6.10, quite correctly of 

course. 

I thought that drivers might be 

interested and save money by 

this experience.

New company 

with a new 

vision 

Innovation is one of 

the core focuses of 

P2P Transport and the 

company is developing 

many innovative 

offerings that will attract 

more customers and 

more drivers into our 

industry. 

The same disruption and devastation 

that the Victorian and Australian 

taxi industry has faced, we are 

now witnessing happening in most 

countries around the world. 

The status quo and the protection 

that taxis and hire cars enjoyed in a 

regulated industry is changing for 

ever. 

Out of this devastation comes 

innovation - P2P Transport, 

Australia’s largest passenger fleet 

company. 

This is a story of a group of taxi 

fleet operators, who have always 

engaged in entrepreneurial ventures, 

deciding that the way forward 

needed to change. The founders of 

P2P Transport took time to study 

successful taxi fleet models around 

the world and decided it was the right 

time to launch a similar business in 

the Australian market. 

This venture was years in the 

making and in March 2017 TaxiLink 

(Melbourne’s largest operator) and 

the Taxi Base (Sydney’s largest fleet 

operator) joined forces to create P2P 

Transport. 

Originally from humble beginnings 

with small fleets the founders 

managed to grow their fleet to 784 

vehicles and as a result successfully 

listed the business on the ASX on 

13 December 2017 and since then 

the growth of P2P Transport has 

accelerated. 

“The focus has always been on 

delivering value to our drivers and 

making sure we deliver excellent 

service to all our passengers,” says 

P2P Director, Harry Katsiabanis. 

On 15 May 2018, P2P Transport 

announced to the market the 

acquisition of Black & White Cabs in 

Brisbane. P2P Transport will acquire 

100% of Black & White Cabs, subject 

to due diligence and other regulatory 

requirements. 

Greg Webb, Managing Director of 

Black & White Cabs, will remain in 

his position and will join the P2P 

Transport board bringing decades of 

industry experience with him. 

P2P Transport engages in many 

associated businesses which include: 

Australia Wide Chauffeured Cars: 

Premium limo fleet 

Zevra: 

Consumer facing brand focused on 

delivering value to all our drivers and 

passengers 

Ad Flow: 

The industry’s most innovative 

advertising company featuring the Ad 

Flow Digital Top. 

Hub: 

Centralised repair centres that 

provide mechanical and panel 

beating repairs not only to the P2P 

fleet but to the entire industry. 

P2P Transport believes that an 

opportunity exists for all other 

stakeholders to work closely together 

to take advantage of the scale that 

P2P Transport brings to the industry. 

In the words of one of the greatest 

innovators of our time: 

“All our dreams can come true, if we 

have the courage to pursue them” 

Walt Disney. 

These words resonate with the P2P 

Transport team and together we, as 

an industry, can make these dreams 

come true. 

P2P TRANSPORT LTD (ASX:P2P) 

PHONE : +61 3 9543 8700 

1313-1315 NORTH ROAD 

HUNTINGDALE, VIC 3166 

P2P TRANSPORT LTD (ASX:P2P) 

PHONE : +61 3 9543 8700 

1313-1315 NORTH ROAD 

HUNTINGDALE, VIC 3166 

DRIVE A2B magazine · June 2018 

21

Autonomous Vehicles 

Who will 

embrace AVs 

first? by Skip Descant

A new report by the Texas A&M 

Transportation Institute surveyed 

users of ride-share services in 

four major US metropolitan areas 

to gain a look into autonomous 

vehicle adoption. 

The growth of autonomous 

vehicles is likely to happen among 

users who are already comfortable 

with ride-hailing services like Uber 

or Lyft. 

Generally speaking, early adopters 

of technology will be some of the 

first to embrace self-driving cars, 

according to findings of a recent 

study released by the Texas A&M 

Transportation Institute. 

“If you’re one of those who lined 

up early on the first day that the 

iPhone X was available — whether 

you really needed one or not — 

you’re more likely to be among 

the first people lining up to use 

a self-driving car,” said Johanna 

Zmud, a senior research scientist 

at the Texas A&M Transportation 

Institute, and one of the authors of 

the study, in a statement. 

“Similarly, if you’re a frequent TNC 

(transportation network company) 

customer, you’re more likely to be 

among the first who routinely use a 

self-driving car.” 

Debate has raged about how 

readily Americans will embrace 

self-driving cars. That question 

has become more significant in 

the wake of a March 2018 fatality 

in Arizona when an autonomous 

vehicle operated by Uber struck 

and killed a pedestrian. 

The TTI study, released in May 

2018, shows that by a margin of 2 

to 1, frequent users of ride-hailing 

or ride-pooling services were more 

likely than non-users of services 

such as Lyft, Uber or Via to climb 

into self-driving vehicles. The 

report was based on a survey of 

3,275 people in Boston, Las Vegas, 

Phoenix and the San Francisco/ 

Silicon Valley region of California, 

all areas where Autonomous 

Vehicle (AV) testing is currently 

occurring. The early adopters of 

AVs are more likely to be young 

adults in the 18 to 34 age range, 

equally split between men and 

women, childless and middleincome, 

the research shows. 

If today’s use of ride-hailing 

services, which has grown at a 

meteoric rate, is any indication of 

the possible growth in autonomous 

vehicles, then their impact on ridehailing 

and car services, roads, and 

transportation in general could be 

significant. 

Roughly 64.8 million ride-share 

trips were begun in Massachusetts 

in 2017, according to the state’s 

Department of Public Utilities. 

Some 34.9 million rides originated 

in Boston, with about 1.8 million 

of those coming from Logan 

International Airport, according to 

the state’s tracking statistics. 

Also, as the number of residents in 

the 18 to 34 age group increased 

in Massachusetts cities, so did 

the number of ride-share trips, the 

state found. 

The San Francisco/Silicon Valley 

and Boston areas are largely 

considered tech hubs, and are 

also considered “early adopters” of 

ride-hailing services, said Zmud. 

However, cities with a strong tech 

focus do not always translate into 

an enthusiastic embrace of ridehailing. 

“Austin, for instance, is a techfriendly 

location but use of 

ride-hailing is low because auto 

ownership is high,” said Zmud. 

A 2015 TTI survey of Austin 

found that only 50 percent of 

respondents expressed an “intent 

to use” AV technology. In the latest 

TTI survey, “intent to use” reached 

71 percent of long-term users of 

ride-hailing services. 

EARLY AV 

USERS 

are more likely to 

be young adults 

aged 18-34. 

Lyft also surveyed 67,000 drivers and passengers 

across 52 US cities and found that 83% of Lyft passengers would request a 

ride in a self-driving vehicle when the service is available. 


23

Upfront fares 

by Max B., Ride Share Drivers United 

In an email to all drivers on in Victoria Uber informed of a new “Upfront fares” system. The 

email dated 27 March reads as follows: 

RSDU 

“…Starting today, upfront fares are live in Melbourne. In cities where upfront fares have been 

introduced, data shows that riders tend to request more because they have more certainty 

about the price. More overall requests can mean more trips for driver-partners. 

With upfront fares, instead of an estimated price range, an upfront fare provides an exact 

price to the rider before they request a trip. The amount the rider pays is the amount the 

driver receives, minus Uber’s service fee and any charges. If the trip changes significantly, 

such as with heavy traffic or multiple extra stops, the fare will automatically be adjusted to 

use the actual time and distance travelled using the rates that currently exist in your city…”

This new system may sound 

sensible on its face value however, 

drivers are kept in the dark and 

are not being told what the actual 

“upfront fare” price is until the trip 

ends, often underpaying drivers for 

the actual trip time and kilometres 

travelled. This is a major change 

of conditions, effectively forcing 

many drivers into an unannounced 

pay cut and causing them even 

more profit loss in an already very 

tight margins industry. 

Ride Share Drivers United (RSDU) 

have been receiving hundreds of 

letters from angry drivers since 

this new system was introduced. 

Drivers who tried to contact Uber 

to query the obvious “errors” in 

calculation of trip gross fares often 

received from Uber an unhelpful 

automated reply insisting the 

“upfront fare” calculated for the 

trip was done properly, when it was 

clearly not according to drivers/ 

Uber trip meter. Uber’s automated 

replies to upfront price driver 

queries often read as follows: 

“…We have checked this trip and 

can confirm that the calculation 

of the fare has been carried out 

correctly. The fares are calculated 

at the time of the request according 

to the destination and taking into 

account time and distance, as well 

as traffic and demand. In this case, 

the alternate route taken did not 

exceed the upfront fare therefore 

the fare was not adjusted….” 

Drivers have a meter. Completed 

trips have a trip duration and 

number of kilometres travelled 

clearly noted. Looking at that 

information it is quite easy for a 

driver to see that he/she was short 

changed, often by up to 25%! And 

on too many trips. 

RSDU have seen numerous 

cases of “system” intentional 

miscalculation, cases of drivers 

being stuck in traffic for extended 

periods of time due to an accident 

or a road closure or driving to the 

destination according to different 

passenger instructions yet not 

being compensated for the very 

obvious “significant changes” to 

the trip, as originally claimed by 

Uber. 

Furthermore, we have evidence 

of an Uber support employee 

admitting the system DOES NOT 

really compensate drivers for 

significant trip changes like Uber 

originally promised and noted in 

their contract with drivers. 

Heavy unexpected traffic 

conditions, a common 

occurrence on Melbourne 

roads, are not being 

compensated! 

One of Uber’s replies to an “upfront 

fare” query reads as follow: 

“…After reviewing the details of 

this trip, I went ahead and adjusted 

the fare to $48.67 to reflect the 

accurate time and distance of the 

trip. 

While upfront fares should take into 

account all the factors that typically 

affect the price of a trip, they do not 

currently account for unexpected 

changes to the estimated time of 

a trip, such as wait time or heavy 

traffic…” 

The question anyone must ask 

themselves is: if upfront fares are 

so “upfront” and really designed to 

provide transparency (as claimed 

by Uber), then why are drivers the 

last to know what they are? Often 

unable to do anything once the trip 

has ended, only to discover they’ve 

been short changed and are being 

paid (for many trips) considerably 

less to what the meter reads. 

Uber drivers are kept in the 

dark when it comes to the trip 

destination, knowing what it is 

only after the trip start, risking 

deactivation if they cancel. In 

addition, drivers are now kept in 

the dark when it comes to the 

actual cost of the trip, often to 

discover a nasty surprise in the 

form of underpayment at the 

end of it, forced into a frustrating 

and endless argument with an 

automated email Uber “support” 

agent programmed to brush them 

off! 

We call on all full and part time 

Uber drivers to take a stand and 

to start reducing their Uber driving 

hours to the minimum possible 

from this point on. 

Australia currently enjoys 

a flood of new rideshare 

operators entering the 

market. 


Upfront fares /...continued 

RSDU 

RSDU recommends that drivers 

register with all available operators 

in their city and start giving 

them much more attention. 

No operator is perfect when it 

comes to driver working conditions 

but at least they don’t use 

an abusive “upfront fare” system 

to cheat drivers out of their 

rightful trip pay. Some operators 

pay much better than others and 

one operator will even let you 

know the trip destination once 

you arrive to the pickup location 

(before the trip starts). 

Drivers! It is now in your 

very best interest to inform 

passengers on any given 

platform about ALL the available 

operators in your city and 

highlight the special offers that 

they may currently have. 

We see it as a duty of RSDU to 

warn and help drivers, ensuring 

that disgraceful practices such 

as cheating drivers under this 

false “upfront fare” pretense are 

not allowed to continue in this 

country. 

RSDU has launched an online 

Uber gross fare calculator to 

help drivers quickly determine 

the real gross fare for a trip 

according to the trip meter. 

Visit our website and feel free 

to use it and compare your Uber 

stated gross fare to your actual 

trip meter. 

Please drive safely at all times. 

Stay tuned for (exciting) news 

coming soon. 

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INDUSTRY 

STATISTICS 

The statistical figures 

on this page are as at 

30 April 2018 

These figures are updated 

and published monthly on the 

Taxi Services Commission’s (TSC) website 

Number of Conventional Taxis 

registered with TSC 

TSC Accredited Victorian Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle DRIVERS 

5000 

5760 

7271 7706 8007 8503 8934 

62076 

65543 

69180 

72875 75731 77789 

CONVENTIONAL TAXIS 

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

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

Number of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis 


636 671 

745 756 780 802 823 

WATS 

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

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

ACCREDITED CPV DRIVERS 

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

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

IN A NUTSHELL ! 

452 4121 

TAXIS 

COUNT IS UP Since March 2018 Since Sept 2017 

HIRE CARS 

COUNT IS UP 2131 29150 

Since March 2018 Since Sept 2017 

COMPLIANCE 

OUTCOMES 

1,851 Vehicle inspections 

43 Rectification notices 

18 Infringement notices 

312 Regulation 12 notice 

(vehicle inspection 

notice) 

10 Official Cautions 

(written warning) 

6 Defect notices 

35000 

30000 

25000 

20000 

15000 

10000 

5000 

0 

Total Commercial Passenger Vehicles 


Taxis incl WATs 

Hire Cars 

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

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


27

BEWARE - BE ALERT 

Not long after retirement, Roger * 

received an email from a portfolio 

manager about an investment 

opportunity. It couldn’t have come at a 

better time - he’d been thinking about 

smart ways to invest his hard earned 

money. The manager promised Roger 

quick and high returns if he followed 

his advice. All he had to do was pay 

a fee and leave the rest up to the 

manager. 

Martha * was forced into early 

retirement due to a back injury. Money 

wasn’t tight, but the medical expenses 

were piling up, so when she got an 

email saying the government owed 

her $5,000 in overpaid taxes, it was a 

dream come true. All she had to do was 

pay a ‘reclaim fee’ into a Western Union 

account and the money would be hers. 

Both Roger and Martha ended up 

losing large amounts of money. They 

had fallen for a scam. 

Scammers are professional criminals. 

Anyone can fall for a scam – and 

scammers are getting smarter and 

using more sophisticated tricks to dupe 

thousands of Victorians every year. 

Scammers are also hard to find and 

prosecute, with many based overseas 

or working anonymously from behind a 

computer. 

* Names are fictional. 

To report a scam, contact Consumer 

Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 8181 

or visit consumer.vic.gov.au/ 

reportascam 

COMMON SCAMS & 

TIPS TO AVOID THEM 

INVESTMENT SCAM – Scammers typically offer ‘get rich quick’ 

schemes and investments based on ‘secret’ information or 

special software. They claim to be able to predict the outcomes 

of sports or share trading. After you pay their expensive fees, 

you will discover that their claims of past performance and 

guarantees about future results are false. 

Tip: Do not let anyone pressure you into making investment decisions. Ask for 

written information and always get independent financial advice. 

THREAT-BASED SCAM – scammers pretending to be from a 

government, bank or other well-known institution will call, email 

or text you, saying that you owe money. They threaten that if you 

don’t pay immediately, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. 

Tip: Watch out for unsolicited emails or phone calls saying you owe money. 

Check that the organisation, is legitimate, by contacting them directly. Try and 

get their details from an independent source, such as a phone directory. Beware 

of fake websites. Scammers send links to websites that look real, carrying the 

logos of well-known banks and other organisations. 

ROMANCE SCAMS – scammers approach you on legitimate 

dating websites and build an online relationship with you, 

often over weeks, months or years. Once the relationship is 

established, they will start asking you for money. 

Tip: Avoid sending money, personal or financial details to someone you have 

never met in person, especially if you are looking for love online. 

ONLINE SELLING SCAMS – scammers pose as sellers and 

post fake advertisements offering non-existent products for 

low prices. These may appear on genuine websites, online 

classifieds and online auction sites 

Tip: When selling items online, do not follow the links in a payment notification 

email to check whether the payment has arrived - log into your account directly. 


Car free CBD zones 

The City of Melbourne is considering 

car-free zones to tackle CBD traffic 

congestion, but Premier Daniel 

Andrews is not convinced they would 

be effective. 

The City of Melbourne has released 

two discussion papers for a new 

strategy to tackle population growth, 

and reduce overcrowding and 

congestion. 

The council has proposed car-free 

zones, imposing a 30km/h speed 

limit for the city grid, and reducing 

pedestrian wait times at traffic lights. 

“Pedestrian crowd crush is a big 

issue in Melbourne and with the 

number of people in our city set to 

grow by 50 per cent in the next 20 

years, we need to think about how 

we address that,” City of Melbourne 

Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley said 

in a statement last month. 

“Every hour during the morning 

peak, 15,000 pedestrians cross 

the Spencer and Collins Streets 

intersection outside Southern Cross 

Station, which is five times the 

number of people in cars, yet cars are 

given twice the amount of time as 

pedestrians to pass through.” 

The zones, already used in Barcelona, 

could be introduced in parts of the 

CBD, with shared spaces prioritised 

for walking, cycling, residents’ cars 

and deliveries, and speed limits 

reduced to 10km/h. 

But Mr Andrews shunned the idea, 

saying increasing public transport 

infrastructure like the underconstruction 

Metro rail tunnel is 

better for improving congestion and 

safety. 

“I’m not convinced that it would 

improve traffic flow, I’m not 

convinced it would improve safety,” 

he told reporters. 

“I’m not convinced this would do 

much good at all.” 

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INFRASTRUCTURE 

Annual 

checks 

TSC Commercial passenger vehicle inspection approval policy 


Inspection Schedule 

Appendix 2: Sample commercial passenger vehicle inspection 

schedule 

Items must be checked for wear, damage or any fault, and reported on. 

Interior Pass/ 

fail 

Seats Rust 

Exterior Pass/ 

fail 

Seat belts Panel damage 

The Taxi Services Commission (TSC) 

requires ALL Commercial Passenger Vehicles 

(CPV) (that’s taxis and hire cars - including 

on demand transport vehicles) are in a safe 

condition, the TSC requires that all CPVs 

undergo an ANNUAL INSPECTION by either: 

• a Licensed Vehicle Tester (LVT) in 

accordance with VicRoads’ Vehicle 

Standards Information (VSI) 26 — 

Roadworthiness Requirements, or 

• an LVT authorised by the TSC in 

accordance with TSC’s Commercial 

Passenger Vehicle Inspection Approval 

Policy. 

Window demisters Lamps, signals and reflectors 

Washer and wipers Operation of doors 

Rear view mirror Windscreens, windows and mirrors 

Horn Under body parts 

Primary bonnet release Front suspension (wheel bearings) 

Floor/mats/carpet Rear suspension 

Dash warning lights and gauges Steering components 

All interior lights Engine and transmission mountings 

Handbrake Exhaust and emission controls 

Steering system (includes free play) Drive shafts 

Driver control pedals Differential 

Door handles (operation) Oil leak to ground 

Other Brakes – 

Hose callipers and pipes 

Discs and pads 

Drums and linings 

Under bonnet Other 

Bonnet catch 

SAMPLE 

Battery and electrical system Wheels and tyres 

Oil leaks/fuel leaks Tyres (assessed against tread wear 

depth indicator) 

Fluid levels Wheel rims 

Brake master cylinder Side wall damage 

All vehicles must be issued with evidence 

of inspection (for example, a certificate or 

report) stating the vehicle has passed a TSC 

approved Commercial Passenger Vehicle 

Inspection. This new CPV Inspection policy 

will be implemented July 2018. 

Drive belt and pulleys Wheels and tyres must meet 

manufacturer specifications 

Hoses and pipes Other 

Coolant system (includes water pump 

and radiator) 

Engine noise (normal) Vehicle modification compliant (if 

applicable) 

Fuel system (includes LPG) Vehicle identification confirmed 

(refer compliance plate) 

TRIM DOC/18/291152 

May 2018 

11 

MPTP 

fares 

When processing Multi Purpose 

Taxi Program (MPTP) member 

fares, taxi drivers are reminded to 

process them correctly. 

DO NOT: 

x 

x 

x 

x 

process MPTP cards against fares where the member has not 

travelled; 

add High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) fees when less than 5 

passengers have travelled and/or add multiple HOVs fees for the 

same hiring, when more than one member card is used; 

add booking fees if not applicable or more than one booking fee 

– regardless of the number of MPTP cards processed 

run the meter when loading/unloading MPTP passengers in 

wheelchairs. 


INFRASTRUCTURE 

Applying for a 

taxi licence 

Eligibility 

Applicants must hold either 

operator or driver accreditation 

to be granted a taxi licence. We 

will automatically issue operator 

accreditation to accredited drivers, 

if they are granted a licence . 

Cost 

A $52.90 annual administration fee 

applies to each taxi licence issued. 

Apply Online 

Go to https://licence.taxi.vic.gov. 

au/home . 

Enter your vehicle details, including 

the registration plate number. If 

your vehicle is unregistered, you 

cannot apply online. 

You will need to provide at least 

one of the following: 

• driver accreditation number 

• operator accreditation number. 

Complete and submit your 

application in one sitting. A 

confirmation email will be sent to 

you. 

Incomplete applications cannot be 

saved. 

If you are unable to submit your 

taxi licence application online, you 

(or someone else) can download 

and print a copy of the application 

form, then you complete it and 

mail the form to the Taxi Services 

Commission. 

Restrictions 

Licence holders cannot lease their 

taxi licence, meaning someone else 

cannot operate the licence on your 

behalf. 

You must be the owner or intended 

owner of the vehicle that you 

intend to license as a commercial 

passenger vehicle. 

Licence conditions 

Applicants should familiarise 

themselves with the operating 

conditions that apply to the taxi 

licence type they are applying for. 

conventional taxi – Metropolitan 

and Urban zone 

conventional taxi – Regional and 

Country zone 

Only licensed 

vehicles can legally 

provide taxi services 

in Victoria. 

Wheelchair Accessible Taxi – 

Metropolitan and Urban zone 

Wheelchair Accessible Taxi – 

Regional and Country zone. 

Taxis must adhere to: 

• the Taxi Services 

Commission’s equipment and 

livery requirements 

• Australian Design Rules 

• Victorian roadworthiness 

requirements. 

• Taxis operating in Victoria 

must be inspected by a 

licensed vehicle tester every 

12 months. 

Approved applications 

Taxi licence applications are 

processed within 10 business 

days and once your application 

is approved, the TSC will send 

you a licence certificate and 

approval letter setting out further 

instructions. 


31

Embassy 

Cafe 

WE’re open 

WE NEVER CLOSE 

547 Spencer Street 

West Melbourne 

VISIT US FOR THE BEST BURGERS IN TOWN 


AUTOMATED & 

ZERO EMISSIONS 

In late 2017, Infrastructure Victoria commenced an initial phase of informal 

consultation with key organisations to begin to identify the issues and 

areas of concerns for stakeholders. In addition, a formal stakeholder 

consultation commenced in early February 2018, which consisted of a 

submissions process and stakeholder workshops. 

Last month they released a report outlining future scenarios for automated 

and zero emissions vehicles in Victoria. 

The report is the compilation of the comments, consultation and 

feedback that Infrastructure Victoria received from interested companies, 

industry stakeholders and academic institutions. It outlines a series of 

future scenarios that will help Infrastructure Victoria test some of the 

uncertainties Victoria is facing. 

FUTURE SCENARIOS 

7for autonomous & zero emission vehicles 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

Electric avenue - a world where all cars are electric 

Private drive - a world where your car drives you 

Fleet street - a world where no one owns their own car 

Hydrogen highway - a world where trucks lead a hydrogen 

revolution 

Slow lane - a world where man and machine meet on the road 

High speed - a world where driverless and electric cars arrive 

much sooner than we expect 

Dead end - a world where the hype never happened. 

Work is now underway to analyse and understand factors such as how and where we would charge or refuel our 

cars, or what kind of transport and ICT infrastructure might be required under each scenario. 

Later in 2018 Infrastructure Victoria will release an evidence base and invite further input from stakeholders and 

final recommendations on this topic are due to be delivered to government in October 2018. 

If you wish to read the full reports, view a short animation, find out more or to get involved in Infrastructure 

Victoria’s automated and zero emissions vehicle infrastructure advice, visit http://infrastructurevictoria.com.au/ 

advice/. 


Driver Jobs 

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With experience - 55/45 split - change over in Lalor - 

Toyota Camry Sedan. Phone 0434 554 837. 

LOOKING FOR DRIVER 

for 2015 Black Caprice taxi - V6. 

Phone 0418 564 991. 

BELLARINE PENINSULA & 

GEELONG 

All shifts available. Phone lan 0412 420 803. 

PERMANENT PART TIME WORK 

(weekends and optional additional days). Preferred 

location inner city for ease of changeover. Applicants 

must have current Driver Accreditation Certificate 

(DAC). Contact David on 0437 711 345 or 

elegantvehicles@primus.com.au 

RIDE SHARE VICTORIA 

3 vacancies for drivers who may wish to work full 

time, part time or casual. Send your resume to info@ 

ridesharevictoria.com.au stating your preferences. 

Accreditation required. 

FREE for all 

operators & 

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Send details of your DRIVER or JOB 

advertisement to info@drivea2b.com.au 

or sms 0400 137 866 

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXI 

Accredited WAT driver needed to deliver a great 

customer experience by adopting a positive, 

relationship-based, and customer-centric approach. 

Phone Peter or Jodie at Vermont Autogas, 9874 8611. 

FULL TIME NIGHT / WEEKENDS 

Pascoe Vale and surroundings. Silver Top hybrid 

Camry. Phone 0470 043 046. 

SILVER TOP OR BLACK CABS 

DRIVERS 

Full time day or night 

Must be over 25 years old at least 3 years experience 

in taxi. Changeover Rowville or East Doncaster. 

Contact Tony on 0413 393 594 or sms or email 

tonysursock@gmail.com 

DAY SHIFT DRIVER 

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

Park Changeover 4pm. 25 years old with experience. 

Phone 0425 614 473. 


Police are seeking to identify these men 

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

BURGLARY 

Malvern 

DATE 10 December 2017 

TIME 6:15 PM 

REFERENCE NO. CSV2575 

At around 4:50pm on 10 January 2018, 

a man approached another man on 

Collins Street in the city. 

In an unprovoked attack, the man 

allegedly threw the victim to the 

ground before smashing his glasses 

and throwing them in the bin. 

The man then ripped the victim’s 

jacket before fleeing along Queen 

Street. The victim sustained minor 

injuries to his hands, knees and neck. 

The man is perceived to be Caucasian 

in appearance, aged in his 30’s and 

had tattoos along both his arms. 

He was wearing black jeans, a red 

T-shirt and no shoes or socks. 

ASSAULT 

Melbourne CBD 

DATE 10 January 2018 

TIME 4:15 PM 

REFERENCE NO. 

CSV2692 

At around 6:15pm 10 December 2017, 

a man forced his way into a closed 

store located in a shopping complex 

on Wattletree Road, Malvern. 

The man then gained access to a 

till and safe inside the premises and 

proceeded to steal approximately 

$1,000 from inside. 

The man allegedly arrived and left the 

scene in a Silver Mitsubishi Mirage 

hatchback bearing yellow registration 

plates. 

Need 

LEGAL 

assistance? 

Serving the Taxi Industry 

for over 30 years 

• Business 

• Commercial 

• Conveyancing 

• Estate Planning 

• Family 

• Litigation 

• Probate 

• Taxation 

• Superannuation 

He is perceived to be Caucasian in 

appearance, approximately 175cm 

tall with a medium build, short dark 

hair and displayed tattoos on his left 

upper arm and lower left leg. 

The man was wearing a white polo 

shirt with a green stripe down the 

front, black shorts and black and 

white runners. 

AMS 

LAW 

Adams Maguire Sier 

176 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe 

Email: amsr@amslaw.com.au | Phone: 9497 2622 


Interstate 

News 

QUEENSLAND 

The Taxi Council of Queensland 

(TCQ) has called for State 

Government to make urgent 

changes to the Compulsory Third 

Party (CTP) insurance scheme, 

before the livelihoods of more 

Queensland taxi operators are 

put in jeopardy by the huge 

discrepancy in CTP premiums for 

taxis and booked hire vehicles. 

Queensland taxi operators 

currently pay Class 3 premiums at 

$4,460.60 pa compared to booked 

hire vehicles paying Class 26 

premiums at $584.10 pa, despite 

operating with similar risk profiles. 

TCQ CEO Blair Davies says, 

“Under the current Queensland 

CTP scheme, taxis are paying a 

far higher CTP premium than all 

other operators in the personalised 

transport industry. We’re operating 

with almost identical risks, so 

there should be no reason why our 

drivers and operators should be 

forking out more,” said Mr Davies. 

“We have Mums and Dads in 

family-run businesses who have 

invested their life savings into 

making taxi services available 

for their communities and now 

they’re struggling to keep those 

businesses on the road. When they 

are hit with a common renewal 

date for Rego and CTP, they can be 

up for tens of thousands of dollars 

that they simply cannot afford and 

that their competitors don’t have 

to pay. 

“It’s only a matter of time before 

taxi operators hit the wall if the 

Queensland Government doesn’t 

act urgently to fix the current 

CTP scheme for the personalised 

transport sector.” 

In recent weeks, one of Brisbane’s 

largest and most professional 

operators has been forced to call 

in the administrators due solely to 

exorbitantly high CTP costs. 

“Professional operators, who 

have been servicing our State for 

more than 35 years, shouldn’t be 

forced into administration and 

possible bankruptcy because 

the CTP scheme unfairly 

disadvantages their businesses 

but not their competitors. What 

kind of message is this sending 

to local Queensland businesses?” 

questioned Mr Davies. 

“If a driver drives a cab Monday 

to Thursday and then drives an 

Uber on Friday and Saturday, 

how is he or she a lower risk on 

those days than when driving a 

cab? It is the same person doing 

much the same work. The CTP 

scheme isn’t keeping up with the 

realities of life in the personalised 

transport sector. The Government 

has to take responsibility for the 

regulatory distortion in its CTP 

scheme, own the problem, and 

commit to fixing it.” 

“Victoria is moving to remove 

unfairness in its CTP schemes 

from 1 July and so why can’t 

Queensland do the same? Quite 

literally with a stroke of the pen, 

the Queensland Government could 

fix its CTP scheme to remove the 

disadvantage for taxis and allow 

local small businesses to compete 

with Uber on far more even terms,” 

concluded Mr Davies. 


NEW SOUTH WALES 

Taxi operators are celebrating 

a win in their battle to create a 

level playing field with Uber. 

The state government has 

decided to reduce the cost of 

their CTP Green slips. 

The New South Wales Taxi 

Council says the CTP fund levy 

will be reduced from an average 

of $580 to $142 – matching 

the price paid by ridesharing 

services. 

Taxi Council Chief Executive 

Martin Rogers tells Alan Jones 

[2GB] taxi owners have been hit 

hard by the influx of rideshare 

operators. 

“So the ridesharing impact to 

our business is as much as 30% 

down in terms of the income 

they’re seeing and the fares into 

their businesses.” 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 

by Daniel Mercer and Gary Adshead 

Uber is urging the WA McGowan 

Government to halve a proposed 

passenger levy that will be used 

to fund taxi buybacks, saying the 

current plan will raise far more 

than predicted. 

With the Government set 

to introduce legislation into 

Parliament within months for its 

“on-demand transport” reforms, 

Uber is leading the charge for a 

compromise on a proposed $120 

million levy at the centre of the 

shake-up. 

Under the plans, a four-year, 10 

per cent tax would be levied on 

the total fare revenue generated 

by taxi and ride-sharing 

companies such as Uber and 

be used to fund plate buybacks 

starting at $100,000. 

However, Uber says estimates of 

the revenue to be raised at the 10 

per cent rate are based on outdated 

and overly conservative 

data and assumptions and 

the measure will in fact collect 

significantly more money than 

anticipated. 

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti 

said the levy would remain at 10 

per cent and called on Uber to 

absorb the costs. 

“Halving the levy would simply 

double the amount of time that 

the levy needs to be in place,” 

she said. “Once the required 

revenue is raised, the levy will 

cease. Ride share operators 

such as Uber currently take up 

to 27 per cent commission from 

drivers. We believe there is some 

capacity to absorb the temporary 

levy so it does not fully impact 

consumers.” 

Uber said a 10 per cent 

surcharge was twice the cost of 

anywhere else in the country and 

that more than 50,000 people 

who regularly use its service 

could face increases of about $2 

a ride because the costs “cannot 

be absorbed”. 

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Send your mailing details via email info@drivea2b.com.au or mail to PO Box 2345, Mt Waverley VIC 3149 


Trade Directory 

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Transport affects the quality of our lives, it shapes our cities 

and our communities - TRANSPORT MATTERS. 

YOU HAVE A RIGHT, AND YOU DESERVE, TO BE HEARD. 

Rod Barton and André Baruch, the President and Vice President of the CPVAA, have 

started the process of forming a new political party – the Transport Matters Party 

(TMP). The TMP will participate in the 2018 Victorian State Election with one clear 

objective - to give back a voice to local communities. 

JOIN TODAY 

ONLINE AT OUR WEBSITE transportmatters.party 


What’s On in 

Melbourne 

Melb Int Jazz Festival 

1/6/2018 - 6/6/2018 

Events take place across multiple CBD venues 

This 10-day celebration of jazz in all its forms will offer 100 

events featuring more than 400 Australian, international 

and emerging artists, taking place in 26 venues across 

Melbourne ranging from the world-class Hamer Hall to 

intimate jazz clubs, plus vibrant café gigs in Melbourne’s 

west and free festival community events. 

Melb Food & Wine Festival 


Various venues in & around Melbourne CBD 

At the Good Food & Wine Show, presented by Citi, you can 

enjoy a fun day out with friends discovering new foods, 

wines and the latest products. Sample from hundreds of 

local and international exhibitors and find new recipe ideas 

from some of Australia’s best chefs. 

Mind, Body, Spirit Festival 


Melb Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Wharf 

Australia’s largest health, wellbeing and natural therapies event is now FREE to attend! 

Learn from over 200 exhibitors, attend free inspirational seminars, book yourself a 

psychic reading, try somebody pampering, watch the free stage performances, join a 

free meditation session and taste some delicious health foods! 

MULTICULTURAL FESTIVALS 

Taste of Portugal 

10 June 

Queen Victoria Market 

The Taste of Portugal, presented 

annually by Portuguese-speaking 

communities to coincide with 

the Portuguese National Day, is a 

cultural showcase of Portuguese 

culture, cuisine, music, dance, 

history, language and tourism. 

National Celtic 

Festival 

8 - 11 June 

Portarlington Concerts, 

master classes, workshops, 

theatre/spoken word events, 

competitions, forums, singing 

sessions, dance gatherings, 

multi arts community projects 

and markets. 

Hmong Australia 

Festival 

9 June 

Epping Memorial Hall 

Premiere cultural event celebrating 

the Hmong identity in Australia. A 

night of non-stop entertainment 

filled with music, dancing, food, 

comedy, activities, prizes and 

more! 


NEWS 

FROM 

around the 

World 

SCOTLAND - Glasgow 

GLASGOW cab drivers forced to 

work up to 70 hours a week to earn 

a living wage will not seek help for 

mental health issues over fears 

they will lose their jobs, it has been 

claimed. 

Union chiefs have warned drivers 

are under extreme stress amid 

increased competition in the trade 

from firms such as Uber. 

But many drivers fear they will lose 

their taxi and private hire licences if 

they report mental problems to GPs, 

according to Steven Grant, secretary 

of the Unite union. 

Glasgow City Council has about 

3500 private hire drivers on its roads, 

with 177 new licences pending 

approval. 

Mr Grant said those looking to earn 

a living wage have no option but to 

work 10 hours a day, seven days a 

week. 

He said: “The private hire trade as we 

know has a huge problem of oversupply. 

By licensing hundreds more 

private hire cars on a pay-as-you-go 

basis via Uber, it is eroding earnings 

and taxi and private hire driving as a 

full-time occupation”. 

“That could see them having their 

licences suspended or revoked”. 

“The situation is becoming 

intolerable for many who have 

invested significant sums of money 

and time in the taxi and private hire 

trades,” said Mr Grant. 

A Glasgow City Council spokesman 

said, “The number of applications for 

new licences and licence renewals 

can vary from one year to the next, 

so the figures indicate a manageable 

deficit that may well adjust over the 

next few years”. 

“Recent changes to legislation will 

allow us to apply a cap on private 

hire cars if that is found to be 

necessary. Both the number of taxis 

and private hire cars are within the 

scope of an impending assessment 

of the demand for licensed vehicles 

in Glasgow”. 

“We are awaiting guidance from 

the Government on how best to 

implement this assessment of 

demand”. 

“The independent assessment of 

demand for taxis and PHCs will 

help us understand if such a cap 

is needed for private hire cars in 

Glasgow and we will study the 

results of the assessment before 

making recommendations,” the 

spokesman concluded. 


ENGLAND 

CHINA - Beijing 

by Shunsuke Tabeta 

China envisions self-driving 

technology for all private cars in 

a cutting-edge metropolis to be 

completed near Beijing by 2035, 

taking aim at U.S. supremacy in 

autonomous vehicles and pitting 

authority-driven progress against 

free market innovation. 

The Xiongan New Area project 

represents an attempt by the 

ruling Communist Party to use 

developmental dictatorship -- the 

pursuit of economic growth at the 

expense of public participation in 

politics -- to build infrastructure 

and legal systems at a pace other 

countries cannot match. 

President Xi Jinping unveiled the 

ambitious Xiongan project last year 

as part of a “millennial strategy.” 

The high-tech “smart” city will be 

built about 100km southwest of 

the Chinese capital in a rural zone 

of Hebei Province. 

The population is projected to 

surpass 2 million by 2022, with the 

megacity eventually rivaling Tokyo 

by expanding to an area of about 

2,000 sq. km. Total investment 

looks to reach 2 trillion yuan ($313 

billion). 

A model area within the zone 

will be designated for developing 

autonomous-driving technology 

based on artificial intelligence 

as well as providing support for 

related industries, according to 

a government outline released in 

April. 

Much of the city’s transportation 

infrastructure, including roads and 

railways, will be built underground, 

said former Shanghai Mayor Xu 

Kuangdi, who helped draft the 

plans. 

Designing the new megacity 

around self-driving automobiles 

eliminates problems associated 

with adapting existing 

infrastructure to cope with a mix 

of regular and automated vehicles 

-- as well as pedestrians. China 

hopes to use Xiongan as a model 

for future cities worldwide. 

The international Geneva and 

Vienna conventions on road traffic 

assume alert and observant 

human drivers, which creates 

difficulties for many countries 

in building legal systems to 

accommodate highly autonomous 

vehicles. But China has ratified 

neither, and the Communist Party 

can use its unchecked authority to 

shape laws and otherwise prepare 

an environment for automated 

driving. 

China’s Changan Automobile 

launched “level 2” self-driving 

technology for the consumer 

market in March, an international 

standard in which cars can assist 

in functions such as accelerating 

and braking. Level 5 represents full 

automation. 

Thousands of Brits are 

at risk from cabbies who 

dodge tough council licence 

tests by using cheap “soft 

touch” issuers further afield. 

Some local authorities make 

hundreds of thousands in 

fees from drivers who have 

no intention of working in 

their areas. 

And town hall leaders say 

in some cases criminal 

records are not being 

checked. 

Sales of licences in 

Wolverhampton rose from 

852 in 2015 to more than 

9,000 this year. 

Rossendale, Lancs, licensed 

3,756 taxi drivers last year, 

one for every 19 residents. 

But the town has just 75 taxi 

rank places. 

Drivers with Rossendale 

licences have been 

convicted of offences in 

York, Milton Keynes and 

Manchester, according to an 

investigation by “The Times”. 

More than 330 cab driver 

sex assaults were reported 

last year. Since 2007, 131 

have been convicted, 40 for 

rape. 

Rossendale council said it 

had “significantly improved” 

systems. 

Wolverhampton council 

said it applied “stringent 

standards”. 


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your taximeter / your car 

your taxi camera / your service 

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Only $35 for 40 words. Payments details are on 

are page 3 of this edition or visit our website at 

www.drivea2b.com.au. 

Advertisers’ 

Directory 

Adams Maguire Sier Lawyers..... 35 

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

AVA Group..........................................9 

Bayside Taxi Services................... 26 

Chrysler Australia.......................... 44 

CPVAA.............................................. 17 

Embassy Cafe................................ 33 

Jeep.................................................. 29 

Kids Under Cover........................... 19 

The Owners Association.............. 43 

Transport Matters Party............... 38 

Victoria Taxi Club....................... 4, 38 

Yarra Finance................................. 19 

Zevra.............................................. 2-3 


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DRIVE A2B June 2018

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