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Applying for a Taxi Network Authorisation

What do I need to do to become an authorised taxi network operator?

Taxi networks are required to be authorised by the Director General of the Ministry of Transport and to meet various standards and levels of service on which the authorisation is based.

An applicant for authorisation to operate a taxi network must meet, to the satisfaction of the Director General, the standards set forth in the Passenger Transport Regulation 2007.

Standards for applicants

Applicants must:

1. Be of good repute

The Ministry does not set specific standards for a person's (or in the case of a corporation the nominated managers/directors) reputation or whether the person is of good repute, but examines all the circumstances of a particular application to make an assessment about whether it considers a person is of good repute.

Each applicant is required to provide two references declaring his/her good repute from two persons who have known the applicant for a minimum of two years.

2. Be a fit and proper person to operate a taxi network

Whether an individual operator, or a designated director and/or a manager nominated by a corporation, the applicant for taxi network authorisation must be a fit and proper person.

The Ministry will check to see whether an applicant has a criminal record. The applicant must give the Ministry permission to obtain any relevant criminal information about them held by any law enforcement agency. Please note that the information obtained by the Ministry can only be used for the purpose that it was obtained for. The application for authorisation will be refused if the Ministry is not permitted to obtain such information by the applicant.

The Ministry of Transport may refuse an application for taxi network authorisation if:

  • The applicant is disqualified, under Part 2D.6 (Disqualification from managing corporations) of the Corporations Act, from managing corporations
  • The applicant (or a director or manager of an applicant corporation) has been the subject of proceedings under section 588G (Director's duty to prevent insolvent trading by company) or 592 (Incurring of certain debts, fraudulent conduct) of the Corporations Act
  • The applicant is the director of a company that has been, or is in the course of being, wound up under Part 5.4 (Winding up in insolvency) of the Corporations Act
  • The applicant is not considered to be fit and proper because of their previous criminal record

3. Have the technical competence to operate taxi network

An applicant must demonstrate to the Ministry of Transport that the applicant has the necessary technical knowledge, equipment and competence to operate a taxi network. In particular, the applicant must provide the following:

  • A copy of the applicant's licence to operate a radio network issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
  • Full details and specifications of the equipment to be used by the network, together with a report from a qualified communications engineer certifying that, in the opinion of the engineer, the equipment is reliable and will provide adequate transmission and reception throughout the areas of operation of the taxis to be connected to the network
  • Full details of a regular maintenance program for the equipment
  • Full details of the method by which the network will register the activation of alarms in taxis and identify the location of the taxis concerned
  • Full details of the applicant's facilities for the receipt, storage, reproduction and disposal of video recordings from security camera systems,fitted to taxis to be connected to the network

In addition to the above an applicant must ensure the following:

  • Appropriate technicians (whether employees or contractors of the applicant) will be available at all times to ensure that, as far as possible, faults in transmission can be rectified within an hour after they occur
  • The network will have in place arrangements that will, in the event of a breakdown in the central transmitter, permit continuous access to and from the network by all the taxis of the accredited taxi operators affiliated to the network
  • Appropriate facilities (whether those of the applicant or of a contractor of the applicant) will be available to service and repair the network's equipment expeditiously

4. Have financial competence to operate a taxi network

An applicant for taxi network authorisation must be financially capable of operating a taxi network. Evidence of the applicant's financial standing is to be provided in the form of the following:

  • A report from a qualified accountant on the applicant's financial capacity to operate a taxi network
  • A statement from the applicant's banker setting out the bank's credit assessment of the applicant (or the applicant's relevant business)

If the applicant is a corporation copies of its annual financial reports (as lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission) must be submitted with the application for the immediately preceding 5 years (or, if the corporation has been in existence for less than 5 years, for all the preceding years of its existence).

If the applicant is a co-operative copies of its annual reports (as lodged under the Co-Operative Act 1992 must be submitted with the application for the immediately preceding 5 years (or, if the co-operative has been in existence for less than 5 years, for all the preceding years of its existence).

5. Have the managerial competence to operate a taxi network

An applicant for taxi network authorisation must have appropriate managerial skills and expertise to operate a taxi network. An applicant must also provide the following:

  • Details of a documented training program, to be undertaken by drivers of taxis and other users of the network, covering customer relations and the use of the communications equipment, alarms, vehicle tracking devices and security cameras
  • The standards and rules that will govern the operation of the taxi network (including standards and rules concerning the booking and despatching procedures and the operation of communications equipment by drivers of taxis)

In addition an applicant must satisfy the Director-General that the applicant has the ability and the willingness to discipline any user of the network who fails to meet the standards or comply with the rules.

Conditions applicable to authorised networks

  • Driver safety - The network provider must ensure that network equipment and staff are trained, to a level that ensures, as far as is possible, the efficient operation of alarms in taxis and the prompt response of network operators when such an alarm is activated.

  • Operator of taxi service to be given access to booking service - The authorised taxi network provider must not unreasonably (in the opinion of the Director-General) refuse to provide access to its taxi booking service to an accredited taxi operator.

  • Child restraints to be carried in at least 10% of taxis - The authorised taxi network provider must ensure that on every day, at least 1 in every 10 taxis using the network booking service is capable of being fitted with and carries a child restraint (for networks with fewer than 10 taxis at least 1 is required).

  • Wheelchair accessible taxis - The authorised taxi network provider must ensure that every person who books a wheelchair accessible taxi through the network is advised, within a reasonable time, of the time at which it is estimated that the taxi will arrive at the nominated collection point.

  • Lost property - The authorised taxi network provider must ensure that it has adequate facilities (including a secure storage area and sufficient staff) for dealing with lost property in accordance with procedures approved by the Director-General.

  • Affiliates of network - The authorised taxi network provider must give written notice within 7 days after being requested to do so by the Director-General of the full details (including the name, address and place of business) of all accredited taxi operators who are affiliated to the network.

  • Drivers to be authorised and affiliates to be accredited - The authorised taxi network provider must not allow a taxi to operate through the network unless the taxi is operated by an accredited taxi operator, and is driven by an authorised taxi driver. The taxi network must not accept a person as an affiliate of the network unless the person is an accredited taxi operator.

  • Use of network equipment - The authorised taxi network provider must not adopt any radio procedures that are likely to disadvantage the public, and must provide the Director-General with written details of any zones established in the network in relation to the despatch of taxis in response to bookings, and the method of identifying those zones.

Further requirements

In addition to meeting the above mentioned conditions, an authorised taxi network must continue to meet the application standards and ensure that the equipment of the network and all taxis affiliated with the network is fully compliant with the following:

Furthermore, the authorised taxi network provider must provide the Director General, at his request, with an accurate report on such aspects of the network's performance as the Director General may require and must furnish such reports how and when the Director General determines.

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