Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme

Note: New docket books will be launched on October 1. They will be blue in colour. Old docket books will no longer be accepted after November 30, 2025.

Paper travel dockets can only be used by TTSS participant or their carer while they are travelling together in a taxi not equipped with a Cabcharge payment terminal. 

Paper dockets must be completed using a taxi driver’s drivers licence number and all relevant information regarding the subsidy, participant, the driver and the trip. If any information is missing, the trip will be rejected.

Please note, where paper docket misuse is suspected Transport for NSW may withhold TTSS payments to further investigate the matter.

The TTSS Smartcard works on Cabcharge payment terminals and is tapped at the end of the trip to authorise and deduct the subsidy component of a participant’s fare.

A TTSS Smartcard must only be used by the TTSS participant or their carer while they’re both travelling together in the taxi.

Please note, where TTSS Smartcard misuse is suspected Transport for NSW may withhold a TTSS payment while further investigating the matter.

Why a smartcard?

Participant benefits:

• Smartcards don’t require a particular companion device. For example, apps require a smartphone
• Smartcards don’t require complex technology to operate
• ‘Tap and go’ functionality is easy to use
• A smartcard is much easier to carry than a docket book.

Industry benefits

Drivers:

• The smartcard is easy and fast to use
• Payments are timely.

Taxi service providers:

• Reduced operational costs and faster payment settlements
• Less manual processing, collating, and postage of paper dockets
• Improved reporting and data capabilities
• More simple trip reconciliation processes
• Reduced risk of human and scanning errors.

Payment terminals

The TTSS Smartcard can be used in taxis equipped with Cabcharge payment terminals.

When using a smartcard, the driver must enter their driver's licence number as their driver ID when logging into the terminal. If this information is missing, the trip will be rejected.

To process the TTSS portion of the participant’s fare a driver selects ‘TTSS’ on their payment terminal. The passenger or the driver taps the card on the device to deduct the TTSS component of the fare. The participant then pays the remaining portion of the fare.

Receiving the WATDIS (M50) payment

Drivers who operate a wheelchair accessible taxi receive a Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Driver Incentive Subsidy (WATDIS) for trips taken by TTSS participants who have been approved to travel in their wheelchair.

The following TTSS codes appear on the smartcard:

• M40 – standard taxi
• M50 – wheelchair accessible taxi

If the passenger is a M50 participant, the WATDIS is added to the trip electronically and will appear on the receipt as a WAT count.

Transport for NSW will make WATDIS payments once we validate that the vehicle was a wheelchair accessible taxi.

The WATDIS is currently a:

• $25 (excl. GST) standard day rate
• $30 (excl. GST) night rate from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, excluding public holidays.
• Flat public holiday rate of $50 (excl. GST) (applicable on the 11 public holidays listed under the Public Holidays Act 2010).

Please refer to the table below for a detailed breakdown of rates by day and time:

Faulty TTSS Smartcards

In the unlikely event of a terminal outage or faulty smartcard, drivers can use a TTSS Emergency Docket.

Emergency dockets can only be used in limited circumstances. Please refer to the full instructions in the TTSS Smartcard – Guide for taxi service providers and drivers (PDF, 986.43 KB).

Original copies of completed Emergency Dockets should be mailed to:

Transport for NSW
PO Box K659 
Haymarket NSW 1240

Expired TTSS Smartcards

The smartcards are valid for three years. The expiry date is printed on the front of the card.

The card expires on the final day of the month that is printed on the card. If a card has expired, it won’t work if it is tapped on or inserted into a payment terminal. Expired cards should not be accepted. TTSS participants are required to pay the full fare until they receive their replacement card.

Lost TTSS Smartcards

If a driver finds a TTSS Smartcard in their taxi or elsewhere, they should contact their taxi network to return it to the cardholder. Otherwise, they can post it to the address on the back of the card or call 131 500 to report it as lost.

Participants without smartcards

Participants have been advised that they can continue to use paper dockets until their TTSS Smartcard has been received.

Non-compatible payment terminals

In taxis where the payment terminal is not enabled to accept the TTSS Smartcard, participants can use a TTSS paper travel docket.

Interstate travel

The TTSS Smartcard cannot be used for taxi trips in other states. NSW TTSS participants will still need to use their paper interstate travel dockets for taxi travel in other states and territories.

Visitors to NSW can use their interstate dockets to claim a subsidised trip. The subsidy will be the same as applies in their home jurisdiction. Instructions to drivers will be included on the interstate docket on how to apply the interstate subsidy to the fare. Interstate dockets can be submitted through the same process as any NSW TTSS dockets.

Note: WATDIS payments do not apply to trips using interstate dockets.

TTSS participants travelling together

For each ride, one participant can use either their smartcard or paper docket (if a Cabcharge terminal is not available) to deduct the TTSS subsidy component of the fare. If applicable, the WATDIS payment will also be recorded. The remaining portion of the fare can be split between the participants.

If multiple passengers sharing the maxi-cab are M50 cardholders while only one participant can claim the TTSS subsidy, the driver can claim the WATDIS for each eligible M50 passenger by selecting the ‘CLAIM MULTIPLE WATDIS’ option on their EFTPOS machine. This allows each M50 participant to tap their smartcard to record the WATDIS for that trip. When claiming multiple WATDIS using dockets, complete one docket using the details of any one of the participants, mark the relevant boxes (‘TTSS Participants Travelling Together’ and ‘WAT Incentive Claim’), and record the details of the additional eligible M50 participants on the back of the docket.

TTSS Smartcard transactions are recorded electronically. Funds from subsidies including WATDIS payments are validated and settled to the taxi service provider by Transport for NSW.

To receive TTSS Smartcard payments taxi service providers will need to be set up on the Transport Concessions system.

Settlement files showing trip details and transaction amounts are generated by Transport for NSW and made available to taxi service providers via the Transport Concessions system.

TTSS Smartcard payments are matched to the corresponding taxi plates and deposited into your bank account. This means it’s important to keep your list of plates updated in our system including when taxis are added or no longer in your fleet.

Please note, where smartcard misuse is suspected Transport for NSW may withhold TTSS payments to further investigate the matter.

The TTSS terms of use have been updated to accommodate the use of the new smartcard.

There is no change to the current Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017.