Becoming an Authorised Service Provider

This fact sheet will guide you through the process of becoming an authorised taxi service and/or booking service provider. The process of becoming an authorised service provider involves a number of steps. These steps are:

1. Find out if you need to be authorised and if you are eligible.
2.  Understand the conditions of authorisation (including safety and other obligations under point to 
   point transport law)
3. Undertake the short online course to understand your obligations
4. Gather the required documents and understand the cost to apply for authorisation
5. Ensure you understand the annual authorisation fees.
6. Register on the Point to Point Transport Commission’s Industry portal
7. Apply for authorisation
8. Register for the Passenger Service Levy within seven days of your first passenger service

The following pages of this document will walk you through these steps and provide you with all the necessary information and links.  

1. Authorisation and Eligibility

Do you need to be authorised?

If you provide a taxi service or take bookings for taxis or hire vehicles, including rideshare vehicles, for the purposes of providing a passenger service you are required to be authorised under the point to point transport law in NSW. Authorised service providers can be individuals, companies or partnerships.

If you drive a taxi or a hire vehicle, including a rideshare vehicle, and you drive for an authorised taxi or booking service provider, you do not need to be an authorised taxi service or booking service provider. However, if you want to provide a taxi service or take bookings for a taxi or hire vehicle on your own without being affiliated with an authorised taxi service or booking service provider, you must obtain authorisation.

To find out more, please read the FAQs on our website by viewing following link Who needs to be authorised?

Are you eligible?

There are some things that could disqualify you from becoming an authorised service provider. It is best to be aware of these before you start the process.

To become an authorised service provider, you; your company’s close associates; your company’s nominated manager or director; or all partners in the case of a partnership, must:

1. Not have a disqualifying offence, or current proceedings against you for a disqualifying offence
2. Not have had an application for taxi service or booking service provider authorisation refused within the past 12 months
3. Not have had an application for an accreditation or authorisation under the Passenger Transport Act 1990 or Passenger Transport Act 2014 refused within the last 12 months
4. Not have had an accreditation or an authorisation to operate a taxi network under the Passenger Transport Act 1990 cancelled, or most recent application refused
5. Not have had an accreditation to operate a public passenger service under the Passenger Transport Act 2014 cancelled, or most recent application refused.
6a. In the case of a corporation, have at least one nominated manager or director, who is involved in the day to day running of the business, be a resident of NSW
6b. In the case of a body corporate, numbers 1 to 5 also apply.

For more detail on these eligibility criteria, please see the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Act 2016 Sections 30 – 39 and the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017 (NSW) Sections 33 – 36 on the NSW legislation website.

The Regulation can be found at: legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/regulation/2017/424

The Act can be found at: legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2016-034

2. Conditions of authorisation

The following standard authorisation conditions apply for both Taxi Service Providers and Booking Service Providers:

• compliance with point to point safety standards
• keeping records required under point to point transport law or NSW taxation law, in a form that may be accessed from or made available in NSW
• compliance with the requirements, and payment (unless exempt), of the Passenger Service Levy
• providing written notice to the Commissioner within seven days when:
  
  there is a change of business address
  
  any nominated manager or director who is a NSW resident ceases to be a NSW resident
  
  any nominated manager or director ceases to be involved in the day to day running of the business
• providing written notice to the Commissioner within 21 days of changes to nominated managers or directors (for an authorisation held by a body corporate)

The following authorisation conditions apply specifically for taxi service providers:

• all taxi service providers must ensure that each taxi is identified as a taxi and each taxi is marked or painted in a uniform way that identifies it as a taxi used by the service provider
• taxi service providers in Sydney must upload, and keep current, the registration numbers of each vehicle in their fleet on the Commission’s Driver Vehicle Dashboard.

The following authorisation condition applies specifically to booking service providers:

•  the provider must not make a booking for a hire vehicle to provide a passenger service with the driver of the hire vehicle after the driver stops the vehicle at the place where the passenger is picked up.

In general terms, an authorisation to provide a taxi service or booking service is subject to any conditions imposed by the Commissioner and in force from time to time, any conditions specified by this Act or prescribed by the Regulations.

It should also be noted that the Commissioner may at any time, by written notice given to an authorised provider, impose a condition on the authorisation or vary or revoke a condition of the authorisation imposed by the Commissioner.

3.  Documentation required and costs for initial authorisation

Gather required documentation

Applications for authorisation require the following to be provided:

• 100 points of identification (see section “Proof of Identity documents” below for an explanation)
• For applications as a Corporation, an Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) company extract
• For applications as a Partnership, a copy of the partnership agreement
• National Criminal History check (conducted within the last three months) for all applicants, nominated managers and directors
• Payment of the initial application fee (if applicable).

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Proof of identity documents

Primary documents (70 points)

Applicant must produce a minimum of one (1) primary document

Valid documents

•  Full Australian Birth certificate (not an extract)
• Birth card issued by the New South Wales, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
• Australian Citizenship Certificate
• Current passport
• Expired passport which has not been cancelled and was current within the preceding four (4) years
• Other document of identity having the same characteristics as a passport (e.g., this may include some diplomatic documents and some documents issued to refugees).

Secondary documents (25 - 40 points)

Applicant must provide one or more secondary documents which, with the primary document, add to at least 100 points.

40 Points

Name to be verified against a document in this category (but only where they contain a photograph or signature that can be matched to the candidate). All documents must contain a photograph and a name

• Driver licence issued by an Australian State or Territory
• Roads and Maritime Services photo card
• Licence or permit issued under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory Government - (e.g., a boat licence)
• Identification card issued to a public service employee
• Identification card issued by the Commonwealth, a State or Territory Government as evidence of the person's entitlement to a financial benefit
• An identification card issued to a student at a tertiary education institution

35 Points

Name and address to be verified against a document in this category. All documents must contain a name and address

• A document held by a cash dealer giving security over your property
• A mortgage or other instrument of security held by a financial body
• Council rates notice
• The Electoral roll compiled by the Australian Electoral Office and available for public scrutiny
• Document from your current employer or previous employer within the last two years
• Land Titles Office record
• A document from a rating authority (e.g. land rates)
• Document from the Credit Reference Association of Australia

25 Points

Name and signature to be verified against a document in this category. All documents must contain a name and signature

• Marriage certificate (for maiden name only)
• Credit card
• Medicare card (signature not required on Medicare card)
• EFTPOS card

25 Points

Name and address to be verified against a document in this category. All documents must contain a name and address

•  Records of a public utility - phone, water, gas or electricity bill
•  Records of a financial institution
• A record held under a law other than a law relating to land titles
• Lease/rent agreement
• Rent receipt from a licensed real estate agent

25 Points

Name and date of birth to be verified against a document in this category. All documents must contain a name and date of birth

•  Record of a primary, secondary or tertiary education institution attended by you within the last 10 years
•  Record of professional or trade association of which you are a member

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• Applications for bodies corporate need to have at least one nominated manager or director who is a NSW resident. Nominated Managers or directors must also be directly involved in the day-to-day management of the business.
• Applications will not be granted if the applicant has had an authorisation refused within the past 12 months.
• Applications will only be granted if the Commissioner is satisfied the applicant, any close associates, nominated managers or directors have not been found guilty of a disqualifying offence, or have not had an authorisation or accreditation under passenger transport law cancelled or refused on the grounds that they were not a fit and proper person.

Initial authorisation fee

Applications to become a Taxi Service Provider or Booking Service Provider will incur a fee of $120.

A combined application to become a Taxi Service Provider and Booking Service Provider lodged at the same time will incur a fee of $160.

All service providers are required to apply for authorisation and pay the initial application fee through the Industry Portal. Payments are non-refundable

4. Annual authorisation fees

Annual authorisation fees are payable by service providers and are calculated based on the total number of passenger service transactions carried out in a financial year. The authorisation fees are adjusted each year in line with CPI. For the annual fees for the latest financial year, please visit the “Annual Authorisation Fees” fact sheet on our website.

5. Registering on the industry portal

Below are the quick steps to register on the portal.

1. Go to the Point to Point Transport Commissioner's website at pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au
2. Click on the link at the top right
3. Click on the "Register" button and complete the form
4. You will need to select the type of business entity you will be registering as there are four different types: Individual, Corporate, Individual Partnership and Corporate Partnership
5. Once you have completed the registration, you will be emailed a link to use to login.

For more detailed instructions, visit the Point to Point Transport Commissioner’s website. Click on “Learning Centre” in the top menu, and select “User Guides” from the list that appears. In there you will find the Authorised Service Provider User Guide. The detailed registration instructions are in chapter two of that document.  

6. Authorisation application

To apply for authorisation, click on the link in the email which was sent to you when you registered on the industry portal in step five of “6. Registering on the Industry Portal” (above). Fill out the online application form.

You will need to upload the relevant documentation you have collected in step “4. Documentation required and costs for initial authorisation” (above).

If you need more information on how to complete the form, use the Authorised Service Provider User Guide on our website.

7. Registering for the Passenger Service Levy

Should your application for authorisation be granted, you will receive an email with details relating to your authorisation as well as your Authorisation Certificate. All providers of a taxi service or booking service must register as a taxpayer within seven days of first becoming liable for the Passenger Service Levy. This is mandatory if you provide passenger services in NSW.

To register, click on the “Manage Levy” button at the bottom right of the Passenger Service Levy panel on the Industry Portal. Once you have done this, you will find the “Register Now” button in the bottom right-hand corner of the window. If you need any more information on how to register for the Passenger Service Levy, refer to the Passenger Service Levy User Guide on our website

Further education

Related resources are available from the Learning centre and the following links:

•  100 points of ID
•  Point to Point Transport Act and Regulation

If you have any questions or need further information, please visit the Point to Point Transport Commissioner’s website pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au or call the Industry Contact Centre on 131 727.