Do you need to be authorised?

two men wearing suits evaluating the safety of a row of cars

Providers of taxi and booking services are required by law to be authorised by the Point to Point Transport Commissioner. Authorisation is important as it helps ensure point to point transport journeys are safe for drivers, passengers and the public

This fact sheet contains ‘at a glance’ information on who does and who does not need to be authorised.

Authorisation as a Taxi Service Provider

If you run, or want to run, a taxi business then you must become an authorised Taxi Service Provider (TSP). A TSP coordinates licenced taxis which can be waved down (hailed) by a passenger on the street or can pick up passengers from a taxi rank. You set your own fares and branding and make your own arrangements for security and safety management systems for the taxi services.

You do NOT need to become an authorised Taxi Service Provider if:

  • You only want to drive taxis. In this case you need to meet the driver eligibility criteria and you need to be on boarded by a TSP. Your TSP will check that you meet the eligibility criteria.
  • You own vehicle(s) which are licenced taxis, but you don’t run the taxi business. The company whose branding appears on your vehicles needs to be a TSP.

If you also want to take bookings then you must become authorised as a Booking Service Provider as well. This is a separate authorisation and you can make a combine application.

The Point to Point website has more information on how to become authorised.

Authorisation as a Booking Service Provider

If you run, or want to run, a business whose purpose is to take and manage bookings to transport passengers for a fee, then you need to become an authorised Booking Service Provider (BSP).

Taxi, rideshare and hire vehicle drivers who take their own bookings directly from customers are considered to be Booking Service Providers.

You do NOT need to become an authorised Booking Service Provider if:

  • You only want to drive booked vehicles. You don’t personally accept bookings which you keep for yourself and you don’t run the business.
  • You own vehicle(s) which are used to provide booked services, but you don’t take the bookings directly from the passengers. You accept the bookings from a BSP.
  • You are a travel agent for whom making bookings for taxis or hire vehicles is not the main part of the business.
  • You are providing transport under the Assisted School Travel Program for the Department of Education
  • You are transporting patients at the request of a hospital or by or on behalf of Healthshare NSW
  • You are transporting patients as an Ambulance Service authorised under the Health Services Act 1997
  • You are transporting persons in custody for Corrective Services NSW
  • You are transporting individuals in a voluntary non-profit car pooling arrangement
  • You have entered into a community transport agreement with Transport for NSW and you are transporting individuals relating to that agreement.
  • You are providing scheduled services which run regular routes at regular intervals
  • You are providing scheduled services on regular routes which are longer than 40 km
  • You are providing a transport service on land that is not a road or on a road related area (e.g. over-snow transport)
  • You are transporting passengers but passenger transport is not your business

The Point to Point website has more information on how to become authorised.

Further information

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the Point to Point Transport Industry Contact Centre on 131 727 or visit www.pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au

This information is intended as a guide only. Full information is contained in The Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Act 2016 No 34 (NSW), Sections 3 and 4, and in The Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017 (NSW), Sections 89, 90 and 91.

two men wearing suits evaluating the safety of a row of cars
Do you need to be authorised?
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