As a part of Point to Point Transport Commissioner’s ongoing on-street compliance operations across the state, recent operations have resulted in two drivers being fined and convicted of touting and soliciting at the Sydney Downing Centre Local Court.
A hire car driver was found guilty of touting and soliciting and ordered to pay a fine of $400, after directly approaching Point to Point Transport Commissioner’s Authorised Officers to offer a lift for a fare whilst conducting plain-clothes operations at Sydney Airport.
Hire vehicle and rideshare drivers must not provide a passenger service to a person who does not have a prior booking and cannot directly approach a person or people to offer a passenger service.
Another hire car driver was also convicted and fined $1,500, plus ordered to pay legal costs, for touting and soliciting at Sydney Airport. The driver also directly approached the Commissioner’s Authorised Officers and offered them a passenger service without any booking in place.
The Court noted that touting and soliciting represents a safety risk, and is dangerous for both drivers and passengers, as there is no record of the passenger service, nor verification that safety checks have been made on the driver or vehicle.
For both convicted drivers, this was their first conviction for this offence. If either driver is caught touting again and receives a second conviction, they will be disqualified from driving in the point to point transport industry as happened to one former driver in March 2024.
The Commissioner’s Authorised Officers will continue to carry out highly visible and plain-clothes compliance operations at the Airport and across NSW - and drivers who break the law will continue to be fined and prosecuted.
Our touting and soliciting fact sheet provides more details to help drivers understand the law.
Refer to clause 66 of the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017.