A point to point transport driver was recently prosecuted under section 126 (1) of the Point to Point Transport (Taxi and Hire Vehicle) Act 2016 for driving away from an Authorised Officer on the street while the passenger side door of the vehicle was still open, hindering the Authorised Officer from undertaking the functions of the role and also posing safety risk to the Authorised Officer.
Point to Point Transport Commissioner, Anthony Wing issued a reminder to the industry stating, “if an Authorised Officer approaches a driver’s vehicle, the driver must comply with all reasonable directions. It is an offence for a person to hinder or obstruct an Authorised Officer exercising their functions”.
“Authorised Officers enforce the point to point transport law to ensure safe passenger services are being provided by drivers and service providers, “said Mr Wing.
The driver was also prosecuted for failing to display his taxi driver identity document or hand over his NSW driver licence when requested. Breaching both clause 28(1) and 71(1) of the Point to Point Transport (Taxi and Hire Vehicle) Regulation 2017.
The Court ordered that the driver pay fines and costs amounting to $2,500 as a result of his conduct.
“This outcome shows the courts take matters of complying with the law and passenger safety seriously,” Mr Wing noted.
For more information on taxi and hire vehicle driver obligations on our website’s driver obligations page.