Following the commencement of the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Act 2016 on 1 November 2017 and the publication of cross-border exemptions in the NSW Government Gazette, the following arrangements now apply for cross-border trips between NSW and Victoria:
- For cross-border trips (in either direction), booked hire services (including taxis and hire cars) authorised in Victoria will be exempt from NSW regulations, provided they comply with Victorian rules.
- Any booking service provider who is authorised in NSW (and has a presence in NSW) can dispatch bookings to drivers with a Victorian driver licence in Victorian registered hire vehicles (but not taxis), for trips wholly within NSW. This is a significant enhancement on previous cross-border arrangements, and should mean that border communities get improved services.
- Victorian taxis will not be allowed to work wholly within NSW.
- All cross-border trips starting in NSW will be liable for the Passenger Service Levy from February 2018.
Full cross-border exemptions can be found in the NSW Government Gazette.
Victoria’s commercial passenger vehicle industry reforms are well underway. New low-cost taxi and hire car licences are now available and accreditation for booking service providers came into effect on 2 November 2017. Further changes, including fare deregulation and the industry trip levy are expected to take place in 2018.
In the meantime, the following arrangements apply:
- NSW taxis and hire vehicles starting a trip in NSW taking passengers to a destination in Victoria will be exempt from Victorian regulations, provided they comply with NSW rules.
- All cross-border trips starting in Victoria will be liable for the Victorian industry trip levy when it is introduced in 2018.
- NSW taxis will not be allowed to work wholly within Victoria.