A taxi licence holder (the person who operates the taxi) can register a vehicle as a taxi and use it to provide rank and hail passenger services. If a taxi licence holder wants to provide rank and hail passenger services on an ongoing basis, they will need to renew their taxi licence every 12 months.
If a taxi licence holder decides to stop operating their taxi, they can surrender their taxi licence.
Under certain circumstances, the Point to Point Transport Commissioner may decide to suspend or cancel a taxi licence.
Information on each of these actions is explained below.
How to renew a NSW taxi licence
How do I renew a taxi licence?
Renewals are to be made through the Commissioner’s ‘Industry Portal’. Once you are on the Industry Portal webpage, log in to the ‘Taxi Licence Portal'.
To help you work through the renewal process, the Commissioner has produced the following two resources:
Step by step guide
How do I know when to renew my taxi licence?
Taxi licences are granted for a term of 12 months and they must be renewed each year.
Licence holders will be sent a renewal notice approximately 28 days before the renewal date.
Alternatively, taxi licence holders can check the status of their licence in the Taxi Licence Portal and, if it is eligible for renewal, proceed with the renewal at that point.
How much will it cost to renew my taxi licence?
The cost to renew a taxi licence is $200 per year.
If you hold a wheelchair accessible taxi licence you must also renew this annually, however there is no charge to renew a wheelchair accessible taxi licence.
How do I make the payment to renew my taxi licence?
The renewal fee can be paid by credit/debit card or by BPAY.
When paying by credit/debit card, a surcharge of $1.00 applies. If a taxi licence is renewed with a successful credit/debit card payment, the payment will be applied almost immediately and the taxi licence will have its new expiry date.
It should be noted that successful BPAY payments can take up to five business days to be processed and applied to your licence.
Do I need to say where I will be operating my taxi when I am renewing my taxi licence?
Yes.
During the renewal process, you will need to indicate in which area(s) you will be operating your taxi. There are two questions which relate to this point.
The first question asks about your intended operating areas at a general level, for example, ‘Greater Sydney’ or ‘Illawarra, Shoalhaven and South East’. This question is mandatory.
The second question asks about your intended operating areas at a more specific level – ‘Local Government Areas of Operation’. For example, "Burwood Council" or "City of Parramatta Council". This question is optional.
Note: The information you provide is for statistical purposes only. You are not restricted to operating in the areas you indicate.
Can I log in to the Taxi Licence Portal using my MyServiceNSW credentials?
Yes.
There are two ways to log in to the Taxi Licence Portal, either by using your ‘Industry Portal’ username and password, or by using your MyServiceNSW username and password (if you have one).
There are some advantages to using your MyServiceNSW credentials. It is a simple and quick process to set up, and it will consolidate the number of logins you have.
For more information on setting up access to the Taxi Licence Portal using your MyServiceNSW credentials, follow this link to the relevant fact sheet.
What happens if I provide taxi services without a taxi licence?
Financial penalties of up to $110,000 apply for people offering a taxi service without a licence. For more information, refer to the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017 (section 49).
Surrendering a taxi licence
How do I surrender a taxi licence?
A holder of a taxi licence may, at any time, surrender their taxi licence by giving the Point to Point Transport Commissioner a notice of surrender via the Taxi Licence Portal.
When surrendering the taxi licence, the holder must specify the date for the surrender to take effect.
When a taxi licence is surrendered, both taxi plates must immediately be returned to Service NSW except if registration has been transferred to someone else prior to surrendering the licence.
Suspending or cancelling a taxi licence
Why might a taxi licence be suspended or cancelled?
The Point to Point Transport Commissioner may suspend or cancel a taxi licence:
- if the licence holder fails to comply with a condition of the licence
- if the licence holder fails to comply with point to point transport law
- if the taxi service for which the licensed taxi is used has been, or is being, conducted in a manner that causes danger to the public
- for any other reason the Point to Point Transport Commissioner sees fit.
A taxi licence which has been cancelled ceases to be in force from the date of cancellation and a taxi licence which has been suspended ceases to be in force from the date of suspension.
The relevant taxi plates must be surrendered within seven days to Service NSW. Licence fees are not refundable.