A person or business must be authorised as a taxi service provider to provide rank and hail taxi services. These taxi service providers may own or lease the taxi vehicles used. The vehicles must be licenced as taxis and comply with the relevant vehicle standards. Only registered taxis can provide passenger services to customers from ranks or be hailed in the street.
It is possible to be affiliated with a taxi service provider who facilitates branding, fares, security and
Taxi service providers who also take bookings need to become authorised as a booking service provider, this is a separate authorisation. Go to Taxi service providers who also do booked services (below) for further information.
What are the roles, responsibilities and requirements of businesses or individuals providing a taxi service?
The table below outlines the roles that relate to the provision of taxi services and what their requirements are.
| Role | Requirements | Services that can be provided |
|---|---|---|
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Must be authorised by the Point to Point Transport Commissioner unless it is an affiliated provider. |
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|
|
Must be affiliated with an authorised taxi service provider, but does not have to be authorised itself. |
|
|
|
A |
|
|
Taxi |
The licence holder means the person who provides a taxi service under the licence. |
|
|
Vehicle owner |
Must ensure the vehicle is registered, properly maintained.
Owners must make sure the vehicle complies with the taxi accommodation standards and has appropriate signs, light and markings. |
|
|
Taxi driver |
A taxi driver must meet the eligibility requirements in the legislation which include holding a valid driver licence. |
Who must be authorised as a taxi service provider?
All taxi service providers or facilitators of a taxi service in NSW must be authorised by the Point to Point Transport Commissioner. As an authorised taxi service provider you can offer services such as taxi security monitoring, branding (logo/livery), fares and the coordination of your
If you wish to set your own fares for booked services and branding, and make your own safety and security arrangements you must become an authorised booking service provider. Refer to booking service providers for more information.
Affiliated providers do not need to be authorised. This is because an affiliated provider obtains services such as security monitoring, branding (logo/livery), fares and the coordination of a Safety Management System from an authorised taxi service provider.
Penalties apply for anyone providing a taxi service without authorisation.
Taxi service providers who also do booked services
Authorised taxi service providers who wish to take bookings, whether these are over the phone, via the internet, an app or any other method, must also be authorised as a booking service provider. This is a separate authorisation. If you wish to hold both authorisations, you can make a combined application for authorisation to provide a taxi service and to provide a booking service.
How do I become an authorised taxi service provider?
Individuals, partnerships and bodies corporate wanting to become a taxi service provider will need to register for access to the Industry Portal before they can complete an application to become authorised.
The Industry Portal will also help you manage your accounts and meet your safety obligations. For more information on how to become authorised, read the Become an Authorised Service Provider page.
Rank and hail taxi fares – Fare Order update
Transport for NSW has published new maximum rank and hail fares that apply from 1 January 2023
What does this mean?
The new fares order will increase maximum rank and hail taxi fares by 10 cents per kilometre for each distance charge: for example, in urban areas, the daytime charge will increase from $2.19 to $2.29 per kilometre.
Any taxi service provider moving to the higher fares must continue to comply with the requirements of the point to point transport law.
Transport for NSW is responsible for the fare order, more information on the fare order, and rank and hail fares and charges can be found on Transport for NSW’s website - Rank and hail taxi fares
I am a taxi service provider - what do I need to do?
The regulated fares are maximums – taxi service providers can apply all, some, or none of the increase.
If you choose to move to higher fares you must continue to comply with the point to point transport law by:
- Determining that your own fare structure that does not exceed the maximum determined by TfNSW;
- Publish the fare structure on your website (if you have one);
- Display the fare structure in all taxi vehicles (usually via a sticker on the windshield);
- Adjust all fare calculation devices (meters);
- Make copies of the fare structure available to customers on request.
It is important that passengers are able to access accurate and up-to-date information about fares and their journey.
Taxi service providers are also reminded that you cannot increase your metered rank or hail fares to the new regulated maximums before 1 January 2023.
I am a driver – what do I need to do?
Your service provider is responsible for updating the fare calculation device - you must continue to use the taxi fare calculation device (meter) for all rank and hail passenger services
- If you are a taxi driver who is providing rank and hail fairs you must not exceed the maximum fare published by your service provider.
- Taxi drivers cannot request demand a fixed fare or refuse a fare if the passenger won’t agree to a fixed fare
- Reach out to your service provider for information regarding the rank and hail fare increase
What are my obligations as a taxi service provider?
Safety standards
Safety is a shared goal for everyone in the point to point transport industry in NSW. Taxi service providers are responsible for ensuring the journeys they provide are safe for drivers, passenger and other persons through the implementation of a Safety Management System and compliance with other safety standards.
Taxi service providers should be aware that the Commissioner’s authorised officers may audit taxi service providers’ Safety Management Systems to ensure they are meeting their obligations.
Visit Safety standards for taxis to understand your safety obligations as a taxi service provider.
The Passenger Service Levy
Taxi service providers must pay the levy for every passenger service transaction whether it is provided by rank or hail, or booking
- To pay the levy, taxi service providers need to register as a taxpayer through the Industry Portal.
- Payment of the Passenger Service Levy is a condition of authorisation.
Exemptions: Taxi service providers in remote parts of NSW may apply for exemption from paying the levy. Taxi service providers who carry out less than 150 passenger service transactions per year also may seek exemption from paying the levy.
Rebates: If a taxi service provider carries out more than 150 but not more than 600 passenger service transactions in twelve month period they may be eligible for a rebate.
Visit the Passenger Service Levy page for more information.
Keeping records
Taxi service providers must keep records so they can demonstrate how they are identifying, recording, and managing the risks associated with the services they are providing.
All service providers need to keep records of:
- full names and driver licence numbers of all their drivers
- registration details for all vehicles in their fleet
- on-boarding new drivers and managing existing drivers
Taxi service providers must keep a record of each hire that results from a taxi in a taxi rank or a street hail for at least two years after the trip has been completed. All of the following information needs to be recorded:
- the date, start and end time of a journey
- the starting and final location of a journey
- the driver’s full name and the identification number on the driver identity document
- the taxi’s registration number (e.g. T1234)
- the fare amount
Record keeping requirements for taxi service providers providing passenger services in the Sydney Metropolitan Transport District
In addition the above record keeping requirements, taxi service providers with vehicles providing passenger services in the Sydney Metropolitan Transport District are required to upload and keep current the registration numbers (e.g. T1234) of these vehicles to the Driver Vehicle Dashboard (DVD).
Information on how to upload a taxi registration number to the DVD is outlined in the DVD User Guide.
