Taxi Industry Reform Package
An information paper is available to inform interested stakeholders about proposed reforms to the taxi industry. The objectives of the reforms are to ensure that a high level of passenger safety and service is delivered by the taxi industry.
This reform package follows several months of investigating concerns from taxi industry representatives and members of the public about a perceived lowering of driver and industry standards. A Taxi Hotline was introduced earlier this year to receive community feedback and to help determine if changes were needed.
Complaints received included deficiencies in taxi driver training, driving standards (pre-requisite driver licence history), local knowledge, as well as taxi industry service standards in general.
The Taxi Driver Standards Reform Information Paper outlines key areas of concern surrounding the issue of taxi driver authorisations (being the authority that a driver must hold to drive a taxi), as well as taxi driver training and service standards for the taxi industry. The information paper identifies a range of policy and legislative responses that will be implemented by the government to address these concerns. The information paper seeks to inform industry stakeholders about the range of reforms proposed and the timelines for implementation.
The key reforms detailed in the information paper are outlined below.
Driver Authority eligibility criteria
- Introduce a mandatory eligibility requirement for an applicant for a driver authorisation (taxi) to have held an Australian issued driver licence for at least one year.
- Introduce a minimum age requirement for applicants for a driver authorisation (taxi) of 20 years.
- Introduce a requirement for an applicant for driver authorisation (taxi) to have passed an English language proficiency assessment using the International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR) provided by an accredited ISLPR assessor.
National Training Standards
- Queensland will introduce the national training framework and core taxi driver training competencies being developed through the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council.
- Introduce a requirement that the Department of Transport and Main Roads will only recognise taxi driver training provided by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
- Queensland will seek inter-jurisdictional commitment to develop a national position on refresher training for taxi drivers to complement the national training package. If there is limited support at a national level for this project, Queensland will examine the issue independently with the taxi industry.
Industry Compliance
- Implement an extensive compliance campaign by establishing a stand-alone taxi service compliance unit to target offending taxi drivers.
- Gather information about community perceptions of taxi standards to guide future compliance priorities.
Industry Engagement
- Establish a Taxi Industry Advisory Committee to guide the development and delivery of a strategic plan for the taxi industry in Queensland and to provide advice to government on key issues.
To view the information paper, please download the following document:
Industry Information Paper — Taxi Driver Standards Reform (PDF**, 304KB)To receive the information paper by mail, please telephone +61 7 3167 4486z or email PTStandards@transport.qld.gov.au
Information sessions for current or aspiring members of the taxi industry to learn more about the Taxi Industry Reform Package were held in several locations around Queensland in August 2009. Please download the following document for a summary of issues discussed by attendees at these forums and the department's response:
Taxi Industry Reforms — Feedback from information sessions(PDF**, 65KB).zLocal call — Higher rates may apply outside local area or from mobile phones.
**While this department has taken every possible precaution with the creation of these files, they are downloaded and used at your own risk. Adobe Reader is needed to open and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files and is free to download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Various tools to enable access to these files for people using a screen reader can be found at http://access.adobe.com. Further information is available from the "Help with downloading, reading and printing PDF".
Last updated 29 October 2009
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