This year has been a difficult one for many and especially the taxi and hire car industry. Despite these obstacles, I have not wavered in pursuing what is necessary for the taxi and hire car industry and its survival.

After six months of hard work and negotiations, I was part of the team who managed to get a $22 million package to support the industry.

A note from Rod Barton MLC...
Prior to this pandemic, the taxi and hire car industry had already been knocked down. COVID-19 was ultimately the nail in the coffin for individuals and families within the industry already struggling to survive. I need to point out again that there has been a major lack in economic support from the government for non-employing sole traders, whose livelihoods now depend on an effective recovery plan.

Late last month, I stood in Parliament to ask Minister Pulford, representative of the Minister of Transport, Ben Caroll, what the regulator, Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV), was planning to do to ensure the taxi and hire car industry could move forward as Victorians come out of lockdown.

We recently undertook a survey on the type, make and colour of vehicle that our members within the taxi, hire car and limousine industry prefer and had quite a resounding response. Here are the results.

Top 5 vehicles that would be purchased for use in this industry.
1. Toyota 41%
2. Lexus 10%
3. Hyundai 2%
4. Holden 1%
5. Ford 1%

CPVV has confirmed that the Victorian Government is developing a customer (passenger) check-in system to support rapid contact tracing within the CPV industry.
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This passenger check-in system (rapid contact tracing) will be mandatory for fleets of commercial passenger vehicles to apply to all their vehicles. The government is aware that some organisations have already implemented such systems and they would certainly be able to continue using their existing systems, so long as it is able to integrate with DHHS’s computer system.

Experience a new freedom in your Passenger Transport business with Transport Security Cameras, the most Affordable and Reliable Vehicle Security Cameras in Australia.

Transport Security Cameras is holding a competition on its website at www.transportsecuritycameras.com.au to win a FREE Transport Security Camera.

Entries close 24/12/20. The winner will receive one CCC Mark 1 system including a MDVR box, one internal camera and one external camera valued at $1500. Installation is not included – conditions apply.

As of 18 November 2020 NEW regulations will be in place for commercial passenger vehicles. Failure to meet these regulations attracts a 20 penalty points fine, which today equals $3300.

​To read the new CPV cleaning regulations go here.

If you are a TAA member you will be able to access a summary of the Amendment Regulations and the Vehicle Sanitisation Checklist we created (which you can use) via the Operator & Advocacy Resources. 

There have been complaints from Victorian taxi drivers who claim that their Booking Service Provider (BSP) has collected the last quarter's $1 Trip Levy, but to date has not forwarded this onto the State Revenue Office (SRO), nor refunded the drivers. We have asked the SRO to advise how it is ensuring that BSPs are refunding the collected levy money to the drivers? The SRO has not responded.