Commercial Passenger Vehicle Reforms Inquiry submission

The CPVAA made a formal submission to the current parliamentary inquiry into the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Reforms.

Executive summary

The Commercial Passenger Vehicle Reforms of 2017 have given Victorians more choice, shorter wait times and the option of reduced fares in their custom of personalised transport services.

Benefits to the consumer have been realised through an explosion of commercial passenger vehicle numbers due to removal of any financial barrier to entry. A 1,047% increase in commercial vehicles in a little over 18 months has ensured that no person should ever wait needlessly for personalised transportation again.

Booking service providers or the large commercial interests in the industry have also had a big windfall gain. More cars, more fees, more revenue although this is not necessarily linked to increases in clientele.

The success stories of the now deregulated Victorian commercial passenger vehicle industry do not translate well to those in the industry who perform the service and to those who were invested in the licensing structure of the industry past.

There have been profound effects on these stakeholders that must be redressed for the long-term viability of the industry and to achieve a sense of fairness for those ex-licence holders whose private property was compulsorily acquired without adequate compensation.

Small business operators are being pushed out of the industry and drivers have become the working poor in an oversupplied market. Licence owners have been obliterated and for those still operating within the industry their financial losses are carried as a handicap restricting their competitive ability in the new market arena. The legacy of these reforms will carry through their retirement.

This document seeks to provide fiscal solutions to both enable an improved outcome for licence holders and to create a viable and sustainable business environment for ground level industry participants.

This document also addresses potential improvements to the overall professionalism of industry participants, operational considerations to progress the independence and working rights of drivers and safety concerns to protect workers, consumers and other road users.

The following submission represents the considered position of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association of Australia (CPVAA) in relation to the Victorian Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Reforms of 2017 on behalf of our members driving and operating taxi, hire car and rideshare vehicles as well as exlicence owners.

The CPVAA welcomes the opportunity to support this submission in person or to provide further comments in a panel discussion.

Download the full submission here.
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Read the transcript of CPVAA President André Baruch's presentation to the committee here.