Driver's Accreditation – A Right or Privilege?

I first got my driver’s licence – legally – as a 15 year old in New Zealand. While we all thought that driving was a right, a rite of passage if you will, the authorities thought differently and drummed it into us that driving was a privilege – and that it came with great responsibilities.

We were taught about the absolute power and danger that we were in control of, trying to master a beast that weighed approximately a tonne and that only responded to our inputs. We were taught about the consequences of our actions – how and when to brake, how to steer etc.

​There was a lady at the local roads authority that was infamous for failing young adults (15/16 year olds) going for their licence the first time – almost automatically – just to drum in this point.

I first got my licence to drive a taxi in Sydney in the early 1990s. Again, this was definitely a privilege, and again, the testing instructors did everything they could to ensure that young people didn’t get their licence the first time.

The responsibilities of being a taxi or hire car driver are more onerous than just driving a car. You take on the primary responsibility for the care and safety of paying passengers – people who assume you are a professional driver and are paying you for your service.

I re-entered the taxi industry in Victoria in 2004. Again, the instructors and authorities were very serious – it was a great privilege to be able to be a hire car driver; and there were lots of responsibilities that go with it. 
Most of you will remember the knowledge test that had to be passed; you will remember we had to be familiar with Melbourne and know how to read and use a Melway street directory. Once we were licenced, there were rules and regulations that we had to abide by, all because being a commercial passenger vehicle driver was a great privilege.

Unfortunately, over the last four years the Victorian Government, through its regulatory arm Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) – previously called the Taxi Services Commission – seems to have forgotten this, and it is now treating the ability to be a passenger driver to be a right, and not a privilege.
In Victoria the regulations that defined the taxi and hire car industry and ensured the professionalism and safety of all participants in the industry have been removed and destroyed.

Transport Alliance Australia (TAA) believes that 2021 is the year in which our industry – an industry that has been trampled and destroyed by the governments that were supposed to protect it – should be fixed.

TAA believes that we have to re-embrace the past and realise that driving a commercial passenger vehicle is a privilege – and a hard earned privilege too!

This privilege must come with responsibilities, with rules and regulations for the benefit of both the industry and the society that we serve.

All commercial passenger vehicles, taxis, hire cars, limousines and rideshare vehicles, perform vital community work. We are the ones who are called to take the older members of our society to their medical appointments. We are the ones who governments entrust with looking after those less able and who are the beneficiaries of government financial assistance.

We are the ones who welcome tourists into our state and country – often the first meeting with a member of the Australian public that tourists have. We are the ones who have to know and love our cities – we have to provide an efficient and safe service, in a professional manner.

We are the ones who love our job, and love the people who we work for.

Our industry is not an industry that should be considered a default choice if there are no other options. We need to see sufficient financial reward to attract top drivers and operators back into the business. We need to see our people being proud of the work that we do.

On a personal note I really enjoy driving and chatting with the varied clients that I have – it is this personal connection that makes my day when I drive. I take pride in knowing that I am offering the best possible service that I can.

Remember, being a CPV driver is a great privilege, and not a right for everyone!

Please let us know what you would like to see to make this industry better for all.

Together we can make 2021 a year that showcases the re-birth of our great industry.

Stay safe out there.

André Baruch

More news in DRIVE A2B's February 2021 Issue here.