Page 3997 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Through the amendments, the government will require all public passenger drivers participating in ride sharing to undergo police background and traffic history checks and a commercial driver health assessment. Vehicles used for ride sharing must also undergo a roadworthiness check, either by the Road Transport Authority or an accredited vehicle inspection provider. The amendments will ensure that Access Canberra plays an integral and final role in the accreditation process for new business models as well as continuing that role for the taxi and hire car industry.
Insurance arrangements and other operational requirements will also be in place. These requirements are largely similar to those in the existing taxi industry, but with some intended differences based on the nature and operation of the services provided. The bill also enables our Road Transport Authority to collect data on drivers and vehicles to help in monitoring and enforcement. These requirements and others are central to upholding the safety of our community and travellers to the ACT.
The community clearly wants taxi and hire car services, including wheelchair accessible taxi services, to continue to play a central role in on-demand transport and to form the basis of differentiated service and competition for the industry. Therefore these services must remain viable and sustainable. For that they need a more level playing field in which to compete.
This bill addresses this important community objective in several ways. Firstly, the legislation will allow standard and WAT taxis to continue to play an exclusive role in providing rank and hail service, whilst at the same time taxis will be able to provide booked services. As well, they will be able to operate either independently—and this is important—or through a transport booking service.
Hire cars will only be able to provide booked services. Again, they can operate independently or through a transport booking service. Finally, the ride sharing service will only occur through a booked service and through a transport booking service. The amendments also remove restrictions on the ability of drivers and operators—that is, vehicle owners—to access work through multiple transport booking services. This is another important reform.
In addition to the reforms contained within this bill we are also helping the existing taxi and hire car industry by significantly adjusting their regulatory costs, which will enhance their capacity to compete with new entrants. Several key costs for taxi and hire car operators will be significantly lowered during the first stage of reforms, such as costly government plate annual fees and the removal of the $350 annual taxi and hire car operating fee.
As the other leg of these cost adjustments, the amendments within this bill introduce regulatory fees for ride sharing services. These include application and accreditation fees for ride sharing booking services of $600 for the booking service and $20 per driver annually, respectively; licence fees for ride sharing drivers of $100 per year; and application fees for ride sharing operators of $50.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video