Palaszczuk Government delivers certainty and safety for Personalised Transport industry

Published Wednesday, 24 May, 2017 at 09:45 PM

Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply
The Honourable Mark Bailey

Queensland’s personalised transport industry will be safer following passage of the Transport and Other Legislation (Personalised Transport Reform) Amendment Bill 2017 in Parliament this evening.

The Bill addresses significant reforms of the personalised transport industry and focuses on safety and other key aspects including booked hire service licensing, booking entity authorisation and a new chain of responsibility for all industry participants.

Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety Mark Bailey said first and foremost, the Bill enhances the safety of personalised transport services by imposing primary safety and fatigue management duties for all parties.

“This new legislation provides greater consistency across the industry and, a fairer playing field for all,” he said.

“The government supported all but one of the bipartisan parliamentary committee’s 16 recommendations which were tabled in the Legislative Assembly on the 15 May.

“The recommendations covered driver fatigue management; security cameras; industry standards for driver conditions; driver misconduct; Compulsory Third Party Insurance; compliance; and special purpose limousine licences,” he said.

“The recommendations enable the implementation of Stage 2 reforms which focus on increasing customer safety and choice and building a fairer playing field for licence holders and operators.”

Some of the key Stage 2 reforms include:

  • Practical licensing: While taxi service licences and existing limousine licences and plates will be retained, a new annual licence will be introduced for ride-booking operators.
  • Enhanced safety: New requirements will see reflective signage on the front and back of ride-booking services. Security cameras will be mandatory in vehicles that are not pre-booked or take cash or payment during the journey. Driver fatigue must be managed by booking entities and operators.
  • Improved accountability: There will be clearer compliance accountabilities for drivers, operators and booking entities, including vehicle maintenance and licensing, and drivers must be affiliated with a booking entity.
  • Standardisation: All personalised transport vehicles will require an annual certificate of inspection and a new class of Compulsory Third Party insurance, separate to taxis, has been created for ride-booking and limousines.

Mr Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government would take a risk-based approach to security cameras with cameras mandatory in all personalised transport vehicles that accept payment in cash or person or where the identity of the driver or passenger is unknown.

He said booking entities would be required to notify the Government if a driver is disaffiliated for serious misconduct. Any driver whose driver authorisation has been suspended or cancelled due to serious misconduct will not be able to provide personalised transport services for any booking entity.

“Escalating financial penalties for repeat offenders and driver licence suspension will also be introduced in an effort to deter unauthorised and unsafe services,” Mr Bailey said.

“Under this Bill, taxis will retain exclusive rights to rank and hail services and significant penalties – including possible driver licence suspension - will be imposed on those who infringe these.

“The Palaszczuk Government is also committed to establishing an ombudsman, or equivalent entity, to provide complaint monitoring, advisory, and referral services to the industry and its customers.”

Mr Bailey said implementation of the Bill would be phased from June with most provisions, including the new booked hire service licence, expected to start in the second half of this year.

“With the introduction of this Bill, customers will have greater choice of personalised transport services — services that are safe, accessible and held to account.”

Mr Bailey said tonight’s debate showed how hypocritical the LNP was, with their failure to move any amendment backing their own recently announced policy.

"When the crucial moment came, the LNP had no new policy to move in Parliament despite all their posturing," he said.

For further information on the Personalised Transport Reforms, visit http://personalisedtransport.tmr.qld.gov.au

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Media contact: Zoe Russell - 0428 079 640