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Accredited driver responsibilities

This page details the rights and responsibilities of Victorian commercial passenger vehicle drivers.

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Driver responsibilities

The requirements for commercial passenger vehicle (CPV) drivers are contained in the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 (Act) and the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Regulations 2018 (Regulations) and conditions placed on driver accreditation.

Commercial passenger vehicle driver responsibilities fact sheet PDF, 641.1 KB

Drivers should know and follow the law as it applies to providing a CPV service. To help with this, the document below shows the main offences committed by people providing a CPV service. For further information, please see www.legislation.vic.gov.au

Safety

Drivers providing commercial passenger vehicle services must take reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves and others, including passengers or members of the public, that may be affected by their actions.

Drivers must cooperate with a Booking Service Provider with respect to any action that is taken to comply with requirements under the Act or regulations. This may include, but is not limited to, instruction, training or supervision and the implementation of systems or processes that relate to driver fatigue, drug and alcohol testing, driver behaviour, competency or medical fitness.

Under the usual conditions placed on driver accreditation, drivers must notify us of changes in medical conditions that may affect their fitness to drive a commercial passenger vehicle, and comply with any related conditions or restrictions.

The usual conditions placed on driver accreditation also cover requirements for operating a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Vehicle and driver identification

The regulations set out responsibilities for drivers in relation to:

  • not using a commercial passenger vehicle unless it meets the vehicle identification requirements (from 1 September 2018)
  • ensuring driver identification is always clearly visible.

Providing unbooked services

A driver can only use a vehicle to provide an unbooked service if it:

  • is fitted with a functioning fare calculation device
  • is fitted with a security camera type approved by the regulator, unless it is operated in the country or regional zones
  • has fare information displayed on a notice fixed to the outside of the vehicle so that it’s clearly visible from the left side, and another inside the vehicle that can be read clearly by passengers in all seating positions.
  • is fitted with taxi licence plates
  • fitted with tactile signage.

Consumer protections and fares

The CPVI Act sets out the requirements for regulated maximum fares and hiring rates. These apply to unbooked services that start in the Melbourne Metropolitan zone or the Urban and Large Regional zone. Penalties apply for drivers that charge in excess of the maximum fare or hiring rate.

Fares for all booked services and all commercial passenger vehicle services provided outside the zones specified are not regulated

For further information see fares.

The regulations set out responsibilities for drivers in relation to:

  • positioning of fare information for unbooked services
  • where requested, providing a fare estimate or fixed fare
  • when requested, providing a receipt to passengers
  • use of fare calculation devices.

Operational requirements

The regulations set out the responsibilities for drivers in relation to:

  • smoking being prohibited in all commercial passenger vehicles used to provide commercial passenger vehicle services, including e-cigarettes or vapourisers
  • accepting assistance animals
  • providing reasonable assistance for persons getting into and out of a vehicle

Zero blood alcohol

The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit for all commercial passenger vehicle drivers (including rideshare, hire car and taxi) is 0.00 while the vehicle is in service.

When a CPV is being driven for private use, CPV drivers are subject to the same blood alcohol level as a regular driver, that is, 0.05.

This requirement is set out in section 52(1C) of the Road Safety Act 1986. It states that a person using a vehicle for the purpose of providing CPV services within the meaning of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 (the Act), is subject to a zero BAC. See Acts, regulations and other legislation

When using a registered CPV for private use, drivers must make every effort to show their vehicle is not in service. For instance, a rideshare driver must remove the CPV identification sign.  For taxis, this may involve removing external markings or displaying a sign to indicate that the vehicle is not in-service.

Records and reporting

The regulations set out responsibilities for drivers in relation to notifying us of certain incidents (from 1 March 2019).

Drivers have a safety duty to notify CPVV of any incident related to the provision of a commercial passenger vehicle services resulting in:

  • the death of any person
  • the serious injury of any person
  • attendance by police
  • attendance by a health professional.

You can ask that your affiliated BSP notifies us of incidents on your behalf. They must however confirm with you that they will do so.

Visit our Notifiable incidents page to report online or find further information.

Where a driver is not an employee of the vehicle owner, they are considered the provider of an unbooked commercial passenger vehicle service, and the regulations set out the following responsibilities:

  • investigating and keeping certain records on complaints
  • keeping certain records on services provided, including information on fares.

Accreditation requirements

The Act sets out a number of offences relating to accreditation and registration of other industry participants. A driver must:

  • not provide commercial passenger vehicle services with a vehicle that is not registered as one
  • not take bookings from an unregistered Booking Service Provider
  • sign their certificate of accreditation on receipt
  • keep your certificate of accreditation in good condition and make sure it’s legible. If it’s difficult to read, then please contact us to order a new copy.
  • carry their certificate of accreditation when driving
  • produce their certificate of accreditation when asked
  • notify us if they change their address and return their certificate of accreditation to us
  • notify other relevant industry participants (e.g. their Booking Service Provider or the vehicle owner) of suspension or cancellation of their driver accreditation
  • not retain a certificate if their accreditation is suspended or cancelled.

Levy

The Act sets out the requirements for drivers and other service providers to pay the $1.05 trip levy. The State Revenue Office (SRO) is responsible for the collection of the levy.

For more information, CPVI Regulations 2018, CPVI Act 2017, driver conditions, and safety duties.