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Safety is our priority

We work with industry members to foster a culture centred around safety – safety for drivers and their passengers.

We engage more, with industry and the community, to help change any unsafe driver and passenger behaviour.

It’s important that drivers feel safe in their workplace, and that passengers feel safe when using a commercial passenger vehicle service – which is why we ensure all the checks and balances are completed. We work to ensure all drivers are accredited and Booking Service Providers and vehicles are registered with us.

Why?

We want to encourage everyone to do the right thing, so Victoria has the best possible commercial passenger vehicle industry.

Drivers, this means:

  • taking care of your health and safety, and the health and safety of your passengers
  • not taking risks – it’s cheaper to become accredited with us than receiving a fine for not doing the right thing. You can learn more and sign up here
  • your vehicle needs to be registered with us. You can learn more and register here
  • learning more about your responsibilities.

See also fees and charges and penalties.

Passengers, there are things that you need to be aware of to ensure your journey is safe and enjoyable:

  • if you get into a vehicle with a stranger, and they aren’t accredited with us, we don’t know who they are. Your safety is important to us.
  • we do background checks on all drivers who apply for accreditation – not everyone becomes a commercial passenger vehicle driver .
  • all vehicles need to be registered with us – if an incident or accident happens, we will have the details of that vehicle.
  • search drivers using our Public Register, to see if they are accredited with us
  • if you have a serious issue you can’t get resolved, let us know  – complete our feedback form so we are able to assist you.

Find out more about our safety approach

It’s up to both drivers and passengers to respect each other and be safe.

Safety tips for passengers

Safety is our priority.

It’s important for passengers to feel safe when using a CPV service – which is why we work year-round to ensure both drivers and their vehicles provide a safe service for all passengers. This means booking service providers (such as 13CABS, Uber, DiDi, etc), drivers and vehicles must be registered to provide CPV services and vehicles must be inspected yearly.

There are a few things you can do to ensure a safe trip:

  1. Match your rideshare vehicle to your trip

    Before you ride, make sure the vehicle matches the details provided on your rideshare app. The details you should check are the:

    • Vehicle numberplates
    • The vehicles make and model
    • The drivers photo
  2. Look out for the window sign

    Registered CPVs will either have a CPV branded sticker/sign or one which shows their booking service provider branding (such as an Uber logo). These stickers are often placed in windows or on doors. Make sure you can spot one before hopping in.

  3. Ask the driver to confirm your name

    You can ask the driver whose ride this is before getting into the vehicle. That way you’ll know it’s your ride going to your destination.

  4. Ride in the back seat

    By riding in the back seat, you’re giving yourself and your driver a bit of space. It also allows you to exit the vehicle from either side, avoiding oncoming traffic.

  5. Check the driver ID

    It is a CPV requirement that drivers photo identification is clearly visible clearly at all times. Capturing this information at the start of your trip is recommended. That way, if an incident or accident occurs, we will have the details of that trip.

  6. Share your trip with friends or family

    Many rideshare apps have the ability to share your trip with nominated friends or family. If your rideshare app does not include this feature, send the trip details via SMS or email.

  7. Escalate issues

If you have a serious issue please let us know  – complete our feedback form so we are able to assist you.