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Register a vehicle to carry commercial passengers

Information on this page

Do you need to register your vehicle as a commercial passenger vehicle?

Only registered commercial passenger vehicles can legally provide commercial passenger vehicle services in Victoria. If you want to use your vehicle to provide unbooked (taxi) commercial passenger vehicle services or booked (taxi, hire car, wedding car and rideshare), you must register your vehicle with us.

Unbooked services include trips hailed from the street or hired from a recognised taxi rank.

Booked services include:

  1. services that have been booked over the phone or through a web application
  2. services that are provided through a booking service provider

Applicant eligibility

Applicants must own the vehicle to register it as a commercial passenger vehicle.

Ownership includes:

  1. joint ownership of a vehicle (owning it with someone else)
  2. any entity who has the use of a vehicle under a hiring or hire-purchase agreement that has not been paid out, and
  3. any entity in whose name a vehicle is registered under the Road Safety Act 1986 (such as registered with VicRoads or an equivalent interstate body).

How much does it cost?

There is an initial application fee (see Fees and charges) for each vehicle you register as a commercial passenger vehicle.

Payment is accepted using a valid Visa or MasterCard .

The application fee is non-refundable.

Refer to our fees and charges page for current information.

Unbooked services

You must nominate on the online form if you intend to use the vehicle to provide unbooked services (taxi rank and hail work) in addition to booked services. Vehicles providing unbooked services need to meet additional requirements, which include:

  • fare information – this must be clearly displayed on the inside and outside of the vehicle
  • fare calculation devices – must be installed, functioning and needs to comply with fare calculation device specifications
  • security cameras – for unbooked commercial passenger services starting in the Melbourne metropolitan zone or the urban and large regional zone, a security camera must be installed, operating, and comply with commercial passenger vehicle security camera specifications
  • electronic transaction terminals–must be fitted and able to process Multi Purpose Taxi Program transactions
  • tactile registration number signs – must be fitted to the exterior of passenger doors, forward of, or level with, the door handles.
  • number plates authorised by CPVV – must be fitted, identifying that the vehicle may lawfully provide unbooked services.

Note that extra requirements apply if this vehicle is also intended to provide wheelchair accessible services (see below).

Also note that applicants who require a new number plate in regional or country areas will now be allocated either R or C plates as these can now be used interchangeably throughout these areas. This will not affect lifting fees, as they are the same in regional and country areas. Since 2014, unbooked commercial passenger vehicle services in regional and country Victoria have been able to set their own fares, and this remains in place.

Vehicle Inspections

When you present a vehicle to VicRoads for registration proposes, you must provide a certificate of roadworthiness (RWC). This applies to all new and second-hand vehicles presented (including wheelchair accessible vehicles).

The vehicle inspection must be completed by an authorised Victorian Licensed Vehicle Tester (LVT) and take place after all equipment has been installed in the vehicle.  Equipment includes the security camera (if applicable), wheelchair hoist (if applicable) fare calculation device and payment terminal.

Failure to provide a RWC issued after equipment installation, will result in VicRoads rejecting the vehicle.

Booked services

If your application is approved your vehicle is registered to provide booked services as all registered commercial passenger vehicles are by default able to provide booked services.

VicRoads to make additional VH plates available for purchase

VicRoads are making additional VH plates (VHD 003 - VHZ 999) available to purchase for vehicles that are registered to provide booked commercial passenger vehicle services in Victoria. Vehicles registered to provide unbooked services are ineligible for these plates.

These new VicRoads VH plates will be issued by VicRoads as a restricted issue plate.

Previously issued VH plates (VHA 000 - VHC 999) remain valid for vehicles providing booked services only and can remain on vehicles.

The new VicRoads VH plates (VHD 003 - VHZ 999) can be ordered at your nearest VicRoads Customer Service Centre or by contacting VicRoads Customer Service Centre on 13 11 71.

For further information, please visit Vicroads

Wheelchair accessible services

You must nominate on the online form if you intend to use the vehicle to provide wheelchair accessible services.

Commercial passenger vehicles providing wheelchair accessible services:

(a)  are modified to carry people using a wheelchair, and

(b)  must comply with the Specifications for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles as published in the Victoria Government Gazette relating to accommodation space, hoist and ramp requirements and restraint systems.

Registering a vehicle that’s already a commercial passenger vehicle

You can’t register a vehicle if it’s already registered as a commercial passenger vehicle.

It’s your responsibility to ensure the vehicle you are applying to register isn’t already registered as a commercial passenger vehicle. Check the Public Register to confirm or contact us if the public register is not available.

If your vehicle is registered as a commercial passenger vehicle to another person or entity, they must inform us of the change in ownership and cancel the existing registration before you can apply.

How to apply

You need to apply to register a vehicle as a commercial passenger vehicle by signing in to your industry portal account.

If you don’t have a portal account you will need to create one.

You will be asked to enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and vehicle registration number.

We don’t accept paper form applications.

Online application

If you already have an industry portal account:

Sign in to register and add vehicles

If you do not have an industry portal account:

Sign up here before registering and adding vehicles

You should be using the latest versions of the following browser/s to complete the form.

     
Edge

Chrome
Download the latest version.

 Firefox Safari

Please note you can’t use Internet Explorer.

You need to complete and submit your application in one session. Incomplete applications can’t be saved.

What happens after you submit your application online?

After paying the application fee and submitting your online application, you’ll receive a confirmation email from noreply-vehicle-registration@cpv.vic.gov.au. Do not reply to this email as this mailbox is not monitored.

The confirmation email advises what you need to do next. This depends on the type of services you have nominated you’re intending to provide.

If you don’t receive the confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your junk and/or spam folders to see if it is there.

Registration conditions

Applicants should familiarise themselves with the registration conditions that apply to the operation of a commercial passenger vehicle.

All commercial passenger vehicles must be inspected every 12 months.

All vehicles providing unbooked services must:

  • be fitted with a functioning fare calculation device
  • be fitted with a security camera type approved by the regulator, unless it is operated in the country or regional zones
  • have 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.
  • have taxi licence plates
  • be fitted with tactile signage.

Approved applications

Applications for commercial passenger vehicle registration that provide only booked services are approved once you receive your confirmation email after submitting your application form online.

Applications for commercial passenger vehicle registration that provide unbooked services and/or wheelchair accessible services are usually approved within 10 days.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Annual Fees

An annual fee is payable to continue the vehicle’s registration as a commercial passenger vehicle. We will send you an invoice for the annual fee 30 days prior to the due date.

You’ll receive an invoice for your annual registration fee at the same time each year. Payment instructions will be included on the invoice.

If you do not pay your vehicle’s annual registration fee by the due date specified on the invoice, your vehicle’s registration as a commercial passenger vehicle will be cancelled.

Delay issuing registration renewals

Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria has not been issuing invoices while we have been transitioning to the new regulatory arrangements. We will let you know when we will resume sending invoices.

The fee will not apply to the previous or coming year, it will simply be applied annually at a point in time. Therefore, we will not charge fees that would have been due in the past when we re-commence the process.

Please note that you do not need to take any action until you receive your invoice. In the meantime, if you wish to check your registration remains active, please search the Public Register.

If your vehicle’s registration is cancelled and you wish to continue providing commercial passenger vehicle services, you will need to register your vehicle online (see Fees and charges). For more information see how to apply on this page.

If you have a question, please send an email to contact@cpv.vic.gov.au or phone our Customer Care Centre on 1800 638 802.

Vehicle inspection requirements

When vehicles are being prepared to provide unbooked services and/or wheelchair accessible services, the roadworthy inspection by a Licensed Vehicle Tester (LVT) must occur after all the required equipment has been installed in the vehicle.

The equipment includes the security camera (if applicable), wheelchair hoist (if applicable), and a fare calculation device.