Taxi Industry Structure

The taxi industry is composed of a number of important businesses that work together to provide taxi services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round, including public holidays.

The Victorian taxi industry is regulated by the Victorian Government under the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 and its regulations, to protect the customer and drivers, and to ensure service delivery and safety standards are met.

Taxis are the only mode of public transport not funded by government - relying entirely on private investment.

Drivers

Taxi drivers hold accreditation with the Government to drive taxis for commercial hire.

Operators

Operators of taxis are the people who own the vehicle, are responsible for ensuring it is roadworthy, well maintained and operated within the law.

Some operators drive their taxi some of the time, while others, including operators of fleets of taxi vehicles will use bailee drivers.

Booking services

Booking Services Providers (BSP), formerly known as Network Service Providers, take bookings for taxi services and dispatch to their fleet of affiliated taxis.

Aside from accepting customer bookings, booking services also provide a range of support and monitoring services including GPS tracking, emergency communications, internal safety cameras, and handling of complaints and lost property.

Licence Owners

In order to operate a taxi licence in Victoria you need a licence from the Government. Licenses are issued by the Taxi Services Commission.