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FACT SHEET
Taxi and Hire Vehicle Industries Amendment Bill 2016
On 30 October 2015, the Premier announced that, as part of its broader policy on the sharing
economy, the Government would be introducing legislation that would provide for the
operation of ride-sourcing businesses in Tasmania.
The Taxi and Hire Vehicle Industries Amendment Bill 2016 amends the Taxi and Hire Vehicle
Industries Act 2008 to:
1) Clarify the legal status of ride-sourcing service providers and allow for companies like
Uber to enter the Tasmanian market, subject to a range of existing regulatory
requirements to protect public safety; and
2) Allow the Minister for Infrastructure to suspend - for 2016 and/or 2017 only - the
annual release of additional taxi licences – in response to the potential impact on the
industry as result of the entry of new ride-sourcing services.
The operation of ride-sourcing services under the proposed framework will be subject to a
range of regulatory protections, generally consistent with those that apply to luxury hire
vehicles, including that:
all drivers must hold an ancillary certificate, which requires medical, police and working
with vulnerable people checks; and
vehicles comply with applicable vehicle inspection regimes and hold appropriate Motor
Accidents Insurance Board cover.
Within the next two years, the Government will be undertaking a wholesale review of the
regulatory regime that applies to taxis and hire vehicles to ensure that our regulations can
accommodate contemporary and emerging business models, while adequately protecting public
safety and consumers’ interests.
The review will be aimed at improving outcomes for both service providers and consumers by
reducing the overall compliance burden for the industry as a whole, as well as encouraging
further innovative commercial activity in the passenger transport industry.
Providing an initial framework for the operation of ride-sourcing – with a range of regulatory
protections - will yield important, practical information to help frame the broader reform of our
taxi and hire vehicle sector.
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