Taxi Council South Australia

TAXI DRIVING
INTRODUCING A CAREER PATHWAY OPPORTUNITY

The Taxi Industry performs a vital role in passenger transport. Our entire community depends on taxi travel at some point of time, from tourists to big business, the elderly, the young, people with disabilities, including people with an assistance animals (guide dogs and hearing dogs) and the greater population, all are reliant on the services the taxi industry provides.

The taxi industry in Adelaide has a shortage of full and part time taxi drivers and as a result job prospects are excellent. There are very real opportunities available for people who want to succeed in the taxi industry be it part time or full time work.

People who drive taxis come from a wide range of backgrounds and include;

People with full time jobs seeking to earn extra money
People wanting to run their own business
Students
The unemployed trying to gain employment and work experience
Retiree’s looking for casual work
Those who join the taxi industry as a starting point for other jobs in the taxi, passenger and road transport industries.

Click to view Flowchart
of Taxi Driver Training Structure

In this section:

Taxi Driver Training

Taxi Operator Requirements

Operating a Taxi

Links to Cab Conversions

Taxi Driver
Training Centres:

Taxi Cab
Training Centre
(08) 8169 9839

Transport
Training Centre
(08) 8243 4400

TAXI DRIVER PROFILE

Cabbies both male and female come from all walks of life. An Adelaide taxi driver will enjoy the freedom of the job, meeting lots of interesting people and providing an important service to our passengers. Taxi drivers are ambassadors to our State. To meet passenger expectations taxi drivers require excellent communication skills, a sound knowledge of Adelaide including main roads, places of interest, tourist attractions, and suburb locations and of course the Passenger Transport Act and Regulations.

Taxi drivers work in the customer service industry and therefore require the skills to apply good customer service techniques to passengers. Drivers’ duty of care includes assisting the elderly and frail and people with a disability including the acceptance of assistance animals in your taxi. Drivers are also required to work under a Code of Practice (Schedule 9 of the Passenger Transport Regulations). The regulations are covered during the training course.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS.

To be able to drive and operate a fare paying taxi service in Adelaide you must become an accredited taxi driver.

In order to be eligible to become a taxi driver you must hold a current South Australian unconditional drivers licence and successfully complete a training course and accreditation program. You must have held an unrestricted licence for a minimum of 6 months before you commence the Knowledge of Adelaide test (the first pre-entry requirement).

Accredited drivers are engaged to drive a taxi usually on a full or part time basis. The industry offers many flexibilities and choices of work shifts, which will vary between taxi operators in Adelaide.

THE TAXI DRIVER ACCREDITATION PROCESS
FREE INFORMATION SESSION

The Information session will take you through all the steps and costs in obtaining your taxi driver accreditation. Sessions are held on a regular basis at the Centralised Booking Services (CBS) i.e. Adelaide Independent Taxis, Suburban Taxis, Yellow Cabs and Adelaide Access Taxis and at approved Training Providers.

The following comprehensive information is provided to enable you to make up your mind whether this is the career path (or retirement road) you wish to travel.

The taxi industry’s code of practice
The role of the Centralised Booking Service
How the industry works
How you can become a part of it.

Trainee Taxi Drivers must have held an unrestricted driver’s licence within Australia for a minimum of 6 months. The qualifying period is required prior to commencing the next step which is the Knowledge of Adelaide test. Before purchasing your Knowledge of Adelaide Resource Kit you will need to provide confirmation that you have held an unrestricted licence for the minimum period.

The application for verification is contained in your Information Session Kit. It must be submitted in person (with appropriate identification) at the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure’s Accreditation and Licensing Centre, Building 17a, 71 Transport Avenue Netley. Taxi Council SA is co-located and purchase of your Knowledge of Adelaide Resource Kit can be made at the Taxi Council at the same time, provided you first obtain confirmation of licence held.

KNOWLEDGE OF ADELAIDE TEST

Taxi Council would have already received confirmation that you have attended an Information Session. You must now go to the Taxi Council with confirmation of your "6 month’s licence" and purchase your self-paced learning Resource Kit. The Resource Kit is $10 which is refundable when booking for the test.

The Resource Kit contains the following exercises:

Part 1 City of Adelaide
Part 2 Suburban areas
Part 3 Major Landmarks and/or Points of Interest
Part 4 Taxi Ranks

The exercises must be completed in full prior to booking the skills testing session at the Taxi Council.

TESTING SESSION OUTLINE

Once you have completed your Resource Kit "homework" and feel confident that you can pass, you may book for the "Knowledge of Adelaide" test at the Taxi Council. Bring your completed Resource Kit when you come in to book as we need to place it on your file. You must also bring your driver's licence and your country of origin passport so that we can verify your work entitlements.

The sessions will be conducted at the Taxi Council and the test module contents adapted from your homework assignments contained in the Resource Kit. You will be tested on your knowledge of the City of Adelaide and Suburbs and major landmarks.

After successfully completing this session, the Taxi Council will fax confirmation to the nominated Approved Training Provider advising that you can now book for the English and Road Law Assessments.

THE NEXT PREREQUISITE INTERVIEWS

ENGLISH ASSESSMENT

As communication is a critical part of being a professional taxi driver each trainee is required to successfully complete an English Assessment interview. This assessment takes around 30 minutes and is conducted at the Taxi Council by a qualified assessor with the approved Training Provider.

ROAD LAW THEORY TEST

The driver of a public passenger vehicle (taxi cab) is considered a professional driver. Excellent driving skills are of paramount importance for passenger safety and comfort. Each new driver candidate will undertake a Road Law Theory Test which requires the candidate to successfully answer 10 Road Law Questions.

DRIVER PASSPORT (TRAINEE)

Once you have successfully completed the English Assessment and Road Law Theory Test your trainee passport will commence and given to your approved Training Provider. The passport will outline your "Record of Achievement" during the training process which is over six months. Each step of your training is recorded in the trainee driver passport.

You are now on your way to commence formal training and you can book the practical driving assessment at your approved Training Provider. You have now committed to that Training Provider and will complete your training with them.

PRACTICAL DRIVING ASSESSMENT

This is conducted through your approved Training Provider. You must present your unrestricted South Australian driver photo licence before commencing. In a late model family sized vehicle, you will be assessed by a qualified assessor on your ability to provide a safe comfortable drive, driving skills, road craft and traffic management skills.

On successfully completing the driving assessment the Training Provider will issue a certificate of competence and book you into the training course.

THE TRAINING COURSE

The in-classroom training course covers the following modules and is of four days duration. (Training course outline attached)

The Role of the (Public Transport Division).
The Passenger Transport Act and Regulations.
Passengers with special needs and assistance animals.
Driver safety, security and conflict.
Customer service/relations.
Tourism.
Navigation and use of the street directory including mobile classroom.
Driver health, stress and fatigue management.
Occupational Health, Safety, Welfare, Discrimination and Equal Opportunity.

Once the training course has been successfully completed your trainee passport will be signed off by the training manager. Should a re-sit be required to reach competency with any training course module your assessor will advise you of the procedure.

You can now book the CBS induction session with your nominated taxi company.

CENTRALISED BOOKING SERVICE (CBS) INDUCTION SESSION

Your nominated taxi company (CBS) conducts driver induction sessions. You will be shown how to operate the taxi computer dispatch system, meter, EFTPOS machine, the camera and G.P.S. alarm. This session also includes your taxi company's policies and procedures. Once the CBS induction session is completed you will be referred to the next step which is the Operator Induction Session. Your induction is specific to your CBS and you cannot change without first obtaining approval from the Taxi Council. An induction is required for all CBSs before you drive.

OPERATOR INDUCTION SESSION

The Taxi Council or approved Training Provider will then introduce you to all the hands-on functions of driving a cab, e g operating the meter, driver changeover procedure, refuelling, security cameras, paperwork and general maintenance of the taxi. This will cover approximately 4 hours with "hands-on" familiarisation with the taxi and more "in-classroom" learning.

Once you have successfully completed the Operator Orientation Session you can apply for Trainee Accreditation. You will also need to advise the Taxi Council of your taxi operator so that the appropriate paperwork and training passport can be passed to that operator. The Training passport will be noted with the work entitlements of trainee drivers.

APPLYING FOR TRAINEE ACCREDITATION

Your next step is to apply for trainee driver accreditation at Accreditation and Licensing, 71 Transport Avenue, Netley. You will need the following:

Driving Assessment Certificate
Police Clearance
Medical Certificate
Driver Accreditation Application Form (signed by a Justice of the Peace)
Trainee Driver Passport
Country of Origin Passport

Your trainee accreditation is valid for 12 months. If you have not completed your training within that time you will not be given an extension. In extenuating circumstances you may wish to contact the Accreditation and Licensing Branch of the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.

DRIVER PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN)

You will require a driver's PIN from your taxi company before you start taxi driving. Once you have acquired your Trainee Accreditation return to your taxi company to arrange for a PIN. The PIN is your unique code for logging on to the computer dispatch system when you drive your taxi.

YOUR TAXI OPERATOR

You are now almost ready to commence your career. You would know your taxi operator (taxi owner) by now and it is their responsibility to help you become a professional taxi driver. They will need to give you an overview of how they run their business and the specifics they will require of you. This specific familiarisation will be marked in your training passport as it is a further requirement of the training steps.

Your taxi operator must speak to you about your progress, mark your passport with the hours you have worked and give you tips on how you can do it better. He will be responsible for the accurate recording of worksheets and pre-shift inspections of your taxi. It is your taxi operator's responsibility to provide you with a roadworthy taxi and your responsibility to ensure that it is roadworthy before you leave the depot.

This taxi operator has the responsibility to mentor you during the minimum 6 month traineeship. If your operator for any reason is not suitable to you, you cannot drive for another taxi operator without first discussing it with the Taxi Council.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES

The professional development program is designed to provide ongoing training and driver development during your six month trainee period. There are two sessions which will be conducted at the taxi company you are assigned to and at the Taxi Council. Experienced drivers and industry stakeholders will be available to answer your questions, develop new driver skills and explain how you can maximise income. On completion of the professional development modules you can now book your final competency assessment test at your Training Provider.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

The final competency assessment will take approximately 2 hours to complete. You will need to pre book this session and bring your completed trainee driver passport, driver's licence and temporary trainee accreditation. You will be assessed on your knowledge of the regulations, customer service, tourism, navigation skills and the Professional Development Modules.

Once you have successfully completed the final assessment you will be issued with a Certificate of Attainment and your drivers passport will be completed and signed by the Training Provider's assessor. You can now apply for full taxi driver accreditation at Accreditation and Licensing, 71 Transport Avenue, Netley.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We understand you will have many questions about the taxi industry. Some of these are answered below.

Q. How old do I have to be to drive a taxi?
A. You would need to have held a full unconditional driver's licence in Australia for at least 6 months and therefore you would be at least 20 years of age.

Q. How long does it take until I can start driving and earn an income?
A. Depending on course availability and police and medical clearances it could be as soon as a few weeks from your initial enquiry (subject to qualifying).

Q. How much will I earn?
A. In the taxi industry you work as a sub-contractor and your earnings are usually based on 50% commission. You are running your own small business therefore your earning capacity is dependent on the number of shifts you do per week and the number of fares per shift. Good drivers learn to work the computer dispatch system to maximise their earnings.

Q. How will I know where to work?
A. The industry has highly experienced personnel that will assist you to maximise your earning capacity.

Q. How much will my training cost?
A. At the Information session all costs relating to training will be discussed.

Q. Do I have to wear a uniform?
A. Yes. A uniform is required under the Passenger Transport Act. Costs relating to the purchasing of a uniform are the drivers’ responsibility.

Q. What about driver safety?
A. Adelaide is a safe city compared with many other larger places, however driver and passenger safety is paramount at all times and therefore security cameras are fitted to all Adelaide Taxis. The surveillance cameras are also linked with global positioning systems (GPS).

Q. Am I guaranteed shifts?
A. Job prospects are good for full/part time drivers. Taxi operators are located from Gawler in the North to Noarlunga in the South. As with any job though, you have an obligation to the owner to be reliable and trustworthy.

For further Information contact:

Taxi Council SA
08 8293 6000
0418 102 950
admin@taxicouncilsa.com.au

Taxi Radio Companies (CBSs)

Yellow Cabs
08 8354 7222

Suburban Taxis
08 8400 6266

Adelaide Independent Taxis
08 8202 1200

Taxi Driver Training Schools (Approved Training Providers)

Taxi Cab Training Centre
08 8169 9839

Transport Training Centre
08 8243 4400