Taxi Council South Australia

Man and Woman enjoying a great taxi ride

Operator Accreditation

Any person who operates a passenger transport service must hold Operator Accreditation (refer Passenger Transport Act 1994, section 27). The primary purpose of accreditation is to ensure that the relevant person or persons (including in the case of a company, each of the directors and other interested persons) are of good repute and are fit and proper people to be responsible for the operation of a public passenger service.

In addition, a number of other things will be considered when a person applies for accreditation, including:

• the safety of passengers and the public;
• service to passengers; and
• vehicles and equipment.

How to commplete the Application for Operator Accreditation Form

The application form (titled Application For Operator Accreditation - Form No. MR311) is available from the Accreditation and Licensing Section of the One Stop Shop (08) 8226 8026. It should be completed in full using block letters.

The following information will assist you to complete the application.

Note: The following standards and conditions are effective from 1 February 1998 and apply to all new operators applying for accreditation and existing operators adding or replacing vehicles.

PART 1. APPLICANT INFORMATION

When completing Part 1, full names of all applicants are required. If you are applying as an individual, write your full name under this heading. If you are applying for Accreditation in Joint Names, please list names of all other Interested Parties. If you are applying on behalf of a company or partnership, write the full name of the company or partnership.

Driver’s Licence Number/Accreditation Client Number

If you are applying for accreditation as an individual, you should quote your Driver’s Licence number. (If you already have an Accreditation Number, you will note that it is the same number.)

If you are applying for Accreditation in Joint Names, please list the Driver’s Licence numbers of all Interested Parties. If you are applying as a company, organisation or partnership, you should quote your Vehicle Registration client number instead of your Driver’s Licence number. Your client number will be found on your vehicle registration papers.

Company Address

This is the address from where your business will be run, i.e. the address where you or your appointed manager can be contacted and your records kept. This will also be taken to be your address for the service of notices, unless you specify another address for this purpose.

Please note that a Post Office or a Post Office Box number are not accepted as a business address.

Applying for Operator Accreditation in a Company Name

In this section, write the business name under which you trade or intend to trade, e.g. XYZ Charter Service. This name may or may not be the same as your company name. If you intend to use a Trading Name, you must submit with your application a Business Name Extract outlining all partners in the business. This can be obtained from the Consumer and Business Affairs Office located at 91 - 97 Grenfell Street. If your application refers to a registered company, you must submit with your application a Current Extract (showing details of the company and a list of all Directors) from the Australian Securities Commission located at 100 Pirie Street, Adelaide. The telephone numbers for the above Offices are (08) 8204 9779 and (08) 8202 8500 respectively. This documentation must be presented with your application when applying for Operator Accreditation.

PART 2. TRANSACTION TYPE

In this section, tick the box which is relevant to the transaction applicable to you. For example if this is a first application for accreditation, tick “New” if it is a renewal, tick “Renewal”, etc.

PART 3. SELECT CATEGORY OF OPERATOR ACCREDITATION

In this section, you must indicate the type of operator accreditation you are seeking. If you require more than one type of accreditation, e.g. taxi and Small Passenger Vehicle, then tick each relevant box. The accreditation fee remains the same regardless of how many accreditation classes you apply for. For information about accreditation, telephone 13 10 84.

PART 4. VEHICLE INFORMATION (APPLICATION FOR NEW ACCREDITATION)

In this section, you must provide details about the vehicle/s you wish to operate under the accreditation. The application form has sufficient space for up to 3 vehicles. If you have more then 3 vehicles, please attach a separate sheet which provides all the relevant information presented in the same format as appears on the application form.

For each vehicle you list on the application (including any attachments) you must provide a current Certificate of Inspection. If you do not have a current Certificate of Inspection for any of the proposed vehicles, you will first need to have the vehicle/s inspected. Inspections for taxis are performed by either the Royal Automobile Association or Rightway Automotive Services . To arrange inspections at these facilities, telephone (08) 8202 4688 or (08) 8340 7223, respectively.

PART 5. PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE

All accredited passenger vehicle operators, including taxi operators, require a minimum of $5 million Public Liability insurance. A copy of your current Public Liability Insurance Policy is required before your application can be accepted.

PART 6. APPLICANTS FOR NEW, RENEWAL OR TEMPORARY OPERATOR ACCREDITATION

National Police Certificate

This section is to remind you and each director, partner or interested person to obtain a National Police Certificate from the S.A. Police Department. This Certificate will take some time to be processed by SA Police and delays may occur at times of increased demand. Additional processing time is also required for applicants residing outside the metropolitan areas. It is, therefore, recommended that you lodge an Application For A National Police Certificate (Police Form No. PD267) as soon as possible to avoid inconvenience. These Certificates must be submitted to the Accreditation and Licensing Centre with the Application for Operator Accreditation. To obtain a National Police Certificate you and all interested persons must complete and lodge the above form at any Police Station. If you require extra forms, please photocopy the blank form enclosed. The Police Department will require appropriate identification from each applicant on lodgement of the form and collection of the Certificate. (Check with police for requirements.) A fee is applicable on lodgement of the application. Any offence listed by the SA Police Department on the Certificate must be referred to the Accreditation and Licensing Centre for consideration. NOTE: National Police Certificates older than three months from the date of issue will not be accepted. If you are the holder of current Driver Accreditation and you are seeking to obtain additional accreditation other than that which you currently hold, it will not be necessary for you to obtain another National Police Certificate.

PART 7. SUITABLE VEHICLE

The maximum entry age limit for Taxis is 31/2 years. The maximum age limit for Taxis is 61/2 years. Vehicles used as taxis in the Adelaide Metropolitan area must be white in colour with side stripes that comply with the requirements of the Passenger Transport Act 1994.

PART 8. COURT PROCEEDINGS

You must complete this section by answering “yes” or “no” to the questions regarding offences. If you answer “yes”, you must then provide detailed information on a separate sheet of paper. Please type this information or use block letters if writing by hand.

PART 9. DECLARATION

Please read this section carefully and then sign and date the declaration in the presence of an appropriate witness. It must be signed and dated by you as an individual applicant or on behalf of a company or partnership. This release authorises the Accreditation and Licensing Centre to make periodic enquiries about you and other relevant persons with the S.A. Police Department, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Directorate and the Insurance Provider. This declaration must be witnessed by a Justice of the Peace, a Proclaimed Bank Manager or a proclaimed person under the Oaths Act.

PART 10. APPROVAL FOR OPERATOR ACCREDITATION

This section must contain the official stamp of the Accreditation and Licensing Centre and be signed by an Authorised Person before the application can be processed.

Original Documents

Please note that all supporting documents supplied must be originals.

Applications must be submitted to a Service SA in the country or to Accreditation and Licensing Centre in the metro. Approval must be obtained from the Accreditation and Licensing Centre prior to the application being processed.

Payments can be made at the Accreditation and Licensing Centre.
Building 17 A
71 Transport Avenue, Netley

TAXI COUNCIL SA

Below is a description of the process which has applied since 1 May 1995. 1. When it is proposed to transfer a licence, the transferor (seller) and the transferee (buyer) will complete a (proforma) information statement provided to them with the relevant transfer application form.

2. On this information statement:-
(a) the transferor will provide the name of any financial institution that has a security interest in the licence (for checking purposes);
(b) the transferee will declare whether or not it is intended to create a security interest over the licence on the transfer and, if so, will provide the name of the financial institution. (Specific financial information will not be required).

3. The information statement will be lodged with the Taxi Council SA.

4. Taxi Council SA will then arrange to conduct appropriate searches to ascertain whether or not a registered Bill of Sale exists and will advise any known financial institution that has an interest in the licence to ensure that the financial institution is aware of the proposed transfer. Taxi Council SA will then complete an appropriate (proforma) advice to the Accreditation and Licensing Centre concerning the existing and proposed security interests in the licence. (Again, specific financial information will not be required or disclosed).

5. The advice from Taxi Council SA will be returned to the transferor and the transferee, who will then provide this to the Accreditation and Licensing Centre, together with the application for the transfer of the licence.

6. The parties will be able to effect the transfer at the Accreditation and Licensing Centre or a country Service SA Customer Service Centre by paying the appropriate fees.

These procedures help ensure that an appropriate record of security interest in licence is kept (without the disclosure of specific information) and that financial institutions are advised (and thus protected) if a transfer is to occur and that existing commercial practices continue.

This scheme was developed by Taxi Council SA to ensure that financial institutions received comparable levels of protection so that the Taxi industry can continue to raise funds in the same manner.

Please follow the steps outlined above to ensure that you are not inconvenienced. Finally, it should be noted that existing interests will not be affected by these arrangements, but that these procedures need to be followed for all transfers.
Further information on these procedures can be obtained from Taxi Council SA,
Bldg 17A, 71 Transport Ave, Netley. (telephone 8293 6000)