Taxi Council South Australia

Man and Woman enjoying a great taxi ride

Taxi Industry History

The licensing of taxis in Adelaide began with the introduction of the Metropolitan Taxi–Cab Act 1956 and the establishment of the Metropolitan Taxi-Cab Board.

Under the Act, a two plate system for taxi plates was established which separated services operating in the Adelaide CBD and those operating in the suburban areas.

The Industry

The South Australian Taxi Industry is one of the most dynamic in the world delivering a first-rate service for the community. It is a service industry as well as a major contributor to the business and tourist economies. Metropolitan taxis are regulated under the Passenger Transport Act 1994 and the Passenger Transport (General) Regulations 1994. There are approximately 1000 taxis and 5000 drivers operating in the Adelaide metropolitan areas. Taxis offer a door to door 24hour 7day service. Performance measurements are taken by the Taxi Companies in order to ensure the best possible service is maintained.

Key participants in the taxi industry are Taxi Operators, Taxi Drivers and the Taxi Booking Companies (Adelaide Taxi Booking Companies are known as Centralised Booking Services). They all must be accredited and operate under a Code of Practice.

South Australian Taxi-Cab Operators

Taxi-Cab operators run taxi licences that they either own or lease.

Taxi-Cab operators undertake the following:

Comply with all legislation relating to the operator's business and comply with the Operator’s Code of Practice
Maintain the taxi-cab, ensuring that it is roadworthy at all times
Pay all vehicle costs
Ensure the taxi-cab is equipped with all necessary stationery
Ensure all fitted equipment and devices are in sound working order

Some Taxi-Cab Operators may also be accredited Taxi Drivers and drive the taxi they operate. They may also engage self-employed contractor Taxi Drivers to fill additional shifts.

South Australian Taxi Drivers

Taxi Drivers who do not operate their own taxi-cab are either Shift Lease Drivers or Bailee Drivers. They are self-employed, running their own small business. They either pay Taxi-Cab Operators rent to "lease" a taxi-cab for a nominated period or they rent the taxi-cab for an agreed percentage of the earnings from a shift.

Bailee drivers negotiate the rent of a taxi-cab from a bailor, usually for a bailment period of 12 hours.

Given that Taxi Drivers are self-employed, they are responsible for:

Regulating their own work and rest hours, for safety and productivity
Abiding by all rules and regulations and Taxi Drivers Code of Practice
Abiding by all depot/network rules and regulations
Keeping the taxi-cab clean and tidy
Driving safely
Assisting passengers where necessary
Returning Lost property to either a 24 hour Police Station or to their Centralised Booking Service
Notifying Taxi owner of vehicle problems

Taxi Drivers are required to be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), irrespective of their earnings. They must have an Australian Business Number (ABN).

Taxi Drivers are required to be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), irrespective of their earnings. They must have an Australian Business Number (ABN).

For more information visit:
http://www.ato.gov.au/businesses/content.asp?doc=/content/18546.htm&page=1#P51_6529

South Australian Taxi Companies

A Taxi-Cab company also know as a Centralised Booking Service (CBS) is an entity authorised and Accredited by the Public Transport Division to receive bookings from the public for the hire of its affiliated taxi-cabs.

All taxi-cabs in Adelaide must be affiliated with an accredited CBS. This was introduced for both customer service and safety reasons.

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