Personalised transport industry fee relief
On 25 April 2020, the Queensland Government announced support for taxi, limousine and rideshare drivers and operators as part a $54.5 million transport industry package.
The package includes:
- providing existing booked hire/taxi driver authorisation holders fee relief to the value of a 6-month term for driver authorisation
- extending taxi/limousine licences for 6 months
- waiving the annual Taxi Industry Security Levy in 2019/20
- extending existing booking entity authorisations for 6-months
- temporarily extending the refund policy for holders of booked hire service licences so they can receive a pro-rata refund if they choose to surrender their licence
- waiving fees for operators to cancel and re-register their vehicles.
Taxi and limousine licence extensions
Holders of taxi service licences and limousine licences (including special purpose limousine licences) do not need to do anything. It will take approximately 2 weeks, following the Queensland Government's announcement, for all taxi and limousine licences to be extended.
The 6-month extension will be automatically applied, and the Department of Transport and Main Roads will write to all licence holders to advise them of the new expiry date of their licence.
Any licence holders who have recently received a taxi/limousine licence renewal notice do not need to lodge their renewal application, the extension will be automatically applied.
If you have recently renewed your licence, 6-month extension will be granted to the new term of your licence. For example, if you renewed your licence for 12-months, it will be due for renewal in 18-months. No refunds will be given on recently paid renewals.
Booking Entity Authorisation extensions
Any holder of a current Booking Entity Authorisation (BEA) as of 25 April 2020 does not need to do anything. BEA’s will be automatically extended by 6-months. Any holders who have received a renewal notice for a BEA due to expire after 25 April 2020, can ignore this notice as the 6-month extension will be automatically applied.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads will email BEA’s to confirm the extension has been applied. BEA’s can check the personalised transport public register for the new expiry date.
Anyone who has been issued with a BEA for 5 years (or has renewed for 5 years), will receive a credit equivalent to 6-months of authorisation on their account instead. A BEA is issued for a maximum of 5 years but the credit will provide the same benefit on the next renewal. In this case, the expiry of a BEA will not change. BEA’s can check the personalised transport public register for the new expiry date.
It is expected the extensions will be applied by late-May 2020. The Department of Transport and Main Roads will notify you when this has been completed. If your BEA expired before 25 April 2020, you will need to lodge a renewal application, providing it expired within 30 days of your renewal application.
If more than 30 days has passed since the expiry of your BEA, you will need to lodge a new application.
Booked hire service licence surrender and refund
Holders of a current booked hire service licence (BHSL) can surrender their licence. To do this complete the booked hire service licence surrender request (form F5289)
You can send your completed form:
By email: bookedhire@translink.com.au
or
By mail:
Toowoomba TransLink Office
PO Box 629
Toowoomba QLD 4350
You can surrender up to 5 BHSLs on one form. Additional pages setting out the BHSL numbers and registration numbers of each vehicle can be attached to the form for anyone wishing to surrender more than 5 BHSLs.
Any refunds payable upon surrender will be a proportion of the annual fee paid for the time remaining on a BHSL, less the eligibility assessment fee of $43. Refunds will vary depending on how long a BHSL has left to run. Refunds will be calculated based on the date your surrender request is received by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Every effort will be made to provide refunds as soon as possible. If there is a high number of applications, refunds may take up to 2-months to process. We ask that customers be patient during these exceptional circumstances. You will be notified when the surrender has been processed.
If the surrender of a BHSL results in a change to a lower class of compulsory third party (CTP), you may be able to apply to your CTP provider for a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of your CTP insurer’s premium. After your application to surrender has been processed, you should liaise directly with your CTP provider about a possible refund.
Anyone wanting to reapply after surrendering a BHSL will need to lodge a new application and meet the usual legislative requirements to hold a BHSL. These include requirements to have an appropriate vehicle with the correct purpose of use (POU), Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance and a current certificate of inspection (COI). If you drive the vehicle you must also hold booked hire/taxi driver authorisation (BHTX DA).
Cancel my vehicle registration
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has introduced measures to assist customers in the cancellation and re-registration of vehicles during the COVID-19 period.
If you want to cancel your vehicle's registration you will be refunded the unused portion of registration and compulsory third party (CTP) insurer’s premium. Find more information on cancelling your registration.
Taxi and limousine operators who cancel their registration do not need to return their plates to the Department of Transport and Main Roads and will not attract any compliance action for not having an appropriate vehicle attached to the licence.
Registration plates do not need to be returned to the Department of Transport and Main Roads if you cancel your vehicle registration. Upon re-registration, if plates are required to be issued, these will be issued free of charge.
Booked Hire / Taxi Driver Authorisation 6-month fee relief
Booked Hire / Taxi Driver Authorisation (BHTX DA) holders who have a current commercial medical certificate issued for 12-months or less will receive a discount equivalent to the 6-month DA fee when they renew DA and provide a new commercial medical certificate.
If BHTX DA was issued for a term of more than 4 years and 6 months a credit equivalent to the 6-month DA fees has been credited to your Department of Transport and Main Roads record instead of receiving an extension on the term of BHTX DA.
All other holders of a current BHTX DA will have their DA automatically extended for 6 months. These holders don't need to do anything to get this extension. The expiry date of your BHTX DA will be automatically extended over the coming months. The Department of Transport and Main Roads will notify holders when the extension has been processed.
The fee relief package does not extend to General DA because term fees are not payable for General DA.
For further enquiries in relation to the BHTX DA 6-month fee relief please email PTStandards@tmr.qld.gov.au