Vehicle and driver safety
Vehicle and driver safety and fatigue management requirements apply to everyone in the 'chain of responsibility' for taxi, limousine and ride-booking services. This includes drivers, operators, booking entities, executive officers of the corporation and the local nominee for foreign-based entities.
The Queensland Government will continue to regulate personalised transport safety requirements. The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) can audit any person in the 'chain of responsibility’ to assess compliance with relevant transport legislation and verify information given to the department.
Specific safety requirements for personalised transport services
Specific safety obligations apply to the provision of taxi, limousine and ride-booking services under relevant transport legislation.
There are multiple requirements for both the driver and the vehicle including:
- driver authorisation
- driver training
- fatigue management
- vehicle maintenance
- vehicle safety inspections
- vehicle security cameras.
Safety duties for personalised transport service operation
Operators should take all reasonable steps to eliminate or minimise safety risks when providing taxi, limousine or ride-booking services. Operators must also ensure their conduct does not encourage another person in the 'chain of responsibility' to breach relevant transport legislation.
- Primary safety duty – a primary duty of care to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the safety of the person’s activities relating to providing the service. The level and nature of a person’s duty depends on the person’s functions, the nature of the safety risk and the person’s ability to control, eliminate or minimise the risk.
- Fatigue management duties – duties to manage driver fatigue apply to ensuring the safety of personalised transport service drivers.
Examples of how operators can meet these obligations include:
- staff training
- safe business practices
- regular vehicle maintenance.
As a passenger, if you are concerned that your driver might be fatigued or your trip may not be safe, you can refuse to enter the vehicle, or remove yourself as soon as you can do so safely, and report the driver to the booking entity.
Penalties
If operators breach their obligations under the legislation, they can be fined up to 30,000 penalty units or over $4 million.
Executive officers of corporations or the local nominee (foreign based entities) in the 'chain of responsibility' also have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the corporation complies with the primary safety duties.
Security cameras filming in personalised transport services
Approved security cameras are mandatory in all taxi, limousine and ride-booking vehicles within relevant areas where the service meets certain criteria. Read more about security cameras.