Taxis
A taxi service is a demand-responsive passenger service in a vehicle of no more than 11 seats (excluding the driver) and supported by electronic communication through a radio network. A taxi service can be hailed by members of the public and may stand for hire on a road.
Taxi fares
The department determines maximum fares for Queensland taxis and declares these through a Government Gazette notice (PDF, 138 KB). A review of taxi fares is conducted using the department's taxi cost Fare Index.
The last taxi fare review resulted in a 2.07% fare increase effective 22 September 2012. The fares are separated into 3 tiers—south-east Queensland, regional Queensland and exempted Queensland and are set out as follows:
Metered taxi service areas
Metered taxi service licences require the taxi operator to have a fare meter and provide a 24 hour service using a vehicle of not more than 6 years of age (8 years for a wheelchair accessible vehicle). The fares for metered areas are less than for exempted Taxi Service Areas reflecting the increased viability of taxi services in these areas.
Queensland taxi fares—south-east Queensland (PDF, 478 KB) fares are to apply to metered taxis operating in south east Queensland, including the declared metered taxi service areas of:
- Brisbane
- Ipswich
- Gold Coast
- Sunshine Coast
- Redcliffe
- Beaudesert
- Bribie Island
- Mount Tambourine
- Laidley
- Beerwah.
Queensland taxi fares—regional Queensland (PDF, 474 KB) apply to metered taxis operating in regional Queensland, inclusive of all those dclared metered taxi service areas not listed under the south-east Queensland fare structure.
Exempted taxi service areas
Taxi service areas have been declared exempt to enable the establishment of a taxi service, which would not be viable if metered taxi licence conditions were to be met.
In essence, exempted services operate in communities with sporadic demand that is not sufficient to require continuity of service by more than one vehicle.
The existence of these taxi services, albeit at differing levels of provision compared to metropolitan areas, is considered to be a valuable transport means in communities where transport options are limited.
Queensland taxi fares—exempted Queensland (PDF, 93 KB) apply to exempted taxis operating in Queensland.
Authorised Queensland taxi driver display card
The department will be rolling out the introduction of the new authorised Queensland taxi driver display card to all taxi service areas in Queensland commencing in 2011. The display of this card will be a requirement on the taxi driver and it will be an offence to drive without displaying this card if the vehicle is available for hire.
Taxi Hotline
The department has launched the Taxi Hotline, allowing you to report your concerns over industry standards and onging issues within the taxi industry.
Taxi safety initiatives
Taxi services have been improved to assist passengers to get home from busy entertainment and night-life precincts. Late night transport is now safer due to:
-
secure taxi ranks — staffed by experienced taxi rank marshals and security guards
- the NightLink FlatFare taxi service — offered from 3 secure taxi ranks, providing a way to get home from Brisbane's central business district and Fortitude Valley late on Friday and Saturday nights.
-
regional FlatFare — a taxi service operated by taxi companies in some regional centres and supported by the department. Passengers can pay a flat fare rate to share the ride home with other people going in the same direction.
Taxi service levels
Minimum taxi service levels are prescribed timeframes that are to be met by taxi booking companies when collecting patrons from booked jobs. There are separate minimum service levels for peak and off-peak times. Peak times and off-peak times vary between taxi service contract areas.
Taxi User Guide
The Taxi User Guide has been developed by the department in consultation with the taxi industry. The purpose of the guide is to influence and improve social behaviour by taxi users.
Service area maps
Taxi service area maps across Queensland contain information showing the boundary of each metered and exempt taxi service area. Maps have been categorised into sections across Queensland:
