Personalised transport industry—driver training

All personalised transport drivers must be trained in anti-discrimination awareness including sexual harassment and disability awareness before they provide a service.

This includes all taxi, limousine and booked hire vehicle drivers in Queensland.

Drivers who provide wheelchair accessible services must also complete training in providing wheelchair accessible services.

Authorised booking entities (BEAs) and operators must not engage drivers to provide a service until they have completed the mandatory training.

Full training requirements are set out in the Personalised Transport Required Driver Training Notice (training notice).

How to complete training

BEAs decide how they want their drivers to complete training.

Drivers should speak with their BEA to find out their training arrangements.

Training information for BEAs

BEAs can decide what training arrangements or methods work best for their business.

For example, BEAs can:

• develop their own training
• work with other BEAs to develop shared training materials
• engage a training service provider

The training can be provided through:

• instructor-led classroom lessons
• practical sessions
• computer or web-based methods

Training doesn't have to be provided by a registered training organisation (RTO).

Training arrangements put in place by BEAs must enable drivers to meet the required competencies set out in the training notice.

Where to find training courses

TMR does not provide a list or access to training courses and drivers do not complete training with TMR.

You can find examples of organisations and government departments that provide resources for developing training in section 10 of the training notice. This is not a complete list. BEAs can use other reliable resources to develop their training.

TMR does not approve training material but will check compliance with training requirements through audits conducted under the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994.

Recognition of prior training

BEAs can require that all drivers complete training, even if they've already been trained by another BEA.

A BEA should only decide not to train a driver if they're satisfied the driver has already completed the required training.

As part of their driver authorisation, some taxi drivers may have completed the following:

• Taxiplus driver training
• National Taxi Driver Competency Units (NTDCU). 

If this training is current, these drivers may not need further training. However, it's up to the BEA to decide.

Drivers should provide their BEA and operator with their certificate of completion or statement of attainment to show what training they've completed.  

Additional training

Training in other topics, such as English, workplace health and safety and geographic knowledge isn't required under the training notice. However, BEAs can choose to train drivers in these topics. 

Training updates

Where the BEA holder is also the sole driver

The same training requirements apply to sole drivers who also act as the BEA.  

Sole drivers could work with other BEAs to share training materials, or consider using the following online training courses:

• Discrimination Awareness in Queensland, provided by the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland (a fee applies)
• Disability Awareness, developed as part of an Australian Government initiative (free).

For sole drivers of wheelchair accessible vehicles, the following resources are useful:

• Fact sheet on accessible taxi requirements and fact sheet on the carriage of wheeled mobility devices in accessible taxis
• Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria’s Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Driver Handbook, which includes a sample set of assessment questions.

Record keeping for drivers

Drivers can ask their BEA for proof of completion, and a copy of the training material. BEAs must provide these to a driver who requests them.

Drivers should retain proof of completion for their own records.

Drivers don't need to carry proof of completion or produce it for on-road transport officers.

Record keeping for BEAs

A BEA who provides training to its drivers must keep the following records:

• driver authorisation number
• date and required training provided to the driver
• matters addressed in the training, including
  • copies of the training materials, and 
  • assessment used
• driver’s competency assessment.

If a driver has already been trained by a BEA and now drives for another BEA, the new BEA should keep the following records:

• driver authorisation number for the driver
• a copy of the evidence provided by the driver showing they are competent in the training undertaken.

Drivers don't have to send proof of training completion to TMR. TMR does not receive or keep copies of driver's training certificates.

TMR will check training records held by a BEA through audits conducted under the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994.

Non-compliance

It's an offence for drivers to provide a service without being trained and for BEAs and operators to use untrained drivers.

The following maximum penalties apply:

• drivers—20 penalty units ($3,096)
• BEAs and service operators—40 penalty units ($6,192).

More information

Other information and resources are listed in section 10 of the Personalised Transport Required Driver Training Notice.

For legislation outlining the training requirements view section 97 of the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Regulation 2018.

Fee increase

On 1 July 2023 our fees and charges increased by 3.4% in line with the government's indexation policy.