New Taxi Zones
Recent amendments to the Transport (Compliance and
Miscellaneous) Act 1983
Table of Contents
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New Taxi Zones .......................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 What is set in legislation, and what is being determined by the TSC? ........................................ 3
1.2 What is proposed? ....................................................................................................................... 3
2
Make a Submission ..................................................................................................................... 4
3
Frequently Asked Questions ....................................................................................................... 5
3.1 How do the new zones affect how taxis operate? ........................................................................ 5
3.2 I’m a taxi operator in a town in the country zone. Does this mean that any other country taxi
can accept fares from the rank in my town? ......................................................................................... 5
3.3 Will my vehicles need new registration plates? ........................................................................... 5
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1 New Taxi Zones
Recent amendments to the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 which create
a new system of taxi zones will come into effect on 1 July 2014.
Under the new system, Victoria will be divided into four taxi zones:
the metropolitan zone
the urban zone (referred to in legislation as the ‘urban and large regional zone’)
the regional zone
the country zone
The new system will greatly simplify the existing system of over 100 different taxi zones or
service areas that have been set in taxi licence conditions. In particular, the new boundaries
will offer significant new opportunities and flexibility for taxis in non-metropolitan areas.
1.1 What is set in legislation, and what is being determined by the
TSC?
The legislation passed by parliament has determined:
 that there will be four taxi zones
 the annual fee amounts at which new taxi licences will be issued in each zone
 that the current outer suburban (Dandenong and Frankston) taxi zone and Port Phillip
taxi zone are to be included in the new urban zone, and
 the restrictions that determine where a taxi may accept a ‘rank or hail’ hiring, and
where a taxi may conduct a pre-booked journey.
These elements of the new zone system now cannot be changed, except by further Acts of
Parliament.
The TSC has prepared a draft determination setting out the boundaries for the four new
zones. The TSC has also prepared a Regulatory Impact Statement, which analyses what the
effects of adopting the proposed boundaries will be. The Regulatory Impact Statement has
been assessed by the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (VCEC), and it has
found that the TSC’s analysis is satisfactory.
The draft determination and the Regulatory Impact Statement are now available for viewing.
See below for information on how you can provide feedback or suggest alternatives to the
proposed boundaries.
1.2 What is proposed?
Metropolitan Zone - the boundaries of metropolitan zone will remain largely unchanged. The
alignment of the boundary with Statistical Area units devised by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics means that there will a small expansion of the metropolitan zone to Melbourne’s
west and north, and minor changes to the metropolitan zone boundary through the
Dandenong Ranges and the southern end of the Yarra Valley.
Avalon Airport – Avalon Airport will be zoned as an area of metropolitan and urban zone
‘overlap’, allowing both metropolitan and urban taxis to accept hirings from the Avalon Airport
taxi rank.
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Urban Zone – the current outer suburban (Dandenong and Frankston), Port Phillip, Geelong,
Ballarat and Bendigo taxi zones will be amalgamated to form the new urban zone. The
existing boundaries of these areas will be redrawn to align with ABS Statistical Area units
(with the exception of the boundary between the Dandenong and Frankston section of the
urban zone and the metropolitan zone, where the existing boundary has been retained).
Regional Zone – the following towns and regions will be included in the regional zone:
Mildura
Echuca
Shepparton
Benalla
Wangaratta
Wodonga
Hamilton
Portland
Warrnambool
Colac
Melton/Bacchus Marsh
Bellarine Peninsula
Bairnsdale
Sale/Maffra
Warragul/Drouin
Pakenham
La Trobe Valley
(Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Churchill)
the eastern side of the Mornington
Peninsula (current Westernport taxi zone)
the Sunbury/Gisborne/Woodend area
the Wallan/Whittlesea/Broadford area
the Yarra Valley
the eastern Dandenong Ranges
The boundaries around these areas of the regional zone will be drawn to align with ABS
Statistical Area units.
Country Zone – all remaining areas of Victoria form the country zone.
2 Make a Submission
All interested parties are encouraged to make a submission in relation to the determination of
zone boundaries.
The TSC will consider amending the determination of zone boundaries if it receives
submissions that make a compelling case for an alternative arrangement, or that identify
matters that have not been adequately considered in the Regulatory Impact Statement.
Interested parties are encouraged to read the Regulatory Impact Statement prior to making a
submission.
Submissions should be emailed to [email protected] or posted to the Taxi Services
Commission, GPO Box 1716, Melbourne 3001.
Submissions on the proposed regulations and the RIS are to be submitted no later than 5 pm
on 15 April 2014. All submissions will be treated as public documents.
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3 Frequently Asked Questions
3.1 How do the new zones affect how taxis operate?
Taxis will be subject to restrictions relating to:
 where that taxi may accept a hiring from a taxi rank, or by hail from the street, and
 where that taxi may carry a passenger on a pre-booked hiring
in a similar manner to that applied under current licence conditions. The key difference
between the current system and the new system is that, under the new system, taxis will not
have their ‘rank and hail’ rights restricted to a specific town or area. Instead, taxis will be able
to accept rank and hail hirings anywhere within their allocated zone.
Vehicle type
Metropolitan taxi
Urban taxi
May accept a rank or
hail hiring only within the
metropolitan zone
only within the urban
zone
Regional taxi
only within the regional
zone
Country taxi
only within the country
zone
May conduct a pre-booked hiring to or from any place in Victoria
to or from any place in Victoria, with the
exception of any journey wholly within
the metropolitan zone
to or from any place in Victoria, with the
exception of any journey wholly within
the metropolitan or urban zones
to or from any place in Victoria, with the
exception of any journey wholly within
the metropolitan, urban, or regional
zones
3.2 I’m a taxi operator in a town in the country zone. Does this
mean that any other country taxi can accept fares from the
rank in my town?
Yes, it does. It also means that your country taxis can accept hirings from ranks, or by hail
from the street, in any other town in the country zone. How you choose to use this new
flexibility is a business decision for you to consider.
The same applies for regional taxis across the regional zone, and urban taxis across the
urban zone.
3.3 Will my vehicles need new registration plates?
Vehicles becoming regional taxis will be issued with new ‘R’ prefixed registration plates.
Vehicles that are currently outer suburban taxis or Port Phillip taxis (which currently carry ‘C’
prefixed registration plates) will be issued with new ‘U’ prefixed registration plates. Once the
determination of zone boundaries has been finalised, operators whose vehicles require a
registration plate swap will be notified and provided with instructions for making the necessary
arrangements with VicRoads.
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