New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

PASSENGER TRANSPORT REGULATION 2007 - REG 29

29 Criteria for authorisation to drive public passenger vehicles

(1) For the purposes of sections 12 (2), 33B (2) and 40B (2) of the Act, the criteria that an applicant for an authorisation to drive a public passenger vehicle must meet before the application is granted are the criteria set out in subclauses (2)-(4).

(2) The applicant:

(a) must be at least 20 years of age, and

(b) must hold a driver licence that is not a learner licence, probationary licence, provisional licence, restricted licence, driver licence receipt or conditional licence (other than a conditional licence the sole condition of which is that the holder must wear corrective lenses at all times while driving), and

(c) must have held an Australian driver licence for a total of at least 12 months in the 2 years immediately preceding the date of the application, and

(d) must have passed an examination or assessment, at a level determined by the Director-General, in medical fitness, and

(e) must satisfy the Director-General that he or she:

(i) may lawfully work in Australia, and

(ii) is of good repute and in all other respects a fit and proper person to be the driver of the vehicle concerned, and

(iii) has sufficient responsibility to drive the vehicle concerned in accordance with law and custom.

(3) In the case of an application for authorisation to drive buses, the applicant must also have successfully completed a bus driver training course approved by the Director-General and conducted by a registered training organisation (or must have such competence as a driver of buses as the Director-General considers appropriate).

(4) In the case of an application for authorisation to drive taxi-cabs, the applicant must also:

(a) have successfully completed a taxi-cab driver training course approved by the Director-General and conducted by a registered training organisation (or must have such competence as a driver of a taxi-cab as the Director-General considers appropriate), and

(b) have passed an examination or assessment, at a level determined by the Director-General, in the following:

(i) geographical knowledge of areas in which taxi-cabs ply for hire,

(ii) such part or parts of the taxi-cab driver training course referred to in paragraph (a) as may be required by the Director-General (or must have such competence as a driver of a taxi-cab as the Director-General considers appropriate),

(iii) knowledge of this Regulation in so far as it relates to taxi-cabs and the driving of taxi-cabs, and

(c) have passed an examination or assessment, at a level determined by the Director-General, in both written and oral communication in the English language (or must have such competence in that language as the Director-General considers equivalent to that level).

(5) In this clause:
"Australian driver licence" means:

(a) a driver licence, or

(b) a licence issued under a law in force in a State or internal Territory authorising the holder to drive a motor vehicle on a road or road related area, being a licence that is not a learner licence, probationary licence, provisional licence, restricted licence, driver licence receipt or conditional licence (other than a conditional licence the sole condition of which is that the holder must wear corrective lenses at all times while driving).

Note: See clause 237 for the Director-General’s power to exempt certain applicants from the requirement that they hold driver licences.