(1)  A person who operates a vehicle as a taxi with the consent or authority of the responsible operator of a taxi service provided under the authority of a taxi licence is, while driving the taxi or performing any associated activity, taken to be a worker employed by the responsible operator.

(2)  Subsection (1) does not apply if the driver of the taxi is also the responsible operator.

(3)  In this section –

responsible operator means –

(a) in respect of a perpetual taxi licence within the meaning of the Taxi and Hire Vehicle Industries Act 2008  –

(i) if an assignment or leasing arrangement is in force under section 11 of that Act, the person who, by virtue of that section, is the responsible operator; or

(ii) if no such assignment or leasing arrangement is in force, the owner of the perpetual taxi licence; or

(b) in respect of an owner-operator taxi licence, wheelchair-accessible taxi licence or temporary taxi licence within the meaning of the Taxi and Hire Vehicle Industries Act 2008 , the holder of that licence;

taxi has the same meaning as in the Taxi and Hire Vehicle Industries Act 2008 ;

taxi licence means a licence in force under Part 3 of the Taxi and Hire Vehicle Industries Act 2008 .