Passengers
Taxis operate in South East Queensland and larger Queensland towns. You can book taxis in advance, hail one on the street or catch one from a designated taxi rank.
Many taxi companies now allow for trips to be booked online through their website, through an app, or over the phone.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads determines maximum fares for taxi services in Queensland under section 91ZR of the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994 and publishes the maximum fares in the Queensland Government Gazette.
Maximum fares apply to passengers of booked hire services provided in taxis that are:
- rank or hail
- Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS)
- Wheelchair Accessible Taxis (WATs).
Maximum fares do not apply for taxi services that are pre-booked. A fare estimate (in Australian dollars) must be provided prior to the journey commencing, or the fare agreed to upfront. This may include a booking fee.
Passenger fares have 3 categories, south-east Queensland, regional and rural and are classed as metered or exempted taxi services areas. More information on these categories can be found here.
If you hail a taxi from the street or enter at a taxi rank, there are no booking or minimum charges. The taximeter starts when you enter the vehicle if you hail or enter at a taxi rank. The taximeter must be turned off when you arrive at your destination.
A $2 surcharge is applied if you use a taxi service between 12am – 5am except on Anzac Day, 25 April. Credit card transaction surcharge is capped at 5% in taxis.
You can request a receipt, which must include a breakdown of your total fare and any payment surcharges.
Secure taxi ranks operate in popular nightlife precincts on Friday and Saturday nights, and for some special events. They are staffed by taxi rank marshals and security guards, and monitored by CCTV.
At a secure taxi rank, customers can expect:
- to queue in an environment that is free from unruly and inappropriate behaviour
- an organised supply of taxis to the rank to meet demand
- management of the flow of passengers and organisation of share rides as required
- answers to customer queries about routes and fares
View a full list of rank locations with addresses here. Secure ranks can be found in:
- Brisbane
- Cairns
- Gold Coast
- Ipswich
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Townsville
As a taxi passenger, you have the right to:
- choose the route to your destination
- refuse multiple hiring or share riding
- request a fare estimate
- be charged the correct fare (including flagfall, tolls and fees) and receive the correct change
- be charged according to the maximum taxi fares and not be charged a booking fee if you hail a taxi or enter a taxi waiting at a rank
- travel in a vehicle that is safe and comfortable
- be given an itemised receipt if you request it
- ask for help to get into or out of the taxi
- ask for help to load and unload your luggage if it is not unreasonably heavy
- travel with an assistance animal if needed
- use an accessible taxi if needed
- give feedback about the taxi service
As a taxi passenger you must:
- pay the correct fare (including any tolls or fees for booking, vehicle access and soiling)
- wear a seatbelt and make sure children are properly restrained (under 16 years of age)
- check with the service provider for any passenger age restrictions, as the Queensland Government does not regulate the age of passengers
- behave well and not cause disturbance or nuisance while travelling
- not eat, drink or smoke inside the taxi
- not wilfully or unlawfully damage, deface or interfere with the taxi or its service equipment
- not ask the driver to speed or break any road rules or laws
If you:
- are looking for property lost in a taxi
- have feedback about a taxi service
- want to lodge a complaint about a taxi service (for example the driver was rude, overcharging, or not knowing where they were going),
we recommend that you contact the service provider (the taxi company or booking service) in the first instance. Some taxi services allow you to report drivers via their app, even if you’re not a passenger.
You can provide further feedback to us here.
Drivers
The Queensland Government no longer regulates the requirement for mandatory written bailment agreements between taxi operators and drivers.
‘Bailment agreement’ refers to a business relationship between a taxi operator and an authorised taxi driver. It can cover topics such as what payment will be given by the driver to the operator for the right to bail their vehicle for a period of time as well as any other entitlements or obligations agreed to.
Any taxi service bailment agreements in force immediately before 9 June 2017 will still continue. Taxi operators and drivers are still able to enter into new bailment agreements if they choose to. The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has published a standard bailment agreement which may be utilised by operators and drivers.
To become a taxi driver, you will need to obtain a passenger transport driver authorisation.
A driver authorisation is a qualification required by drivers of motor vehicles used to provide a particular public passenger service.
The purpose of driver authorisation is to maximise public confidence in relation to the drivers of public passenger vehicles. This purpose includes ensuring drivers of public passenger vehicles are suitable persons, having regard to the safety of children and other vulnerable members of the community, the personal safety of passengers and their property, public safety and the reputation of public passenger transport.
A driver must hold a DA that authorises the holder for the kind of public passenger service being provided.
From 1 September 2018 there are 3 types of driver authorisation:
- Booked Hire/Taxi driver authorisation, which authorises the holder to drive a vehicle being used to provide any kind of public passenger service for which driver authorisation is required. Required by drivers of taxi and booked hire services (including services provided under a limousine licence). Holders of Booked Hire/Taxi driver authorisation are automatically authorised to provide services under General DA.
- General driver authorisation, which authorises the holder to drive a vehicle being used to provide any public passenger service other than a booked hire service or a taxi service.
- Restricted driver authorisation, issued by community or courtesy transport operator to provide community or courtesy transport services for the operator.
Booked Hire / Taxi (BHTX) class of authorisation:
Holders of this class are authorised to provide any public passenger service for which driver authorisation is required including those services provided under General driver authorisation. Required by drivers of taxi and booked hire services (including services provided under a limousine licence).
More information can be found through the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads determines maximum fares for taxi services in Queensland under section 91ZR of the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994 and publishes the maximum fares in the Queensland Government Gazette.
Maximum fares apply to passengers of booked hire services provided in taxis that are:
- rank or hail
- Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS)
- Wheelchair Accessible Taxis (WATs).
Maximum fares do not apply for taxi services that are pre-booked. A fare estimate (in Australian dollars) must be provided prior to the journey commencing, or the fare agreed to upfront. This may include a booking fee.
Passenger fares have 3 categories, south-east Queensland, regional and rural and are classed as metered or exempted taxi services areas. More information on these categories can be found here.
A passenger can request a receipt, which must include a breakdown of the total fare and any payment surcharges.
Secure taxi ranks operate in popular nightlife precincts on Friday and Saturday nights, and for some special events. They are staffed by taxi rank marshals and security guards, and monitored by CCTV.
View a full list of rank locations with addresses here. Secure ranks can be found in:
- Brisbane
- Cairns
- Gold Coast
- Ipswich
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Townsville
Drivers caught by Queensland’s new detection cameras for illegally using their mobile phone or failing to ensure they or their passengers wear seatbelts will be issued penalties from 1 November 2021.
Seatbelts
Taxi drivers are required to wear a seatbelt at all times – not just when transporting a passenger in the vehicle. If the driver of a taxi does not have a seatbelt exemption certificate lodged with TMR and is detected by a camera not wearing a seatbelt, and infringement notice may be issued. This will be sent to the registered operator of the vehicle. If the registered operator was not the driver at the time, they will need to identify the driver and follow standard arrangements to transfer the fine to that person.
Adults and children 7 years or older must wear a correctly fitted seatbelt, and children up to the age of 7 must wear a correctly fitted Australian Standard approved child restraint. Children less than 1 year old can be held on the lap of someone 16 years or older.
Taxi drivers are exempt from the requirement to ensure their passengers are wearing a seatbelt if:
- your passenger is over 16
- your passenger is under 7 and you do not have an Australian Standard approved child restraint in the vehicle.
At present, because it is not possible to determine the age of a person in the images captured by the cameras, infringement notices will not be issued if a passenger of a taxi is detected by a camera not wearing a seatbelt. It should be noted that these offences are still subject to roadside policing.
Mobile Phones
It is illegal to hold your phone in your hand or have it resting on any part of your body, including your lap, while driving. This applies even when you’re stopped in traffic or at traffic lights. The phone doesn’t need to be turned on or in use for it to be an offence. However, a phone may be used hands-free, for example, mounted in a cradle for open licensed drivers. These mobile phone rules do not apply to Mobile Display Terminals (MDTs) in a taxi. However, the position of the phone or MDTs must not obscure your view of the road, you must have proper control of your vehicle, and drive with due care and attention at all times.
Penalties
From 1 November 2021, penalties will apply to those caught by the cameras:
- $1,033 and four demerit points for illegal mobile phone use
- $413 and three demerit points for failing to wear a seatbelt or failing to wear one properly. Drivers can also be fined a further $413 and three demerit points for each passenger not properly restrained
- double demerit points apply for repeat mobile phone and seatbelt offences committed within a 12-month period.
The mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras operate in multiple locations in urban and regional areas. Motorists not following the mobile phone and seatbelt rules should assume they can be caught anywhere, anytime.
Taxi drivers have the right to:
- work in a safe environment and be treated with courtesy
- refuse to carry a passenger they believe may
- not have enough money to pay the fare
- cause a disturbance or nuisance
- be a danger to the driver, other passengers or road users
- ask for a deposit or an estimate of the fare before starting the trip if they believe a passenger may try not to pay the fare
- charge a cleaning or soiling fee if the passenger dirties the taxi
- refuse to carry animals that are not assistance animals needed for the passenger
Taxi drivers must:
- undergo criminal and traffic history checks to ensure suitability before coming a driver, and be monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure they remain suitable
- be polite to passengers, the public and other road users
- give reasonable help to passengers getting in or out of the taxi
- help load and unload the passengers’ luggage if it is not unreasonably heavy
- not drive while tired
- not be under the influence of a drug that affects driving ability, including medication
- have a blood alcohol level of zero
- not smoke in the taxi
- display their taxi driver authorisation
- be medically fit at all times when driving
- if they can’t complete the journey, arrange other suitable transport for the passengers
- turn the hail light on when they are available to hire
Operators
The Queensland Government no longer regulates the requirement for mandatory written bailment agreements between taxi operators and drivers.
‘Bailment agreement’ refers to a business relationship between a taxi operator and an authorised taxi driver. It can cover topics such as what payment will be given by the driver to the operator for the right to bail their vehicle for a period of time as well as any other entitlements or obligations agreed to.
Any taxi service bailment agreements in force immediately before 9 June 2017 will still continue. Taxi operators and drivers are still able to enter into new bailment agreements if they choose to. The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) has published a standard bailment agreement which may be utilised by operators and drivers.