AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE CAR REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

No. 23 of 1986

The Taxi and Private Hire Car Regulations (Amendment) (“the amending Regulations”) amend the Taxi and Private Hire Car Regulations (“the principal Regulations) with the object of restructuring taxi fares.  In short, the new taxi fare structure involves:

•	a flat rate of 60¢ per kilometre (50¢ per Km in case of multiple hirings) which applies to all taxi hirings
•	the flagfall now includes the first kilometre of travel.  The amount of the flagfall will depend upon the time when the journey was commenced.  Where the journey was commenced between:
-	10 am and 3 pm, Monday to Friday – a flag fall of $1.50 applies
-	6 am and 10 am and between 3 pm and 12 midnight, Monday to Friday, or between 6 am and 12 midnight on weekends or public holidays – a flagfall of $2.00 applies
-	midnight and 6 am on any day, a flagfall of $3.00 applies

•	no separate rate is applicable to out of town journeys
•	the radio booking fee has been increased from 30¢ to 50¢
•	the detention rate has been increased to 25 cents per minute
•	taxis are now required to be fitted with taxi meters which are capable of registering four separate fare structures: one for each of the separate flagfall rates (together with the standard kilometre rate) and one for multiple hirings.

An explanation of the details of the amending Regulations is set out in the Attachment.
ATTACHEMENT

Regulation 1 deals with interpretation.

Regulation 2 amends regulation 14 of the principal Regulations in order to omit the reference to taxi journeys outside of the City Area.  The regulation also amends references in sub-regulation 14(1)(a) consequential upon the restructuring of regulation 24 of the principal Regulations (see below).

Regulation 3 replaces paragraph 18(1)(c) of the principal Regulations which required a taximeter to be capable of recording several different kilometre rates.  The new provision requires a taxi meter to be adjusted so that it may register:

	(1)	each of the kilometre rates;
	(2)	each of the flagfall charges; and
	(3)	the waiting fee.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 19 of the principal Regulation in order to:

(a)	omit the reference to journeys outside of the City Area
(b)	change a reference from paragraph 24(3)(b) to sub-regulation 24(4), consequential upon the amendments to regulation 24 provided by the amending Regulations (see below)
(c)	remove sub-regulation (3) which provided that a taxi which was not fitted with a taximeter could not make any journey outside of the City Area.

Regulation 5 amends regulation 19A of the principal Regulations in order to:

(a)	replace the reference to paragraph 24(3)(b) with a reference to sub-regulation 24(4) and replace the reference to paragraphs 24(3)(a), (3A)(a) and (3A)(b) with references to sub-regulation 24(4) or (5), consequential upon the amendments to regulation 24 (see below).
(b)	remove the reference to journeys outside of the City Area.

Regulation 6 repeals regulation 19B of the principal Regulations which previously provided for the use of taximeters which were unable to register 4 separate kilometre rates.

Regulation 7 amends regulation 24 of the principal Regulations in order to:

(a)	remove the references to travel by a taxi outside of the City Area
(b)	remove sub-regulations 24(2), (3), (3A), (4), (4A) and (5) and replace them with new sub-regulations 24(2), (3), (4) and (5)

-	new sub-regulation (2) provides for a new structure of flagfall charges depending upon the time when the journey was commenced.  Where the journey was commenced between 10 am and 3 pm, Monday to Friday the flagfall is $1.50.  Where the journey was commenced between 6 am and 10 am Monday to Friday or between 6 am and 12 midnight on Saturday, Sunday or a Public Holiday, the flagfall is $2.00.  Where the journey is commenced between 12 midnight and 6 am on any day, the flagfall is $3.00
-	new sub-regulation 24(3) provides that the flagfall for a taxi which is subject to a multiple hiring is $2.00.
-	new sub-regulation 24(4) provides that the standard kilometre rate for a taxi journey, other than a multiple hiring, shall be 60¢, excluding the first kilometre.
-	new sub-regulation 24(5) provides that the kilometre rate for a multiple hiring shall be 45¢ per kilometre, excluding the first kilometre

(c)	amend sub-regulation 24(6) to provide that the charge for requiring a taxi to wait shall be calculated at the rate of 25¢ for each minute.
(d)	repeal sub-regulation 24(9) which provided a maximum fare where a taxi had been used to proceed to and wait at a wedding or funeral.
(e)	amend sub-regulation 24(10) to increase the radio booking fee from 30¢ to 50¢.

Regulation 8 repeals sub-regulation 26(2) which previously required taxi meters to indicate clearly which kilometre rate applied to the relevant taxi journey.

Regulation 9 amends regulation 27 of the principal Regulation by removing the reference to the “City Area”.

Regulation 10 amends regulation 28 of the principal Regulations in order to:

•	remove from paragraph 28(1)(b) and paragraph 28(1)(c) references to journeys outside of the “City Area”
•	remove the reference in paragraph 28(1)(b) to multiple kilometre rates.

Regulation 11 replaces Schedule 2 of the principal Regulations with a fresh Schedule 2 which sets out the maximum fares as prescribed by the principal Regulations.  A copy of Schedule 2 is required by regulation 26 of the principal Regulations to be displayed in all taxis.