Driver accreditation tells passengers that a driver meets our safety standards allowing them to operate in the industry.
Check your eligibility
Driver accreditation tells passengers that a driver meets our safety standards allowing them to operate in the industry.
The accreditation will not expire provided you continue to meet the requirements.
You can check if you have a current accreditation on the Public Register.
If you have provided CPV services in another Australian state or territory, or in New Zealand, you can apply for mutual recognition.
If you are already accredited and you lodge another application, it will be refused and we won’t refund your application fee.
Application requirements
To apply for a new driver accreditation, you must:
- Have a full, current Victorian driver licence, or
- Have held a full Australian or New Zealand driver licence for at least six months.
You cannot start a new application if you:
- Have a current driver accreditation
- Have an expired driver accreditation
- Have already started or submitted an application for accreditation
The requirements for CPV drivers are contained in the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 (the Act) and the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Regulations 2018 (Regulations) and conditions placed on driver accreditation.
Along with vehicle requirements, accreditation conditions and the documents required to provide CPV services, there are other conditions you must adhere to when providing CPV services, as per the regulations.
| Requirement | Further information |
|---|---|
| CPV drivers must accept fares for passengers with assistance animals | Drivers cannot refuse fares to passengers with assistance animals.
Some assistance animals wear identification, but others do not. As long as they’re trained to help a person alleviate their disability, they’re considered an assistance animal. |
| CPV drivers must provide reasonable assistance for persons getting into and out of a vehicle. | Always ask a passenger before assisting them in or out of the vehicle |
| No Smoking in CPVs | Smoking is prohibited in all CPVs used to provide CPV services, including e-cigarettes or vapourisers (vapes) |
| Understand blood-alcohol concentration limits | The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for all commercial passenger vehicle drivers (including rideshare, hire car and taxi drivers) is 0.00 while the vehicle is in service.
When a CPV is being driven for private use, CPV drivers are subject to the same blood alcohol level as a regular driver; that is, 0.05. This requirement is set out in section 52(1C) of the Road Safety Act 1986 |
| CPV drivers must report notifiable incidents. | A notifiable incident is any incident where someone’s safety has been at risk. This can include serious injuries, deaths or accidents where someone was harmed. As a duty holder, drivers have a responsibility to notify us within ten business days of becoming aware an incident has occurred.
It is an offence not to report a notifiable incident. The failure to do so may result in compliance action by ST Vic. Notifiable incidents must be reported via the ST Vic online |
Please note that the Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (road rules) apply to drivers of CPVs in the same way they apply to drivers of private vehicles.
Mutual recognition
If you are an accredited CPV driver in a state other than Victoria, you may be eligible for either mutual recognition or automatic mutual recognition.
If you are an accredited CPV driver in New Zealand and have not yet transferred your driver licence to Victoria, you can apply for mutual recognition under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangements.
If you intend to remain in Victoria for more than three months, you should transfer your driver licence to Victoria only after your mutual recognition application has been finalised.
To apply for mutual recognition of your driver accreditation you need to submit:
- a completed mutual recognition application form.
- a copy of your current interstate CPV driver authority or equivalent. (We recommend that you confirm with your interstate/New Zealand regulator to ensure it is current.
- a copy of your current interstate/New Zealand driver licence, if separate to your commercial passenger vehicle driver authority; and
- a letter from your current booking service provider confirming your suitability or a national police history check dated within the last three months (NSW T condition only, if you have not held driver accreditation in Victoria in the last 6 months).
If you’re applying for driver accreditation (including for buses) and have already transferred your driver licence to Victoria, you should apply as a new applicant.
Conditions
- After obtaining Victorian driver accreditation, you will need to undergo standard criminal history checks and medical assessments.
- If you don’t convert to a Victorian driver licence, you may need to provide an annual national police history check and driving history information.
- NSW only: If you hold driver accreditation in NSW, you may be accredited in Victoria as well. You will be notified by Safe Transport Victoria of your deemed accreditation status, and you can start providing CPV services in Victoria immediately. If you haven’t had a driver accreditation in Victoria in the last six months and wish to apply for one, you must provide a letter from your NSW booking service provider or a national police history check (dated within three months).
Application Costs
There are at least two fees you must pay in order to provide CPV services in Victoria.
Mutual recognition exists if you are an accredited CPV driver from another state or territory in Australia or from New Zealand.
Please note that application fees are non-refundable.
The fees are:
| Application for driver accreditation | $76.30 |
| Application for driver accreditation via mutual recognition | $29.40 |
| Driver accreditation annual fee (paid every 12 months) | $34.00 |
Apply for driver accreditation with Safe Transport Victoria
There are 5 simple steps to apply for your driver accreditation.
You will need to upload a copy of your current Victorian driver licence and a self-captured photo (selfie) showing you holding your Victorian driver licence next to your face.
Please make sure we can see your face clearly and that the driver licence you are holding is clear and legible. This helps us confirm the link between you and the identity you are claiming.
You must provide one document from this list:
- Full Australian birth certificate
- Current Australian passport
- Australian visa (current at time of entry to Australia as a resident or tourist)
- ImmiCard issued by Immigration and Border Protection
- Certificate of Identity issued by Foreign Affairs and Trade to refugees and non-Australian citizens for entry to Australia
- Document of Identity issued by Foreign Affairs and Trade for travel purposes
- A certificate of evidence of resident status.
You must provide two different documents from this list:
- Certificate of Identity or Document of Identity issued by Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Convention travel document secondary (United Nations) issued by Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Foreign government-issued documents (for example, driver licence)
- Medicare card
- Enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission
- Security guard or crowd control photo licence
- Evidence of the right to an Australian government benefit (Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs)
- Consular photo identity card issued by Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Photo identity card issued to an officer by a police force
- Photo identity card issued by the Australian Defence Force
- Photo identity card issued by the Australian government or a state or territory government
- Aviation Security Identification Card
- Maritime Security Identification card
- Australian tertiary or secondary student photo identity document
- Certified academic transcript from an Australian university
- Trusted referee’s report.
Note: Credit or debit cards cannot be used as proof of identity. Make sure the documents are clear and easy to read to avoid delays in processing your application.
What if my name has changed?
If your name is different to those on your documents, you must provide one of the following:
- marriage certificate issued in Australia
- divorce papers showing the name you reverted to
- deed poll (issued before November 1986 in Victoria)
- Change of Name Certificate (issued after November 1986 in Victoria).
To ensure you’re fit and well enough to provide CPV services, you must complete your medical self-assessment.
Your application may be approved or declined based on the result of your medical check. You’ll need to repeat the check at least once every three years.
Complete this process via the user portal.
Pay your fee by card through the user portal.
Please note that application fees are non-refundable.
The fees are:
| Application for driver accreditation | $76.30 |
| Application for driver accreditation via mutual recognition | $29.40 |
| Driver accreditation annual fee (paid every 12 months) | $34.00 |
Processing your application
After paying the application fee and submitting your online application, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Do not reply to this email as this mailbox is not monitored.
The confirmation email advises what you need to do next. If you don’t receive the confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your junk and/or spam folders.
We’ll review your application and let you know as soon as possible if it’s approved. We may ask for more information or documents.
Your application could be denied if your medical or police check doesn’t meet requirements, but you can request a review. Find out about national police history checks.
Accredited bodies, police agencies and ACIC collaborate to process police checks.
Their goal is to complete 95 per cent of checks within 10 business days. Around 70 per cent of checks are instant, while the remaining 30 per cent are manually processed by police agencies due to ‘potential matches’.
Checks might take longer due to old records, incomplete records, data transfer and workload. It is possible for them to take more than 10 days.
For more information, visit the ACIC website.
We only use your contact details to contact you about your driver accreditation and the industry.
If your application is successful, the following will also display on our Public Register:
- your name
- driver certificate number (for example, DC12345)
- if you can provide wheelchair accessible services.
For more information, read our privacy policy. You can also read the Victoria Protective Data Security Standards.
If you believe the information on your police check is incorrect, you must contact us and ask for a review within 28 days. Please note that court findings or sentences cannot be reviewed.
You need to tell us what is incorrect and provide as much information as possible. We’ll then advise the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission ACIC who will inform the police agency to investigate your dispute.
ACIC will advise us of the result of their investigation, and we will then notify you in writing.
Using your vehicle as a CPV
If you want to use your vehicle to provide CPV services in Victoria, you must:
- Register it with us and decide which kinds of trips you want to offer
- Pass a vehicle inspection
- Ensure proper vehicle identification is displayed.
You must own the vehicle in order to register it with us. This includes joint ownership or using it under a hire-purchase agreement. The vehicle cannot already be registered as a CPV; you can check if it is on the Public Register.
Find out more about using your vehicle here.
A booking service provider (BSP) is a person or business who:
- Receives requests for CPV trips and arranges for CPV drivers to provide services, or
- Owns, operates or controls a system that helps CPV drivers to accept trips.
You can either work under an existing BSP or register as a BSP. To join an existing BSP you must contact them directly.
Generally, anyone who receives CPV requests from passengers and forwards them to drivers must be registered as a BSP.Exceptions to this rule include:
- Individuals or organisations with one or two CPVs registered in their name, who accept bookings only for those specific vehicles.
- Individuals or organisations who receive CPV requests and arrange their acceptance only incidentally, not as a core part of their business.
- Individuals or organisations with an agreement with a registered BSP to use their information for providing an online service that allows someone to book a CPV service offered by the registered BSP. This could include aggregated service providers (sometimes known as Mobility as a Service or MaaS) that enable travellers to plan, book, and pay for various types of public and private transport.
Any vehicle owner wishing to become an independent service provider must provide Safe Transport Victoria with their bank account details. You can do this via this form.
Accreditation conditions
The Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 sets out offences relating to accreditation and registration of other industry participants.
A driver must:
- Not provide CPV services with a vehicle that is not registered as one
- Not take bookings from an unregistered booking service provider
- Sign their certificate of accreditation on receipt
- Keep their certificate of accreditation in good condition and make sure it’s legible. (If it’s difficult to read, then please contact us to order a new copy.)
- Carry their certificate of accreditation when driving
- Produce their certificate of accreditation when asked
- Notify us if they change their address and return their certificate of accreditation to us
- Notify other relevant industry participants (for example, their booking service provider or the vehicle owner) of suspension or cancellation of their driver accreditation
- Not retain a certificate if their accreditation is suspended or cancelled.