CPV registration

Applicants must own the vehicle to register it as a Commercial Passenger Vehicle.

Ownership includes:

• joint ownership of a vehicle (owning it with someone else)
• any entity who has the use of a vehicle under a hiring or hire-purchase agreement that has not been paid out, and
• any entity in whose name a vehicle is registered under the Road Safety Act 1986 (such as registered with VicRoads or an equivalent interstate body).

If you wish to provide Unbooked (taxi) services, you will need to have the vehicle registered at VicRoads in the name of the applicant.

If your application is approved, your vehicle is registered to provide Booked services by default.

Booked services (rideshare) are CPV services that are pre-booked by a passenger, either over the phone or via an app.

Unbooked services (taxi rank and hail work) are CPV services that are not pre-booked and are instead obtained directly from a taxi rank or hailed on the street.

WAVs are designed or modified to carry one or more people seated in a wheelchair (depending on the vehicle type) and between four and 11 passengers, when not configured to carry wheelchairs.

CPVs which provide WAV services must:

• be modified to carry people who use a wheelchair, and
• comply with the specifications for WAVs relating to accommodation space, hoist and ramp requirements, and restraint systems.

WAVs are required to give priority to bookings by people who use wheelchairs but may be used to carry other passengers when not engaged with wheelchair bookings.

For more information about Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, please click here.

*These fees are non-refundable.

Fees can be paid using a valid Visa or Mastercard.

For more information on Refunds, please see our Refund Policy.

After paying the application fee and submitting your application online, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Safe Transport Victoria. The email will contain information on what to do next, depending on the type of service(s) you have indicated you intend to provide. Please DO NOT reply to this email.

If you are yet to receive the confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your junk and/or spam folders to see if it is there.

Booked-only applications are approved as soon as you submit your online application and receive a confirmation email.

Applications for Commercial Passenger Vehicle registration that provide Unbooked services and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) services are usually approved within 10 business days.

Please note, if you have nominated a Booked plate number, you can still provide Booked services while your Unbooked/WAV application is being processed.

If you want to use your vehicle to provide only Booked services, your vehicle must pass an annual inspection by a VicRoads Licensed Vehicle Tester or by Redbook, the vehicle tester approved by Safe Transport Victoria.

You must be able to produce evidence of the passed inspection, on request. This evidence can be in an electronic format.

VicRoads offers Vehicle Hire (VH) number plates for vehicles registered to provide Booked only services. They are not available for vehicles providing both Booked and Unbooked services. To obtain VH plates, visit VicRoads or contact the VicRoads Customer Service Centre on 13 11 71.

If you want to use your vehicle to provide Unbooked services, you must provide a Roadworthy Certificate (RWC) when you present a vehicle to VicRoads for registration purposes. This applies to all new and second-hand vehicles presented (including Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV).

You must provide a Roadworthy Certificate (RWC) from an authorised VicRoads Licensed Vehicle Tester. The inspection should occur after all equipment, including security cameras (if applicable), wheelchair hoists (if applicable), fare calculation devices and payment terminals have been installed.

Failure to provide a post-installation RWC will result in the vehicle’s registration being rejected.

For Unbooked or WAV vehicles, the roadworthy inspection by a Licensed Vehicle Tester (LVT) must occur after all required equipment has been installed.

Third party property damage insurance is not required by law. However, it is highly recommended that vehicle owners have insurance appropriate to the type of service they provide. Some insurers have insurance specific to CPV services.

You must nominate on the online form if you intend to use the vehicle to provide Unbooked services (taxi rank and hail work) in addition to Booked services.

Vehicles providing Unbooked services need to meet additional requirements, which include:

• fare information – this must be clearly displayed on the inside and outside of the vehicle
• fare calculation devices – must be installed, fully functioning and needs to comply with fare calculation device specifications
• security cameras – for Unbooked commercial passenger services starting in the Melbourne metropolitan zone or the urban and large regional zone, a security camera must be installed, operating, and comply with Commercial Passenger Vehicle security camera specifications
• electronic transaction terminals – must be available and able to process Multi Purpose Taxi Program transactions
• tactile registration number signs – must be fitted to the exterior of passenger doors, forward of, or level with, the door handles
• number plates authorised by Safe Transport Victoria – must be fitted, identifying that the vehicle may lawfully provide Unbooked services.

Vehicles providing unbooked services in regional and country Victoria must comply with the above requirements.

Note that additional requirements apply if the vehicle is also intended to provide Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) services. For more information about Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle requirements, please click here.

Vehicles used for providing Unbooked services (those hailed or from a rank) in the Melbourne metropolitan, urban and large regional zones must have an approved and functional security camera installed.

A list of approved security cameras can be found here.

The camera must be switched on at all times during an Unbooked service. The camera system must also have a visual indicator showing when the camera is operational or when there is a malfunction.

The indicator light must be clearly visible to the driver when seated in the normal driving position and is generally mounted into or attached to the dashboard of the vehicle on the driver’s side of the steering column.

The security camera specification outlines the basic requirements for how security cameras should work, protect data and produce clear images in CPVs.

Before installing a new camera, you need to apply for approval via the Security Camera Specifications and Approval Process Guidelines.

If an incident is reported to Safe Transport Victoria or Victoria Police, footage from security cameras can be downloaded and used to investigate the reported incident.

Only Safe Transport Victoria’s authorised officers are permitted to download images from camera systems. Vehicle owners and drivers aren’t authorised to have access to images collected by the camera systems under any circumstances.

All requests for security camera footage must be submitted via Victoria Police. This process is managed internally by Victoria Police, and members of the public are not required to complete any forms.

Ensuring the privacy of passengers and drivers is paramount. These cameras are used to record incidents in CPVs for investigative purposes only. Images of everyday passenger trips are not viewed or retained by any person.

The Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 (the Act) also prohibits a person from making an audio recording of any passenger in a CPV. This covers recordings made on all devices, including mobile phones, security cameras and Dictaphones. Substantial penalties apply for non-compliance.

A replacement for damaged unbooked (taxi) plates can be ordered from VicRoads, who will inform you once the new plates are ready to be collected. You must return any damaged plates to them when you receive the replacement.

If your plates are lost or stolen, contact us to request a new set of plates. You will be asked to provide the following details: **

• registered CPV owner name(s)
• commercial passenger vehicle (CPV) registration number
• business or residential address
• email address or contact phone number
• current plate number (for example, M1234)
• number of plates lost or stolen
• a police report (or police report number) that has all the above details noted.
• a statutory declaration containing all the above information, including the police report number received regarding this matter.

** Failure to provide all this information may result in delays to this process and the replacement of your plates.

After you request a new set of plates from Safe Transport Victoria, we will:

• update your CPV registration and send you an email confirming your new plate number. We will also send you an Authority to Register (ATR) form. A copy of this form will be sent to VicRoads along with your new plates.
• ask you to confirm the details of your vehicle registration appointment at either VicRoads or Road Safety Inspections. Please respond to this request at least seven days before your appointment so we can ensure your new plates have arrived for your inspection.
• Send your new plates to the location you specified and update the Public Register on the day of your inspection appointment.

Note that lost or stolen plates cannot be reissued and must be replaced with a new number.

If you change your plate number for a vehicle that is already registered as a CPV, you do not need to reapply. You should notify us via email that the plate number of the same vehicle has changed and request us to update our records.

Please email [email protected] with the subject line “New Plate Number” and include the following information:

• Name of applicant
• Previous plate number
• New plate number
• CPV reference number (if available)
• DC Number (if applicable)

We will email you with confirmation of the change.

You will be required to pay an annual fee to keep your vehicle registered as a CPV. You will receive an invoice, including payment instructions for the annual fee, 90 days before the due date. Invoices will be issued at the same time each year.

If you do not pay by the due date, your CPV registration will be cancelled.

If you no longer require your CPV registration or have sold your vehicle, you can surrender the CPV registration online via the ST Vic User Portal.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the ST Vic User Portal
2. Select “My Vehicles” from the menu
3. Search for the Plate Number/s you wish to surrender
4. Click the ‘Surrender’ button to the right of your CPV registration, as it appears on the User Portal.
5. When the dialog box appears, select ‘Confirm’ to proceed. This action will immediately surrender the CPV registration for the vehicle.

Please ensure you surrender the correct CPV registration. Once you have surrendered the CPV registration, your vehicle plate number will no longer appear on the Public Register and your vehicle will not be able to provide CPV services. If you wish to resume CPV services using your vehicle, you will need to register it again.

If you wish to change the type of service provided for a vehicle that is already registered as a CPV, you do not need to reapply.

Please email [email protected] and include the following information:

• Full name
• Address
• Current plate number
• CPV reference number
• Your intention to update your registration type from Booked only to Unbooked services

We will process your new Unbooked service request within 10 working days.

In these conditions:

ST Vic means Safe Transport Victoria, the trading name given to the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Commission, which is the regulator for the purposes of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017.

ST Vic approved inspection means an inspection undertaken by a Licensed Vehicle Tester according to a process approved under the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Inspection Approval Policy.

Electronic transaction terminal means any electronic terminal or user interface that has been approved by ST Vic to electronically process Multi-Purpose Taxi Program transactions.

Multi-Purpose Taxi Program or MPTP is the program providing subsidised Commercial Passenger Vehicle transport for persons with a severe and permanent disability, administered by ST Vic.

Part 3 permission holder means the person in whose name the vehicle is registered under Part 3 of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017.

Registered vehicle means the vehicle that is registered as a Commercial Passenger Vehicle under section 40 of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017.

Roadworthy inspection means an inspection completed by a Licensed Vehicle Tester based on requirements set out in the VicRoads document titled, Vehicle Standards Information Bulletin 26 (VSI 26).

Unbooked Commercial Passenger Vehicle service means a Commercial Passenger Vehicle service that is provided other than as a result of the provision of a booking service.

Words that are defined in the Act or in Regulations under the Act have the same meaning in these conditions as in the Act, unless the context provides otherwise.

Your Commercial Passenger Vehicle registration is subject to the following conditions: 

1. The Part 3 permission holder must ensure that:
   1. If the registered vehicle is less than 12 months old when registered as a CPV, then the registered vehicle must pass a roadworthy inspection, or ST Vic approved inspection within 12 months of its date of manufacture and annually thereafter. 
   2. If the registered vehicle is 12 months old or older when registered as a CPV, then the registered vehicle must have passed a roadworthy inspection, or ST Vic approved inspection within the last 12 months, and must do so annually thereafter. 
2. The Part 3 permission holder must provide evidence of having passed an inspection described as required above, when requested by an officer of ST Vic. 
3. The Part 3 permission holder must notify ST Vic in writing within 14 days of becoming aware: 
   1. that they are no longer the owner of the registered vehicle, or 
   2. that they no longer have permission from the owner to use the vehicle as a Commercial Passenger Vehicle. 
4. The Part 3 permission holder must notify ST Vic within 14 days of becoming aware of changes to any details provided at registration, including: 
   1. changes to the Part 3 permission holder’s contact details 
   2. changes to the vehicle’s registration plate number 
   3. whether the vehicle is intended to be used to provide Unbooked Commercial Passenger Vehicle services. 
5. The Part 3 permission holder must not use or permit the registered vehicle to be used to provide Unbooked Commercial Passenger Vehicle services unless the vehicle: 
   1. is fitted with an electronic transaction terminal to process MPTP transactions, and 
   2. has tactile registration number signs fitted to the exterior of passenger doors forward of, and level with, the door handles, and 
   3. is fitted with number plates that have been issued with the written authority of ST Vic, that identify the vehicle as a vehicle that may lawfully provide Unbooked Commercial Passenger Vehicle services. 

Examples: Number plates that are embossed with the word ‘taxi’ or which bear an alphanumeric sequence issued to a licensed taxi prior to 2 July 2018. 

All Commercial Passenger Vehicles must be inspected every 12 months. 

All vehicles providing Unbooked services must: 

• be fitted with a functioning fare calculation device 
• be fitted with a security camera type approved by the regulator, unless it is operated in the country or regional zones  
• have fare information displayed on a notice fixed to the outside of the vehicle so that it’s clearly visible from the left side, and another inside the vehicle that can be read clearly by passengers in all seating positions. 
• have taxi licence plates 
• be fitted with tactile signage. 

If you have a driver accreditation and wish to use someone else’s registered CPV, you need to enter a driver agreement.

A driver agreement is not entered into when the driver is:

• providing Booked Commercial Passenger Vehicle services for a booking service provider (BSP) using the driver’s own car, or
• in an agreement to purchase the vehicle from the owner.

The driver agreement has rules that automatically apply to all drivers, even if they’re not written down in the agreement between the driver and owner. These include:

1. The person with the complaint must tell the other person in writing.
2. Within seven days, the parties must meet to try to resolve the dispute.
3. If they are unable to resolve it, they can use Safe Transport Victoria’s dispute resolution process.
4. The dispute will be assessed, and a decision will be made on whether assistance can be provided by giving advice or by taking action against a person’s accreditation or vehicle registration.
5. If more information is required from the person who made the complaint, they will be given 14 days to provide it. If they don’t provide it, efforts will be made to help and then the case may be closed.
6. If the parties still can’t resolve the dispute, a certificate may be issues that allows them to go to the Victorian Small Business Commissioner (VSBC) or Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for help. If the dispute isn’t resolved through mediation with the VSBC, they may issue a certificate allowing one or both parties to go to VCAT.
7. The parties must go through Safe Transport Victoria’s dispute resolution process before going to either the VSBC or VCAT.

It is encouraged that parties to try to resolve disputes between themselves, wherever possible, at the earliest possible stage.

Parties may contact Safe Transport Victoria about a dispute on 1800 638 802.