Changes to the point to point industry

Access taxi services

The State Government has extended the application of the $25 lifting fee to all South Australian Access Taxi customers who use a wheelchair, scooter or large (ride-on) mobility aide and hold a South Australian Transport Subsidy Scheme (SATSS) member ID card or a non-SATSS Access Taxi Card.

The lifting fee supports drivers to provide the lifting service for eligible Access Taxi trips to ensure customers receive a consistent, accessible and reliable service.

The lifting fee is paid by the South Australian Government and is funded by the $1 levy. There is no additional cost to the customer.

To be eligible for the lifting fee trips must be:

Booked through the Access Centralised Booking Service (Access Taxi CBS). Rank or hail jobs cannot incur a lifting fee.
Tariff 5 (weekdays 6am to 7pm) or Tariff 6 (other times).

The passenger must use a wheelchair, scooter or large (ride-on) mobility aide and also hold a SATSS member ID card or a non-SATSS Access Taxi Card.

Only one lifting fee can be applied per trip.

For non-SATSS trips, the lifting fee is not applicable for trips that are covered under contracted arrangements with facilities such as schools. The lifting fee will apply to access trips booked by hospital staff in an individual capacity and where the metered fare is applied.

For SATSS trips, the lifting fee applies to each booked trip, regardless of whether the SATSS member is claiming the trip as a subsidised trip or paying for it in full.

All non-SATSS customers can apply for a non-SATSS Access Taxi Card. Customers who do not hold a non-SATSS Access Taxi Card can still book an Access Taxi.

A transitional period was in place from Friday 1 December 2023 to Sunday 30 June 2024 that allowed drivers to claim the lifting fee even if a customer did not present a non-SATSS Access Taxi Card. From Monday 1 July 2024 non-SATSS Access Taxi Card holders will be required to present their card to drivers for the lifting fee to be applied.

Learn more about how the lifting fee works.

Inappropriate use of SATSS vouchers, a SATSS Member ID Card or a non-SATSS Access Taxi Card may result in penalties and/or referral to the Passenger Transport Standards Committee for breaches of the Passenger Transport Regulations 2009.

Conditions of Accreditation

From February 2022, new conditions apply to access drivers, operators and licence holders. These replace and clarify the 'Taxi Licences with Special Conditions (Wheelchair Accessible Taxis)' that previously applied. There are separate conditions for: licence holders, operators and drivers.

The conditions reflect the following longstanding principles:

an Access Taxi vehicle should be available at all times during Access Taxi Hours to perform Access Taxi work, and
during Access taxi hours, priority must be given to Access Taxi work assigned or allocated by the contracted Access Taxi CBS.

Conditions can be accessed below:

To support the recent changes to the Lifting Fee, and to clarify drivers’ responsibilities, a new clause 25 was introduced in the above Driver Conditions of Accreditation. The conditions are otherwise unchanged.

Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Rebate for Taxis

Eligible registered taxi owners or operators will receive a $3092.41 rebate for Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance premiums paid between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022. Those registered taxi owners whose vehicle has been registered with them for the full 12 months 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 will be processed first.

A similar payment will be made to eligible registered taxi owners to rebate CTP insurance premiums paid for taxis registered between 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

More information is available in the Compulsory Third Party Rebate fact sheet.

Taxi Vehicle Age Limit Changes

From 25 January 2024, Access Taxis now have a maximum age limit of 12 years.

From 24 August 2023, stretch limousines have a maximum age limit of 20 years. This will apply automatically, without the need to complete a structural assessment.

The metropolitan Adelaide boundary

The South Australian Government has expanded the metropolitan Adelaide boundary under the Passenger Transport Act 1994 to include the Adelaide Hills and Mount Barker Council areas.

Metropolitan taxis, chauffeur, and ridesource (rideshare) services can now operate in the Adelaide Hills and Mount Barker Council areas. These changes are being implemented with the aim of increasing service availability for tourists and locals in low travel density zones.

Country-based taxi and chauffeur operators are able to continue to operate in the Adelaide Hills and Mount Barker Council areas in the same way that they do currently, including by providing point to point services in the new area.

More information is available in the fact sheets below for metropolitan and non-metropolitan service providers:

A map of the new boundary is also available below: