Passenger Transport Newsletter #96 – 3 December 2025

To support industry, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (the Department) publishes a quarterly newsletter on key topics for the Point-to-Point industry.

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Centralised Booking Services are encouraged to forward this email onto drivers and operators.

In this issue:

• Maximum taxi fare indexation
• Vehicle age increase
• Refusing assistance animals
• Reminder for taxi drivers to accept SATSS vouchers
• SATSS Journeys and $2 Levy
• Digital Journey to Work Scheme Transition
• Multiple SATSS Trips

Maximum taxi fare indexation

The maximum metropolitan general taxi fare increased on Thursday 27 November 2025. The maximum taxi fare increase is in line with the Government’s indexation rate of 3.1%.

Operators will need to ensure a new maximum taxi fare sticker is affixed to the taxi vehicle before they start charging the new fares.  Operators are to liaise with their nominated Centralised Booking Services (CBS) to obtain a new maximum taxi fare sticker.

Vehicle age limit extended

From 27 November 2025, the following vehicle age limits apply.

Metropolitan taxis, rideshare and small passenger chauffeur vehicles

Vehicle age limits will be extended by two years to ten years for:

• metropolitan general taxis
• other vehicles operating under a Small Passenger Vehicle (Metropolitan) Accreditation (rideshare and metropolitan chauffeur plated point to point vehicles) for the purposes of passenger transport.

This change is being implemented as an interim arrangement, pending further engagement on the Passenger Transport Act Review recommendations on vehicle age limits.

Access taxis

The age limit for metropolitan access taxis is 14 years. This is a transitional arrangement pending the outcome of the current market sounding process to identify a future model for the delivery of accessible transport services in South Australia.

Stretch limousines

The maximum vehicle age limit for stretch limousines with a capacity of 12 seats or less, including the driver, that are accredited as small passenger vehicles will be removed, meaning no vehicle age limit will apply to these vehicles.

Stretch limousines with a seating capacity of 13 seats or more, including the driver, accredited as large passenger vehicles will be allowed extensions beyond the existing age limit of 25 years up to a maximum of 30 years. Extension will be given where:

• the vehicle meets appropriate standards for passenger safety and comfort determined by the Minister; or
• there are other exceptional circumstances that justify the approval of the use of an older vehicle.

An operator may apply for an age limit exemption for stretch limousines that are accredited as large passenger vehicles based on their current plan of operation by submitting the MR327 - Application to operate a vehicle beyond the maximum vehicle age limit form and a current Certificate of Inspection.

Refusing working animals

It is illegal for a passenger transport service operator or driver to refuse to stop or provide access to a person accompanied by a working animal, including an assistance dog or any other animal trained to assist a person to alleviate the effect of a disability.

Refusing to carry passengers with a working animal is a breach of accreditation conditions. Reported breaches are investigated by the Department’s compliance team and referred to the Passenger Transport Standards Committee. Refusal to transport a person with a working animal, can lead to severe consequences for drivers. This may include:

• fines
• suspension, or
• revocation of a driver’s accreditation.

To learn more about your responsibility to passengers accompanied by working animals you can refer to:

• the Passenger Transport Regulations 2024
• your Centralised Booking Service

Reminder for taxi drivers to accept SATSS vouchers

SATSS vouchers or cards can be accepted by a driver when:

• it is presented by a person accompanying a SATSS member(such as a carer)
• the SATSS member is present for the journey

As per the SATSS Conditions of Use for Drivers and Operators, taxi drivers must accept interstate subsidised taxi paper vouchers when presented by interstate visitors. The paper voucher must be issued by their jurisdiction’s relevant transport agency.

A paper voucher may be accompanied with a Letter of Authority from the relevant transport agency, however drivers must still accept a voucher even if a Letter of Authority is not provided.

Drivers should only charge the member the subsidised fare.

For the driver to be reimbursed accordingly, they must:

• ensure all fields on the voucher are completed
• provide the voucher to their operator or CBS to be processed by the Department.

SATSS Journeys and $2 Levy

On 1 July 2025, the point-to-point transport service transaction levy increased from $1 to $2.

This levy is fully subsidised by the Department for SATSS journeys and is already included in the fare.

Drivers and operators must:

• not charge SATSS members this levy
• ensure fares are correctly calculated by:
• operating the meter in accordance with the Passenger Transport Act and Regulations
• using the SATSS mobile application to determine the member’s payable portion.

Digital Journey to Work Scheme Transition

The Department is digitising the Journey to Work Scheme (JTWS). This will transition eligible members from a paper-based voucher system into a digital system.

Not all members will transition to the digital JTWS at the same time. So, drivers must still accept blue paper JTWS vouchers until further notice.

A new or separate card is not required for digital JTWS. Once members have transitioned, they will use their existing barcoded SATSS member ID card to present to drivers for scanning. The SATSS mobile application will prompt a driver to advise if the journey is a JTWS, with the trip management automatically calculated by the Department’s SATSS database.

All Access Taxi drivers were contacted by SATSS regarding the digital JTWS on 21 October 2025.

If you have any questions about the digital JTWS please contact SATSS during business hours on 1300 360 840.

Multiple SATSS Trips

Drivers are reminded all SATSS members are now able to request to use multiple SATSS trips to subsidise longer, high-fared journeys.

How does it work?

Record a SATSS journey using your SATSS app by scanning the barcode on a SATSS Member ID Card at the start and end of the journey.

Enter the booking number and the total metered fare displayed on the meter into the app. The app will automatically calculate the total amount payable by the passenger, taking into account the subsidy, the $2 levy and lifting fee (if applicable).

Where the metered fare is over $41, the app will give the driver the option to ask the SATSS member if they would like to use 1, 2 or 3 trips to subsidise their fare, depending on the total fare amount.  The number of subsidised trips to be used can be adjusted by selecting the + or – trips signs underneath the total amount payable by the passenger.

The number of trips available to use is dependent on the total metered fare, with the maximum subsidy allowance applied per $40 of the fare.