Regional Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Taxi Service Grant Scheme

The first grant round of the 2024/2025 financial year will launch in September 2024. There have been some changes made to the grant for this round:

• Following feedback from previous rounds, the grant amounts have increased to align more closely with the costs of purchasing and converting a suitable WAV.
• There will be two rounds in the 2024/2025 financial year – one in September 2024 and one at the start of 2025.
• All applicants are invited to apply directly via the DoT Grants website. 
• Grant payments will be staged. The initial funds will be released after the grant is awarded, with the further payment being issued by DoT directly to the organisation installing the WAV equipment.

In 2022-2023, the Department of Transport awarded $245,000 in grants to on-demand transport operators in five major regional centres to improve their accessible transport service offerings – see below for 2022-23 Grant recipients.

The first round of the 2023-2024 financial year targeted Margaret River, with online and in-person consultation completed in late May 2023 and a Grant awarded in July 2023 – see below for recipient details.

More than one grant may be awarded if a round includes multiple towns (maximum of one Grant per town). Applications will be assessed against other applications seeking a grant for the same town. 

To be eligible for grant funding, the applicant must be able to answer yes to the following eligibility criteria:

• Must hold, or be willing and eligible to hold, an on demand booking service (ODBS) authorisation, or provide evidence of an affiliation to an existing ODBS based in the relevant regional area.
• Submit a business case demonstrating the ongoing viability of the business, driver competence and previous experience (or an understanding) of WAV passenger transport services.
• Provide detailed costs and quotes for the purchase and/or modification of a suitable vehicle, the installation of WAV equipment and the purchase and installation of the required taxi equipment. 

Your application will be subject to confirmation of the current availability of WAV taxi services in your region. This includes DoT checking the ongoing sustainability and demand for WAV taxi services in the region.

Applications for the Regional WAV Taxi Service Grant open on Thursday 19 September 2024 and close on Thursday 17 October 2024.

All applications and supporting documentation must be submitted online via the DoT Grants website.
Your application will need to include the below information:

• on-demand booking service (ODBS) authorisation or affiliation (if already held);
• passenger transport driver (PTD) authorisation details (if already held);
• Australian Business Number (ABN) (if applicable);
• Business case to support your application (including business and operating costs and the viability of the service for three years);
• any previous experience providing passenger transport services to people with disability;
• how you will meet WAV driver training and competency requirements; and
• how you plan to obtain and/or modify your WAV and associated quotes.

You are encouraged to discuss your proposal with the On-demand Transport team before you submit an application – email odtgrants@transport.wa.gov.au or call us on 13 11 56.

When submissions close, all applications will be assessed for their eligibility. 

The Regional WAV Taxi Service Grants Committee will evaluate applications and make recommendations for approval to the Minister for Transport. 

The Committee consists of representatives from State Government agencies including the Department of Transport and the Department of Communities.

The grant funding will be released in two stages:

• Initial funding will be released after the grant is awarded.
• The remaining payment will be made directly to the organisation installing the WAV equipment after confirmation of a quote and booking with the installer have been provided to DoT.

How you can use the Grant funding depends on how you obtain your WAV taxi. You can either:

• modify a vehicle (up to five years old) that you already own, or purchase a vehicle to modify with suitable equipment, including a wheelchair hoist and restraint systems; or
• purchase an existing WAV that is up to five years old and already fitted out with suitable equipment.

All WAVs must meet certain standards and legislative requirements referred to in the Transport (Road Passenger Services) Regulations 2020. Visit Wheelchair accessible vehicles for more information. 

Regional WAV operators often use companies in the Perth metropolitan area to undertake vehicle modifications, and then have vehicle delivered to their location.

Note: used or second-hand equipment, and/or partial installations are not eligible for the Grant.

Imported WAVs

DoT is aware of several models of vehicle that can be an imported WAV, intended to be used as WAV taxis. Many models of imported WAV do not meet the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport and cannot be used to provide WAV taxi services in WA.

Visit the Wheelchair accessible vehicles page for more information about imported WAVs.

Grant recipients will need to operate an on-demand transport business to provide WAV taxi services.

To do this, successful recipients will be required to obtain the below authorisations (if you don’t hold these already) and meet their associated responsibilities.

On-demand booking service (ODBS) authorisation

You will need to either:

• hold your own ODBS authorisation; or
• affiliate with an authorised ODBS.

Passenger transport vehicle (PTV) authorisation

To operate a taxi, your vehicle needs a PTV authorisation in the “on-demand rank or hail” category. You must install all necessary equipment, including:

• a working fare calculation device (meter) that has been installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions;
• roof light and roof sign that are clearly visible in daylight;
• external livery (the name of the ODBS); 
• a camera surveillance unit that meets the required standards, and signage on the inside and outside of the vehicle advising passengers that a camera is installed; and
• taxi plates affixed.

New on-demand rank or hail (taxi) PTV authorisations will be issued with taxi plates. The PTV authorisation holder must also declare that they undertake to attach raised lettering (tactile signage and braille of the taxi plate number) once the taxi plates are received.

Taxi vehicle interiors must display the ODBS: 

• authorisation number/s
• contact information; and
• fare schedule.

Passenger transport driver (PTD) authorisation

All drivers must get and maintain a passenger transport driver (PTD) authorisation.

Please email us at odtgrants@transport.wa.gov.au for further details about authorisation requirements for Grant recipients.

Successful Grant recipients must maintain operation of a WAV taxi in their region for a period of three years from the date of Grant approval.

To retain the funding, you (or the organisation you represent) must also ensure you remain the sole:

• vehicle owner;
• vehicle licence holder; and
• holder of the passenger transport vehicle (PTV) authorisation.

Note: you must advise DoT if your vehicle ownership, licensing or PTV authorisation situation changes at any point.

Grant recipients must also:

• familiarise themselves with how to accept Taxi User Subsidy Scheme vouchers;
• use electronic booking and dispatch equipment for all passenger transport bookings;
• set fares up to or below the maximum metered fare amount for rank or hail (taxi) trips; and
• provide a subset of their booking/journey records to DoT electronically through DoTDirect each month.