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Tourism passenger transport services
The Transport (Road Passenger Services) Act 2018 (the Act) introduces changes to the licensing of tourism, as well as the regular and on-demand passenger transport industries.
What are tourism passenger transport services?
Tourism passenger transport (TPT) is the transport of passengers (tourists) for hire or reward to destinations listed on a publicly available tour itinerary for the purposes of tourism.
The itinerary should include start and finish times, locations and type of attractions visited. Publicly available can be in the form of:
- website listings, (including social media);
- a public noticeboard (e.g. at a shopping centre, via Gumtree); or
- available on request, for example an obligation free quote and suggested itinerary provided by email.
What if I also offer on-demand services?
Many tourism operators offer or want to offer services which include both tourism and on-demand
passenger transport types.
A trip will be considered an on-demand transport service if:
- It is in or partly within Western Australia; and
- The passenger (hirer) determines, or substantially determines:
- the location for the beginning of the trip; and
- the location for the end of the trip; and
- the time of travel.
If a tourism operator provides any on-demand transport trips, or would like to begin offering these trips within the next 12 months, then they must apply for an on-demand transport booking service (ODBS) authorisation.
Visit On-demand booking services for more information about ODBS authorisation and responsibilities.
A tour itinerary can be customised to an extent and still remain a tourism service (and not an on-demand service). The main difference between tourism and on-demand services is the level of control the passenger has over start and finish times and start and finish locations – if the passenger determines these things, then it is an on-demand trip.
The below table describes the level of customisation that can occur before tourism becomes on-demand.
| Itinerary | Customisation of services |
|---|---|
| Start / finish location | A range of pick up and drop off locations can be included in the tour itinerary such as specific hotels, or accommodation in a specific area (e.g. ‘Perth CBD hotels’), an airport, train or bus stations, visitor centres or local attractions. The passenger (hirer) may specify a pick up or drop off location from the range provided. |
| Start / finish times | A range of start and finish times can be included in the tour itinerary. For example, pick up times could be “morning” or “between 9am and 10am”. Tours can be for a “full day”, “half day” or specified e.g. “3 hours”. |
| Tour stops and inclusions |
A range of attractions and stops within the region can be included in the tour itinerary such as wineries, retail outlets, historical sites, caves, parks, beaches or restaurants. The itinerary does not have to specify exact sites, just the type of attractions to be visited. The locations visited and inclusions can be customised to the passengers interest, so long as they do not substantively change the start and finish times and locations. |
The Passenger transport industry fact sheet: A Guide for tourism operators below explains this in further detail.
| A guide for tourism operators: Passenger transport industry fact sheet | Kb | |
Responsibilities of TPTs
Safety
Under the Act, TPT service providers must ensure the health and safety of their passengers and drivers.
From 2 July 2019, TPT providers must develop and maintain a Safety Management System. A Safety Management System is a set of policies, procedures and plans that systematically manage health and safety at work by identifying safety risks and putting in place steps to mitigate them.
DoT has provided resources to assist operators to develop safety management systems. Visit Safety management for authorised booking services for supporting resources.
Authorisation
Vehicles used for TPT services must have a passenger transport vehicle (PTV) authorisation in the appropriate category or categories – either On-demand Charter, Tourism Passenger Transport or both. There is no extra cost for PTVs with multiple categories.
See Passenger transport vehicles for further information about PTV categories and authorisation requirements.
TPT services, such as tour companies, do not require on-demand booking service authorisation if they solely undertake tourism passenger transport. However, if an individual or business takes bookings for any on-demand trips, it will be required to apply for an on-demand booking service authorisation. For further information, please refer to On-demand booking services.