Victorian Government – $22.7million COVID-19 Assistance Package for the CPV Industry

Victorian government have announced a $22.7million COVID-19 assistance package for the CPV industry – one of the largest support packages in the country for the taxi and hire car industry and it will be implemented in August 2020.

It includes:-

• Doubling the wheelchair lifting fee from $20.80 to $41.60 per lift for accessible vehicles
• Increasing the MPTP fund from 50 percent to 70 percent
• Subsidising taxi drivers $250 per month for each active operational taxi vehicle

• Cleaning and sanitation grants program covering both regional and metro Booking Service Providers (BSPs)
• Rebating CPV drivers the $1 levy paid from April to June 2020
• $1million fund for regional taxi BSPs where significant community detriment can be demonstrated without additional government assistance
• CPVV regulatory fees are currently waived
• $1500 COVID-19 Worker Support Payment for drivers who contract the virus or are required to self-isolate.
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Hire cars (which includes rideshare drivers) are an important link in the transport chain and many hire car operators are accessing JobKeeper or JobSeeker and qualify for other government small business grants.

Rod Barton, Leader Transport Matters Party, came into Parliament to represent the taxi and hire car industry, to hold the government to account and, when needed, work with the government in addressing the challenges that the industry faces.  It was definitely due to Rod's input, advice and diligence that the Victorian CPV industry has received such a substantial funding allocation and this package is the best and most targeted CPV funding package in Australia.

Rod has worked very closely with the current Minister for Transport, Ben Carroll, previous Minister for Transport, Melissa Horne and Member for Oakleigh, Steve Dimopoulos.

“The government took a risk in asking me, a non-government member, to be part of a Commercial Passenger Vehicle (CPV) Advisory Panel with the task of advising the Minister for Transport on measures to assist the CVP industry during this time,” said Mr Barton.  

And it's not over yet.  Rod will continue on the CPV Advisory Panel to identify further opportunities to utilise CPVs, assist and oversee the implementation of this assistance package and to undertake a further review in three months. This will complement the already agreed role to implement any government endorsed recommendations from the Inquiry into the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017 Reforms that was undertaken late last year and due for response by the end of 2020.