General information and updates

• Esplanade station: New set-down and pick-up bay
• Seatbelt Regulations: Taxi and Omnibus Operators

Esplanade train station: New set-down and pick-up bay - June 2009

There is a new set-down/pick-up bay on Mounts Bay Road next to the Esplanade train station.

Taxis can use the bay to drop off passengers and to pick up hirings. Taxis are encouraged to use the new set-down/pick-up bay for train passengers, tourists, and office workers from surrounding businesses.

• The taxi stand in the Esplanade Busport is still working for bus-related hirings.
• The general public can also use the new bay to pick up and drop off family members using the train station or accessing surrounding businesses and venues.
• The bay has a 5 minute limit – taxis and other vehicles parked there for longer than 5 minutes can be infringed.
• Prior to the installation of the bay, taxis stopping illegally on Mounts Bay Road posed a traffic hazard, compromised passenger safety, and risked infringement.

The existing taxi stand within the Esplanade Busport is difficult for some customers to locate, especially the elderly and people with disabilities. The Busport can also be confusing for taxi drivers to navigate, resulting in reduced safety and infringements.

The new bay on Mounts Bay Road gives taxi drivers an alternative to using the Esplanade Busport and offers customers easier access to taxis.

Seatbelt Regulations – Taxi and Omnibus Operators - January 2009

‘Regulations relating to the failure to wear seatbelts have not changed for Taxi and Omnibus operators.’

The regulations (effective from March 2008) stating that the driver of the vehicle is responsible for ensuring every passenger (regardless of age), wears a correctly fitted seatbelt, do not apply to Taxi drivers and Omnibus operators.
 
Taxi and Omnibus operators will remain responsible for ensuring passengers between the ages 1 and 16 years use seatbelts.  Passengers aged over 16 years who use Taxi and Omnibus services are still responsible for their individual safety and are liable for the $500 penalty for failing to wear a seatbelt.

The exemption to regulation 233 will have no effect on bus drivers. Bus drivers who have previously been exempt from regulation 233 of the Road Traffic Code 2000 will continue to be exempt. This means they are not liable for passengers aged between 1 and 16 who are not wearing seat belts, and they do not have to ensure they are wearing one.

The Table below indicates the (infringement) penalties for drivers with unrestrained passengers.  These penalties are relevant to Taxi drivers and Omnibus operators if a passenger is aged between 1 and 16 years.

Infringement penalties