Wheelchair-accessible taxi, Geelong

Disabled transportation service for Geelong and district

Geelong Taxi Network has a Special Services team and a fleet of cabs dedicated to providing transportation services in Geelong and the surrounding Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast regions. Our on-site call centre assists people who have special needs, including NDIS participants and those requiring wheelchair transport. All special needs passengers are allocated a Gold Care driver who has undergone extensive training to meet passengers’ special needs.

Our Special Care Team liaises closely with clients and care providers, looking after the taxi requirements of people with a disability, the elderly and those recovering from injuries or health issues. We work with organisations such as Veterans Affairs, Barwon Health, Work Safe, the Transport Accident Commission and many disability care providers and we welcome inquiries from organisations requiring wheelchair taxis in Geelong and surrounding districts.

Geelong wheelchair transport options

Our fleet of around thirty Maxi Taxis comprises Toyota Commuter vehicles which can fit up to two wheelchairs and have a passenger capacity of between four and 10 people. Maxi Taxis are a popular option for groups and booking in advance is recommended, where possible.

High demand periods for wheelchair-friendly maxi taxi in Geelong: Weekdays 8am-9am and 3pm-4pm and Friday and Saturday nights.

Drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis receive special training to meet the needs of people with a disability, whether they are in a wheelchair or ambulant. Geelong Taxi Network provides a high standard of customer service for passengers travelling in any of our cabs.

People in a wheelchair using a wheel-accessible Maxi Taxi pay a standard taxi fare. Premium high-occupancy rate fares apply only for single hirings for five or more passengers or where a passenger insists on a maxi cab regardless of the number of passengers, such as when transporting bulky items or large amounts of luggage.

The use of Multi Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) Card issued by the State Government in both in conventional and wheelchair-accessible taxi-cabs attracts the fare discount payable by the Government.

If you are a passenger, parent, carer or coordinator and need to book transport for yourself or a passenger in a wheelchair for Christmas Day, please call our Maxi Call Centre on 03 52 785 785 by 6pm Tuesday 17th December to secure a booking.

Please contact Geelong Taxi Network online or call on 03 52 785 785 to book a wheelchair-accessible taxi in Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast.

Introduction of Non MPTP Lifting Fee

Since 2017 when the Victorian State government deregulated the taxi-cab industry, Geelong Taxi Network has been working closely with the Victorian Taxi Association and the State government to fix funding issues facing wheelchair taxi-cab fleets across the state.

The funding issue is simple; the charges to customers being transported by a sedan or in a wheelchair accessible maxi are the same, even though the purchase price, maintenance and fuelling costs of a wheelchair accessible maxi taxi are almost three times that of a sedan. This doesn’t include the extra skills, training and additional time taken by drivers to ensure they are providing the utmost care and support to wheelchair passengers when they travel.

With additional costs financially and more time needed for drivers, the State government compensate with a lifting fee introduced many years ago. The State government have consistently increased this fee. The lifting fee has been in place for MPTP card holders for some years but currently this fee is not paid by the State government for non-MPTP (M30) card holders, or non MPTP members.

As the costs to operate these vehicles are the same for every passenger and to ensure we continue providing a wheelchair accessible service within our Network, we will be introducing a non-MPTP lifting fee for all wheelchair customers (including those who do not hold an M31 card) from Monday 4th December 2023. By providing you with this notice, we trust this gives you plenty to time to apply or upgrade your MPTP coverage.

To provide consistency across our wheelchair accessible fleet, for passengers that do not hold a valid M31 card, a lifting fee of $30 will be added to their fare. We appreciate this may some cause financial concern for non MPTP card holders in the short term, so we have included some information on how to apply for a M31 MPTP Card or upgrade your existing M30 card below. We have also attached the Safe Transport Vic brochure for your reference.

We urge you to upgrade your MPTP coverage. The benefit to you and your customer means unlimited travel support instead of the capped value each year. To help you start the process for upgrading your M30 card, simply follow the steps below.

How to apply or upgrade to a WAT approved M31 Card:

  1. A medical assessment is to be completed online by your doctor. This medical assessment can be found at: https://safetransport.vic.gov.au/on-the-road/multi-purpose-taxi-program/mptp-members/#how-to-apply-for-mptp-membership
  2. Once this is medical assessment is received by Safe Transport Victoria (STV) a request for consent will be posted to you. When you have completed the request to consent, send it back to STV using the details provided. Once STV receive your consent, please allow 14 working days for a decision to be made.
  3. STV will notify you in writing about the outcome of your application.