Getting a taxi driver licence

Taxi drivers use taxi licenced vehicles to transport passengers. The drivers are either independently accredited or work for an accredited taxi service operator.

You need to meet the requirements in the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Regulation 2000 and apply for a public vehicle licence.

If approved, you’ll get:

English language standards

To get a ‘T’ taxi driver condition on your ACT driver licence, there are minimum English language standards.

If you’re a citizen of, or hold a passport for these countries, then you don’t need to do an assessment:

English language assessments

If you aren’t a citizen or don’t hold a passport for one of those countries, you’ll need to do an English language assessment.

The assessments test your English language skills for:

Access Canberra will only accept the results of these tests and you must meet the minimum score for each component.

Search online for the name of the tests to find a provider. Ask your employer if they have a preferred test or test provider.

You can do most tests online.

Name of testListening min. scoreReading min. scoreSpeaking min. scoreWriting min. score
International Second Language Proficiency Ratings (ISPLR)322+1+
International English Language Test System (IELTS)5.5454
Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT)182148
Occupational English Test (OET)BBBB
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)50505050
Cambridge C1 Advanced test.169169169169

Apply for a 'T' condition

Once you have passed an English language assessment, you can apply for a public vehicle licence endorsed with a ‘T’ condition.

You will need to provide the results of your assessment to prove you passed.