COMMERCIAL PASSENGER (ROAD) TRANSPORT (SPECIAL FUNCTION VEHICLES) REGULATIONS 2003

The instrument uses a small set of defined terms and recurring regulatory mechanisms. Three definitions are provided (r 3):

• driver means the person driving or in charge of a special function vehicle. This casts the duty and prohibition language directed at the driver to any person “in charge” of the vehicle while it is operating for hiring (r 3).
• hiring, of a special function vehicle, means the use of the special function vehicle for hire or reward. This definition links these Regulations to any commercial use of the vehicle in exchange for payment or other reward (r 3).
• operator means a person who operates a special function vehicle otherwise than only as a driver. The definition distinguishes between someone who is solely a driver and someone who operates the vehicle in addition to, or instead of, driving.

Key regulatory techniques:

• Recordkeeping mandate (r 4). The operator must create a written log covering: the special function vehicle; dates and times during which the vehicle is operated for hiring; the full name and residential address of the driver during those periods and the driver’s licence number (issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949); each booking and hiring; and any other matter the Director requires as a condition of the operator’s licence (r 4(1)(a)-(e)). The record must be kept at the principal place of business and be produced to an inspector on demand (r 4(2)).
• Information production mandate (r 5). The Director may request full and correct information about any details specified in relation to any hiring and the operator must furnish that information within the time specified by the Director.
• Behavioural prohibitions and booking structure (rr 9-11). The vehicle may not be used to stand or ply for hire (r 9). Drivers may not accept a hiring unless the journey is pre‑booked with the operator (r 10(1)); operators are not compelled to accept bookings (r 10(2)). Touting and soliciting passengers are prohibited (r 11).
• Alcohol rules (rr 13-14). Operators and drivers must not accept or perform a hiring that requires the driver to purchase intoxicating liquor for or on behalf of another person (r 13(1)); drivers must not purchase intoxicating liquor for or on behalf of a passenger during a hiring (r 13(2)). Those prohibitions are subject to r 14, which explicitly permits provision or consumption of intoxicating liquor during a hiring where that is in accordance with the Liquor Act 2019 or any other Territory law.
• Illegal‑purpose prohibition (r 15). Operators and drivers must not use, cause or permit the vehicle to be used for an illegal purpose.
• Financial impost (r 16). The annual licence fee is fixed at $300.

Several points are implicit rather than defined within these Regulations. The Regulations use the term “special function vehicle” but this instrument does not define it; identification of vehicles that fall within the category will rely on the parent Act or licence instruments. The instrument relies on external legal constructs: (a) the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 for the form and numbering of driver licences (r 4(1)(c), r 3(c)); and (b) the Liquor Act 2019 and other Territory law for the circumstances in which provision or consumption of alcohol is permitted (r 14). The Director and inspectors appear as enforcement actors with powers under the Regulations to request information and inspect records (rr 4-5).

Primary regulated persons

• Operators (r 3). The operator is the entity primarily tasked with recordkeeping (r 4), furnishing information to the Director when requested (r 5), and holding the licence for the special function vehicle subject to a $300 annual fee (r 16). An operator is defined as someone who operates the vehicle otherwise than only as a driver (r 3), so the obligation is directed at persons with managerial or ownership control rather than those whose sole role is driving. The operator also retains the discretion to accept or refuse bookings (r 10(2)).

• Drivers (r 3). Drivers must ensure journeys are pre‑booked with the operator before using the vehicle for a hiring (r 10(1)). Drivers are explicitly prohibited from soliciting passengers (r 11), from standing or plying for hire (r 9), from purchasing intoxicating liquor for or on behalf of passengers (r 13(2)) and from using the vehicle for illegal purposes (r 15). Operators must record the driver’s full name, residential address and the driver’s licence number issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 for relevant periods of operation (r 4(1)(c)).

Secondary affected parties

• Passengers. Passengers are subject to behavioural contours indirectly: they may be provided with or consume alcohol during a hiring only in accordance with the Liquor Act 2019 or other Territory law (r 14). Passengers cannot contract a driver or operator to have the driver purchase alcohol for them (r 13).

• Inspectors and the Director. Enforcement duties fall to inspectors and the Director as the regulations confer powers to require production of records and to demand information within a time frame (r 4(2), r 5). The Director also sets conditions of an operator’s licence by specifying "any other matter" required in records (r 4(1)(e)) and can require operators to furnish information (r 5), giving the Director administrative control over detail and timing of compliance.

• Licence‑holders under the parent Act. These Regulations operate under the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act 1991. Persons holding special function vehicle licences under that Act are in scope; the Regulations add operational duties and prohibitions as conditions of operating a licensed vehicle.

Geographic and temporal scope

• Territory application. The instrument is Northern Territory subordinate legislation; references to Territory law and the Liquor Act 2019 indicate Territory‑level regulatory interplay (r 14).

• Temporal scope. The Regulations commenced 1 October 2003 (r 2). They have been amended several times; the endnotes record later changes and relevant dates which may alter obligations such as penalty levels and fee amounts (see "Amendment history").

Who pays

• Operators pay the annual licence fee of $300 (r 16). Non‑monetary costs fall to operators and drivers in the form of recordkeeping, compliance time, and exposure to penalties (rr 4-5, 9-11, 13, 15).

Who decides

• Operators decide whether to accept a booking (r 10(2)).
• The Director decides what “other matter” must be recorded as a licence condition (r 4(1)(e)) and may require information and specify timeframes for compliance (r 5).
• Inspectors decide when to require production of records at the principal place of business (r 4(2)(b)).

Duties on operators

• Maintain written records (r 4(1)). Operators must maintain a written record capturing: the vehicle; dates and times of operation for hiring; the full name and residential address of the driver during those periods and the driver’s licence number as issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949; every booking and hiring; and any other matter the Director requires as a licence condition. The maximum penalty for failure to create or maintain these records is 60 penalty units (r 4(1)).

• Keep records at principal place of business and produce them (r 4(2)). The operator must keep the record in a safe place at the principal place of business and must produce it whenever required by an inspector. Failure to keep or produce the records attracts a maximum penalty of 60 penalty units (r 4(2)).

• Furnish information to the Director (r 5). The operator must furnish full and correct information specified by the Director within the time the Director specifies. Failure to furnish information attracts a maximum penalty of 60 penalty units.

• Licence fee payment (r 16). Pay the annual special function vehicle licence fee of $300.

Duties on drivers

• Accept only pre‑booked hirings (r 10(1)). Drivers must not use the vehicle for a hiring unless the journey is pre‑booked with the operator. Maximum penalty 25 penalty units.

• Avoid standing or plying for hire (r 9). Drivers must not use the vehicle for standing or plying for hire. Maximum penalty 25 penalty units.

• No touting or soliciting passengers (r 11). Maximum penalty 25 penalty units.

• No purchase of intoxicating liquor for others (r 13). Drivers must not purchase intoxicating liquor for or on behalf of passengers during a hiring. Operators and drivers must not accept a hiring that requires the driver to purchase intoxicating liquor (r 13(1)-(2)). Each contravention carries a maximum penalty of 25 penalty units.

• Prohibit illegal purpose use (r 15). Drivers must not use, cause or permit the vehicle to be used for an illegal purpose. Maximum penalty 25 penalty units.

Rights and discretions explicitly preserved

• Operator may refuse bookings (r 10(2)). Even though drivers must only accept pre‑booked journeys, the operator is not compelled to accept a booking.

• Provision/consumption of alcohol where lawful (r 14). The Regulations do not prevent provision or consumption of intoxicating liquor during a hiring if done in accordance with the Liquor Act 2019 or any other Territory law. This is an explicit carve‑out to the purchasing prohibition in r 13.

• Director’s administrative discretion (r 4(1)(e), r 5). The Director may impose record requirements as a condition of licence and may compel information within a specified timeframe. That discretion affects the scale and content of compliance duties.

Sanctions

• Monetary penalties are expressed in penalty units for non‑compliance with the documentation and information obligations (60 penalty units) and for various operational offences (25 penalty units) (rr 4-5, 9-11, 13, 15). The annual fee is a fixed $300 (r 16).

Procedural duties

• Production on demand (r 4(2)(b)). Operators must make records available to an inspector on demand at the principal place of business.

• Timing for Director requests (r 5). Operators must comply within the time specified by the Director when furnishing information.

Additional legal linkages

• Driver licence details must be those issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 (r 4(1)(c)). Compliance therefore requires operators to record licence numbers in the form and as issued under that Act.

Overall structure

• The duties create an administrative and evidentiary regime for special function vehicles that combines pre‑booking as a gating rule (r 10), operator recordkeeping and oversight (r 4-5), and specific conduct prohibitions aimed at on‑road behaviour and alcohol procurement (rr 9, 11, 13-15). The Director and inspectors are the administrative enforcers; operators hold the continuing administrative burden and the licence fee obligation.

Penalty quantum and allocation

• Two tiers of maximum penalty are set in the Regulations:

  • 60 penalty units: for failure to create or maintain records as required by r 4(1) and r 4(2) (failure to make the written record, failure to keep it at the principal place of business, failure to produce it to an inspector) and for failure to furnish information when requested by the Director under r 5. The Regulations specify the maximum penalties but do not state the monetary equivalent of a penalty unit; that conversion is determined by applicable Territory law (rr 4-5).

  • 25 penalty units: for a range of operational offences , standing or plying for hire (r 9), hiring unless pre‑booked (r 10(1)), touting or soliciting for passengers (r 11), purchase of intoxicating liquor on behalf of another person (r 13(1), (2)), and using the vehicle for an illegal purpose (r 15).

• Annual licence fee: $300 for each special function vehicle licence (r 16). Non‑payment could attract consequences under the parent Act or licence conditions; these Regulations set the fee level.

Enforcement actors and mechanisms

• Director’s information power (r 5). The Director may request full and correct information regarding any hiring. The operator must furnish that information within a timeframe specified by the Director. This is an administrative enforcement tool that can be used to obtain evidence or to verify compliance. The Regulations do not prescribe notice, method of request, or appeal rights for such requests; they require compliance within the Director’s specified time.

• Inspector’s production power (r 4(2)(b)). Inspectors may require operators to produce records kept at the principal place of business. The text requires the record be kept at that place and available for production "whenever required by an inspector". The Regulations do not specify procedural safeguards, but the obligation is clear: producers must keep records available at that location.

• Criminal or regulatory penalties. Contraventions attract maximum penalties stated in penalty units. The Regulations do not describe the prosecutorial path, onus of proof, or available defences; those procedural matters will be governed by the enforcement framework under the parent Act and Territory enforcement rules.

Operational enforcement considerations

• Inspectors and the Director operate as the primary front‑line regulators through requests and inspections (rr 4-5). The Director’s power to impose "any other matter" as a licence condition (r 4(1)(e)) and to specify time for information production (r 5) grants the regulator administrative flexibility to expand record content and to demand rapid compliance.

• Penalty amounts are differentiated to target recordkeeping and information production as higher‑gravity administrative obligations (60 penalty units) than operational on‑road misconduct and alcohol purchasing (25 penalty units). The Regulations do not set out graduated enforcement (warnings, infringement notices) in the text provided; they record maximum penalties.

• The annual fee ($300) creates an explicit revenue stream tied to the licence. The endnotes show the fee has been amended historically through subordinate instruments, which suggests the fee level can be adjusted without amending the primary Regulations (r 16; endnotes).

Practical enforcement implication

• Operators face higher maximum penalties for recordkeeping and information non‑compliance than for operational misconduct. Inspectors and the Director have direct powers to demand records and information at the operator’s principal place of business and within specified times. The Regulations place the evidentiary burden of recordkeeping on operators and confer broad administrative request powers on the Director.

Direct references to other statutes

• Motor Vehicles Act 1949 (r 4(1)(c), r 3(c)). Operator recordkeeping must include the number of the driver’s licence "issued to him or her under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949". The Regulations therefore rely on that Act for the form and provenance of driver licences and for identifying licence numbers that must be recorded.

• Liquor Act 2019 (r 14). The Regulations prohibit operators and drivers from purchasing intoxicating liquor for others (r 13) but explicitly permit provision or consumption of intoxicating liquor during a hiring "in accordance with the Liquor Act 2019 or any other law of the Territory" (r 14). Compliance with the Liquor Act will therefore govern permitted circumstances for on‑board alcohol provision or consumption.

Parent Act and administrative enforcement

• These Regulations are made under the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act 1991 (the Regulations are headed "Regulations under the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act 1991"). The parent Act will set out the licensing regime, the Director’s powers, inspector appointments, offences, and enforcement processes that are necessary to operationalise r 4 and r 5. The Regulations rely on that legislative framework to give effect to the Director’s and inspectors’ powers, to enforce penalties, and to manage licensing.

Amendment instruments and fee regime

• Endnotes record a series of subordinate instruments and Acts that have amended these Regulations, including fees and penalty amendments (endnotes, "List of legislation" and "List of amendments"). For example, Fees and Charges (Transport) Amendment Regulations 2012 and Transport Legislation Amendment Regulations 2019 are listed, indicating that the fee and other operational parameters have been subject to change by subsequent subordinate instruments. Practitioners must therefore read the Regulations together with relevant amending instruments and the parent Act to determine current obligations, fee levels and penalty equivalences.

Administrative law and due process interactions

• The Director’s power to request information within a specified time (r 5) and to impose licence conditions that require additional record‑keeping (r 4(1)(e)) will implicate administrative law principles under Territory procedures (procedural fairness, reasonableness), although those procedural protections are not set out in these Regulations. The interplay between administrative powers in the parent Act and these Regulations will determine the scope and limits of such requests.

Territory law interactions

• The explicit reference in r 14 to "any other law of the Territory" as a qualifier to the alcohol provision or consumption rule emphasises that Territory statutes beyond the Liquor Act may permit or regulate alcohol in a special function vehicle context (for example, local permits or licensing conditions), and operators must ensure cross‑compliance.

Potential gaps requiring cross‑reference

• Definition of "special function vehicle". The Regulations do not define that term; identifying which vehicles fall within scope will require cross‑reference to the parent Act or licence instruments.

• Penalty unit monetary value. The Regulations state penalties in penalty units; the monetary value of a penalty unit is determined elsewhere in Territory legislation and must be checked to calculate actual fines.

• Inspector powers and prosecutorial mechanisms. The Regulations require production and furnish penalties but do not set out the precise powers of inspectors, the procedures for issuing notices or commencing prosecutions. These procedural matters will be governed by the parent Act and other Territory enforcement laws.

In sum, these Regulations are interdependent with the Motor Vehicles Act 1949, the Liquor Act 2019, the parent Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act 1991, and several amending instruments listed in the endnotes. Practical compliance requires reading this subordinate instrument alongside those statutes and the current fee/penalty unit schedules in Territory law.

The endnotes attached to the reprint of the Regulations provide a concise ledger of enactment and subsequent amendments. The key chronological items and the specific amendment entries in the instrument are:

• Original instrument: Special Function Vehicle Regulations (SL No. 48, 2003). Notified and commenced 1 October 2003 (r 2).

• Fees and Charges changes: Fees and Charges (Transport) Amendment Regulations 2012 (SL No. 45, 2012). Notified 14 December 2012 and commenced 1 January 2013 (r 2). The endnotes indicate r 16 (annual licence fee) was amended (endnote 4: r 16 amd No. 45, 2012, r 14).

• Penalty changes: Penalties Amendment (Miscellaneous) Act 2013 (Act No. 23, 2013). Assent 12 July 2013, commenced 28 August 2013 (Gaz G35, 28 August 2013, p 2). The endnotes identify numerous regulations amended by this Act (e.g. r 4 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; r 5 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; r 9 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; r 10 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; r 11 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; r 12 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; r 14 amd Act No. 23, 2013, s 4). This suggests the 2013 Act adjusted penalty provisions and potentially other formal aspects of the Regulations.

• Commercial Passenger Vehicle Legislation Amendment Regulations 2017 (SL No. 34, 2017). Notified 29 November 2017 and commenced 1 December 2017 (r 2). The endnotes show this instrument amended r 4, r 5, r 10 and repealed certain regulations (e.g. rr 6-8 and r 12 were amended or repealed by No. 34, 2017, r 63-65). The 2017 instrument adjusted recordkeeping and booking provisions among other formal changes.

• Transport Legislation Amendment Regulations 2019 (SL No. 11, 2019). Notified 1 July 2019 and commenced 1 August 2019 (r 2). Endnote entries show r 16 was amended again by No. 11, 2019, r 21.

• Statute Law Revision Act 2020 (Act No. 26, 2020). Assent 19 November 2020 and commenced 20 November 2020 (s 2). The endnotes note r 14 was amended by Act No. 26, 2020, s 3; and general formal amendments by the Interpretation Legislation Amendment Act 2018 affected rr 1, 4 and 14 (endnote 3).

• Transport Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (Act No. 23, 2025). Assent 12 September 2025. Parts 2, 4, 5 and 6 commenced 21 January 2026 (Gaz S5, 19 January 2026); remainder commenced 18 November 2025 (Gaz S69, 17 November 2025). Endnote 4 records r 1 was amended by Act No. 23, 2025, s 66.

The consolidated "List of amendments" in the endnotes provides a mapping showing which regulation numbers were amended by which instruments. For example:

• r 1 amended by Act No. 23, 2025, s 66.
• r 4 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; No. 34, 2017, r 61.
• r 5 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; No. 34, 2017, r 62.
• rr 6-8 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; rep No. 34, 2017, r 63.
• r 9 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4.
• r 10 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; No. 34, 2017, r 64.
• r 11 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4.
• r 12 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; rep No. 34, 2017, r 65.
• r 14 amended by Act No. 23, 2013, s 4; Act No. 26, 2020, s 3.
• r 16 amended by No. 45, 2012, r 14; No. 11, 2019, r 21.

Practical reading

• The endnotes demonstrate that the Regulations have been subject to iterative amendment by both amending regulations and Acts, affecting penalties, recordkeeping, booking rules and fees. Practitioners should verify the reprint against the latest version and consult the amending instruments listed in the endnotes to track changes in penalty levels, fee amounts and any repealed provisions. The reprint here reflects the instrument as in force at 21 January 2026.

The supplied text and endnotes do not record any judicial or tribunal decisions, reported cases, or litigation involving these Regulations. The document lists subordinate instruments, amending Acts and commencement dates but contains no case citations and no summary of any judicial interpretation of these Regulations.

What that means for practitioners

• Absence of recorded litigation in this reprint does not guarantee that no legal disputes exist. It indicates that the consolidated statute as provided does not include references to cases or annotations of judicial outcomes. To determine whether any courts or tribunals have construed these Regulations, a targeted legal database search for decisions interpreting rr 4-5, rr 9-11, r 13, r 14, r 15 or r 16 would be required.

• Areas likely to generate interpretation disputes, based on the text, include: (a) the scope of the Director’s power to specify "any other matter" as a licence condition (r 4(1)(e)); (b) the interaction between the purchasing prohibition (r 13) and the Liquor Act carve‑out (r 14); (c) what constitutes "standing or plying for hire" or "touting or soliciting" in operational contexts (rr 9-11); and (d) the procedural limits on the Director’s power to demand information (r 5). The absence of litigation history in the provided text means these points are unresolved in the reprint.

• Enforcement practice may be clarified by administrative decisions, prosecution guidelines or specific determinations under the parent Act. Practitioners should check Territory tribunal databases, prosecution policy documents and administrative guidance issued by the Director’s office for interpretive materials and enforcement practices that do not appear in the primary legislative text.

Several features of the Regulations can create traps for operators and drivers if unrecognised:

1. Definitions are limited and important terms are undefined in the Regulations. The instrument defines driver, hiring and operator (r 3) but does not define "special function vehicle" within this text. Classification of a vehicle as a special function vehicle therefore depends on the parent Act or licence instruments. Operators who assume a vehicle is outside scope without checking the parent Act risk non‑compliance with rr 4-5 and the offences in rr 9-11, 13 and 15.

2. Broad recordkeeping requirements and Director discretion. The operator must record "any other matter that the Director requires as a condition of the operator's licence" (r 4(1)(e)). That phrase permits the Director to require additional record content beyond the enumerated items. Operators should not assume the listed fields are exhaustive; licence conditions may impose further, possibly frequent, recordkeeping obligations.

3. Principal place of business storage requirement. The record must be kept "in a safe place at the principal place of business of the operator" (r 4(2)(a)) and produced "whenever required by an inspector" (r 4(2)(b)). Mobile operators, or operators who use multiple sites, need to ensure a principal place of business is designated and records are available there. Failure to do so risks a maximum 60 penalty units.

4. Strong administrative remedies with tight timing. The Director can request information and specify the time for furnishing it (r 5). The Regulations do not set a minimum or default period for compliance; operators may receive short deadlines. Non‑compliance carries a 60 penalty unit maximum. There is no express statutory safe harbour or step‑compliance provision in the text.

5. Pre‑booking rule binds drivers but operator can refuse bookings. Drivers must not accept a hiring unless pre‑booked with the operator (r 10(1)), which requires an operational booking system or procedure. However, the operator "is not compelled to accept a hiring" (r 10(2)). This combination means drivers can be criminally liable for accepting unbooked journeys even where the operator disclaims responsibility; operators may have to document booking procedures to avoid disputes.

6. Alcohol rules are split across provisions. Operators and drivers cannot accept or perform hirings that require the driver to purchase intoxicating liquor for another person (r 13(1)) or purchase liquor for passengers (r 13(2)). However, r 14 permits provision or consumption in compliance with the Liquor Act 2019 or other Territory law. The practical boundary between permitted provision/consumption and prohibited purchase for another person may be fact‑specific and will require cross‑checking Liquor Act rules, including licensing conditions and responsible service obligations.

7. Requirement to record driver licence numbers under an external Act. The operator must record the driver's licence number issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 (r 4(1)(c)). If the Motor Vehicles Act has been amended, renamed or superseded, operators must identify the current legislative source for licences to ensure the correct identifier is recorded. The Regulations themselves do not provide fallback language.

8. Penalty units rather than dollar amounts. Penalties are stated in penalty units (25 or 60 units) rather than dollar sums. Practitioners must check the applicable penalty unit monetary value in current Territory law to calculate exact fines. The annual fee is expressed as a dollar amount ($300 r 16), but enforcement penalties require conversion.

9. No express data retention period. The Regulations require records be kept and produced, but do not prescribe a retention period (for example, how long to retain historical booking logs). Operators should not assume a safe minimal retention period; retention expectations could be set by the Director as a licence condition (r 4(1)(e)) or by other Territory laws.

10. Interaction with amending instruments. The endnotes show multiple amendments over time (2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2025). Historical compliance practices must be checked against the instrument as in force at the relevant date. Relying on an out‑of‑date copy risks applying a superseded requirement, particularly for fee levels (r 16) and penalties.

Mitigation steps for these gotchas are practical (see "How to comply") and involve aligning internal processes with the Director’s licence conditions, designating a principal place of business, implementing a verifiable booking system, keeping contemporaneous driver identity and licence records, and maintaining a compliance file linking the Regulations with the Liquor Act requirements and any amending instruments.

Checklist‑style, evidence‑orientated steps for operators and drivers based on the Regulations’ text:

1. Confirm scope: establish whether the vehicle is a "special function vehicle" under the parent Act or licence instrument. These Regulations apply only to vehicles operating as special function vehicles; the Regulations themselves do not define that term (r 3). Obtain and file the licence defining the vehicle class under the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act 1991.

2. Licence and fee: ensure the vehicle’s special function vehicle licence is current and that the annual fee of $300 has been paid (r 16). Keep proof of payment in the compliance file.

3. Recordkeeping system: create a written record system that captures at minimum the fields listed in r 4(1)(a)-(d):

   • identification of the special function vehicle (r 4(1)(a));
   • dates and times during which the vehicle is operated for hiring (r 4(1)(b));
   • the full name and residential address of the driver during those periods and the number of the driver’s licence issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 (r 4(1)(c));
   • each booking and hiring made by the special function vehicle (r 4(1)(d));
   • and provision to add any additional matters the Director may require as a licence condition (r 4(1)(e)).

   Use a tamper‑resistant format where feasible (signed logbook, timestamped electronic booking system with backup) so the record is auditable and available for inspection.

4. Principal place of business storage: store the written record in a safe place at the operator’s principal place of business and maintain a documented chain of custody for physical or electronic records (r 4(2)(a)). Ensure a designated custodian who can produce records on request.

5. Produce records to inspectors: implement a procedure to produce records "whenever required by an inspector" (r 4(2)(b)). This involves identifying the inspector contact process, maintaining contact details and authorising staff to respond to inspector requests.

6. Respond to Director requests: assign responsibility for responding to Director requests under r 5. The Director may specify the time for production; ensure a fast‑response mechanism and a legal review step where sensitive or potentially privileged information is sought. Record the date and content of any Director requests and responses, and preserve originals of furnished documents.

7. Booking protocol and driver instructions: operate a booking system that documents bookings prior to journeys. Drivers must not use the vehicle for a hiring unless the journey is pre‑booked with the operator (r 10(1)). Provide drivers with written instructions and training confirming they must check that trips are pre‑booked and documented before accepting passengers.

8. Operator discretion: document the operator’s policy on accepting or refusing bookings (r 10(2)). While operators are not compelled to accept bookings, refusal needs to be managed in accordance with customer service and licence obligations.

9. Prohibit standing, plying, touting and soliciting: issue clear driver policies and training prohibiting standing or plying for hire and touting or soliciting for passengers (rr 9-11). For drivers who might otherwise solicit business (e.g. at events), create a compliance checklist and disciplinary process for breaches.

10. Alcohol policy and Liquor Act compliance: implement an alcohol policy that aligns with r 13 and r 14. Do not accept bookings that require the driver to purchase intoxicating liquor for another person (r 13(1)). Drivers must not purchase intoxicating liquor for passengers during hirings (r 13(2)). Where alcohol is to be provided or consumed during a hiring, obtain and retain evidence that such provision or consumption complies with the Liquor Act 2019 or other applicable Territory law (r 14). This may require licenses, RSA (responsible service of alcohol) procedures or other permissions; retain copies of relevant licences and approvals.

11. Illegal purpose exclusion: implement screening and driver training to prevent use of the vehicle for illegal purposes. Operators and drivers must not use, cause or permit the vehicle to be used for an illegal purpose (r 15). Adopt incident reporting and refusal-to-transport protocols where illegal use is suspected.

12. Driver licence verification: verify the driver’s licence number as issued under the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 and record the licence number in each relevant entry (r 4(1)(c)). Keep copies of licence documents as backup where appropriate and lawful.

13. Retention and audit: while these Regulations do not prescribe a retention period, retain records for a reasonable period consistent with licensing cycles and the possibility of Director requests or enforcement action. Consider aligning retention with other Territory recordkeeping requirements and with insurance or commercial document retention practices.

14. Monitor amending instruments and fee/penalty changes: regularly check the parent Act, the endnotes and subordinate instruments for amendments (see "Amendment history"). The endnotes show the instrument has been amended multiple times; maintain a compliance calendar to track fee payments, penalty unit changes and licence condition updates.

15. Legal and administrative checklists: maintain a compliance file that ties each booking record to the operator’s licence condition and to any Director‑specified additional record requirements (r 4(1)(e)). Log every inspector visit and Director information request (r 5) and preserve responses and supporting documents.

16. Governance and delegation: appoint a compliance officer responsible for recordkeeping, responses to Director requests, inspector interactions, licence fee payments and periodic audits. Document delegations of authority so staff can produce records and provide information promptly.

17. Seek clarification where necessary: if the Director specifies additional record items or provides an urgent information request, seek written clarification and, where appropriate, legal advice before refusing or delaying compliance. The Regulations impose penalties for non‑compliance but do not set out appeal steps against Director requests in the text provided.

Following these steps will align an operator’s practices with the express obligations in rr 4-5, the operational prohibitions in rr 9-11, 13 and 15, and the fee requirement in r 16. Because the Director may impose further licence conditions and because the Regulations interact with the Motor Vehicles Act 1949 and the Liquor Act 2019, regular cross‑checks of legal obligations are necessary.