Uber Driver Requirements in Victoria 2026
To drive rideshare in Victoria you need a Commercial Passenger Vehicle driver accreditation from Safe Transport Victoria, a vehicle that has passed an inspection by an accredited inspector, and insurance that actually covers ride-sourcing. Three things changed in 2026: rideshare vehicles must display an official ST Vic QR code from 1 March, a levy applies to every completed trip from 1 July, and drivers have until 1 September to confirm their booking service provider details in the ST Vic portal.
This covers booked rideshare work. Unbooked work, meaning rank and hail taxi services, carries additional obligations that are not dealt with here.
Driver accreditation
Accreditation is issued by Safe Transport Victoria under the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry Act 2017. Both hire car and taxi driver accreditation certificates are accepted for rideshare.
One detail worth knowing, because it surprises drivers coming from other states: accreditation is perpetual. Safe Transport Victoria states that driver certificates do not expire. There is no annual renewal to forget, which is genuinely simpler than the alternative.
That does not mean it is unsupervised. Safe Transport Victoria receives real-time updates from Victoria Police about charges and convictions, so the background check is continuous rather than a snapshot taken at application.
Applying involves identity documents, your driving history, a medical self-assessment and a fee.
The three 2026 changes
1. The ST Vic QR code, from 1 March 2026
All rideshare vehicles must display an official ST Vic QR code whenever providing commercial passenger vehicle services. Not when you remember, not only during inspections. Whenever you are providing the service.
2. The per-trip levy, from 1 July 2026
A levy of $1.38 per completed trip, including 12 cents of GST, applies across all Victorian cities. How your platform passes this through is a question for the platform, and it is worth knowing the answer rather than assuming, because a per-trip charge hits short trips proportionally much harder than long ones.
That is the part most drivers miss. A fixed charge per trip is a percentage cost that rises as the fare falls. On a $15 airport feeder it is under one per cent. On a $7 minimum fare it is closer to twenty. If you are choosing between short-hop work and longer runs, this belongs in the comparison, and you can put it through the real earnings calculator with your own trip mix.
3. BSP affiliation details, by 1 September 2026
Drivers must update their booking service provider affiliation details in the ST Vic user portal. If you drive for more than one platform, that means recording more than one.
The vehicle
Your vehicle inspection is valid for 12 months from the date of issue, and must be done by an accredited vehicle inspector, which includes VicRoads testers. Diarise the expiry. An inspection that lapses takes you off the road on a day you had planned to work.
Insurance, which is where drivers actually get hurt
Accreditation is a compliance question with a clear answer. Insurance is where the expensive mistakes happen, because a personal comprehensive policy that excludes ride-sourcing is worth nothing the moment you log in, and insurers can cancel retrospectively when they discover it.
Get written confirmation that your policy covers ride-sourcing. If you are comparing options, Uber's own pay-per-kilometre policy is one of them, though it does not cover you on any other platform. The layers every Australian driver needs is the wider guide, and if you are weighing an EV, Tesla premiums deserve their own look before you buy the car.
Before your first shift
- Accreditation approved and the driver certificate in the car.
- Vehicle inspection passed, expiry date diarised.
- ST Vic QR code displayed.
- BSP affiliation recorded in the portal.
- Insurance confirmed in writing to cover ride-sourcing.
- Your own numbers understood, including the levy.
Rules change, and the dates above are the ones current when this was written. Safe Transport Victoria is the authority on your obligations, and it is worth checking them directly rather than relying on any article, including this one.
Once you are on the road, Melbourne's peak hours is where the money question starts.