The Taxi Subsidy Program

This information is important if you are the guardianof a person who has a Taxi Smartcard.

A Taxi Smartcard provides subsidised taxi travel to eligible people.

It is okay to get help to understand this Fact Sheet.

What is happening?

The Tasmanian Government needs to make sure only eligible low-income Tasmanians with one of these concession cards have a Taxi Smartcard:

Centrelink concession card / Veterans’ Affairs concession card
Health Care Card / Pensioner concession card
Pensioner Concession Card / Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card
Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card

People with a Taxi Smartcard are being asked to consent for their Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs concession card number to be checked with Centrelinkrecords to show it is valid.

This does not affect members who are:

  • aged 16 years or under
  • wheelchair-reliant
  • on the Taxi Subsidy Safety Net or
  • a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant with a NDIS plan in place.

What does this mean for me?

The person I am guardian for will need to give consent so their Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs concession card number can be checked with Centrelink to ensure:

  • it is valid and
  • they are eligible to have a Taxi Smartcard

What do Ineed to do?

  • The person I am guardian for will receive a letter from the Department of State Growth and I can help them
  • look at the concession consent form which is with their letter
  • check their name on the concession consent form and their Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs concession card is spelt the same
  • if the concession consent form has a concession number on it, check that it matches the number on the Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs number on their concession card, if it is different write the number in the space provided
  • if the concession consent form does not have a concession number on it, write the Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs concession cardnumberin the space provided
  • make sure the person I am guardian signs the form
  • send back the concession consent form using the reply paid envelope by the due date

What happens if consent is not given?

  • The person I am guardian for may have their Taxi Smartcard suspended if they:
  • do not give consent for their concessionto be checked
  • do not hold a valid Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs concession card of the correct type
  • When a Taxi Smartcard is suspended, it will not work.

Need to know more?

For further information contact:

TAS Taxi subsidy
Telephone: (03) 6166 3349

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