Eligibility and selection criteria

Eligibility 

Applications for the grant are assessed on two levels of criteria.

1. Applicant eligibility criteria – non-weighted criteria that all grant applicants must meet to be eligible to apply for funding.
2. Competitive selection criteria – weighted criteria used in the competitive assessment process to score applications against specific program priorities.

Applicant eligibility criteria

Applicants for the grant must meet the following eligibility criteria.

• The applicant is a resident in Western Australia and must be an Australian citizen or hold permanent residency.
• The applicant must reside in the region of the proposed WAV taxi service and provide sufficient proof of address (for example, electoral roll confirmation, council rates or water notice).
• The applicant must hold or be eligible to hold an on-demand booking service (ODBS) authorisation. If not, the applicant must be able to provide evidence of affiliation with an existing ODBS based in the relevant regional area.
• If the applicant is not the intended driver of the vehicle, then they must have relevant approvals from the owner organisation to apply for the grant funds, if applicable. Non-driver operators may also be ineligible or restricted from applying without special conditions being imposed by the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI).
• Applications must be for either a high, medium or low priority regional area, as specified in this document, unless otherwise approved.
• The applicant can confirm that they have sufficient financial means or arrangements in place to purchase a suitable vehicle, prior to receiving grant funding.
• The applicant can confirm they have the sufficient financial means required to support the ongoing costs of the WAV taxi service, for the minimum operation period of 3 years from the date of contract acceptance.
• The applicant must not have been awarded WAV grant funding from DTMI in the 3 years prior to the current grant round or have withdrawn due to a breach of Agreement.

Competitive selection criteria

All grant applications must clearly demonstrate the ability to meet and respond to the following selection criteria.

• A commitment to achieving the grant objectives.
• Their proposed service will provide public and community benefit.
• The new service is viable for the region and how they will ensure the service delivery is not compromised. Applications must:
  • include an assessment of the demand for a new WAV taxi service in the relevant regional area
  • provide detailed costs for the establishment and ongoing operation of the business for the next 3 years, and
  • provide details of how the service will be operated to ensure there is a reliable WAV taxi service available to the area, including:
    • consideration of area of operation
    • operating hours
    • service availability
    • contingencies, and
    • driver recruitment.
• Explain the expected timeframes for the establishment of the service.
• An understanding of WAV taxi driver training competency requirements and how to meet these.
• Previous experience in, or an understanding of, providing passenger transport services to people with a disability.
• Written references that can confirm their competence with conducting passenger transport services. Personal references can be provided if the applicant has not previously been a passenger transport operator.
• Detailed costs and quotes for the:
  • purchase and/or modification of a suitable vehicle
  • installation of WAV equipment, and
  • purchase and installation of the required taxi equipment, including:
    • roof light and meter
    • appropriate camera surveillance unit (CSU), and
    • mandatory electronic dispatch equipment.

Eligibility restrictions

Eligibility restrictions for successful recipients (grantees) may include:

• Poor performance of the grantee, including non-compliance or incomplete acquittals in a past grant round.
• Existing grantees, with overdue or outstanding acquittals remaining cannot reapply until all outstanding requirements are completed to a satisfactory standard as determined by DTMI.
• Fleet operators, who do not intend to drive the WAV themselves, may be ineligible or restricted from applying for the grant, without special conditions being imposed. This includes the subcontracting of only WAV qualified drivers.
• Grantees who have withdrawn from the grant due to a breach of the Grant Agreement and Conditions are ineligible to reapply.
• Applicants who have been awarded WAV grant funding under the Regional WAV Taxi Service Grant or the WAV Modification Grant, within the 3 years preceding the current grant round, are not eligible to apply.
• The 3-year exclusion period applies to the grantee and any associated business or legal entity and any vehicle that has previously received funding under either grant stream.
• Applicants can not apply for both the WAV Modification Grant and the Regional WAV Taxi Service Grant in the same grant round.

DTMI will undertake an applicant integrity check of DTMI records when assessing the eligibility of applications. Applicants may be deemed ineligible if they have previous recorded:

• warning letters
• caution notices
• infringement notices
• prosecution
• suspension or cancellation of authorisations, or
• improvement and defect notices.

The presence of such matters will not automatically result in an application being deemed ineligible.