All On-demand Booking Services (ODBSs) registered for Passenger Transport Subsidy Scheme (PTSS) will need to provide the Department of Transport (DoT) with the records of all journeys for which a PTSS-subsidised fare was provided.
DoT will use these records to validate subsidy and co-payment claims and ensure compliance with the Transport (Road Passenger Services) Regulations 2020 and Passenger Transport Subsidy Scheme Guidelines for Industry.
All ODBSs registered for PTSS must keep booking records of PTSS journeys. Each month, these ODBSs are required to submit records of PTSS bookings that took place in a calendar month within 7 days of that calendar month ending.
PTSS journey data and what it is used for
PTSS journey data is the aggregated data for all your ODBS’s PTSS journeys from the previous month. This is based on the PTSS records you keep.
The PTSS journey data you submit to DoT is used to validate subsidy and co-payment claims. DoT compares the submitted data against the journey details captured by the PTSS mobile app, ODBS application programming interface (API) or manually uploaded by the ODBS.
If these do not match, DoT will review any differences. DoT may adjust any extra amount paid, or amounts missing, in later payments made to the ODBS.
PTSS records ODBSs must keep
ODBSs must keep the below records for PTSS journeys:
- date and time the booking was taken;
- date of the journey;
- time the booking started and ended;
- locations where the journey started and ended (either street address or GPS);
- driver’s passenger transport driver (PTD) authorisation number;
- vehicle plate number;
- booking reference number ODBS has created and allocated to the driver, for the journey;
- number of passengers carried who were seated in a wheelchair (if any);
- total fare amount; and
- the subsidy amount for the fare.
What format do I need to keep records in?
You can keep PTSS records in whatever format you like, as long as you can submit them electronically to DoT each month via DoTDirect. When you submit your data in DoTDirect, you need to use the .csv template below – read How to submit PTSS journey data (below) for more detailed instructions.
For example, you could keep handwritten records and then type them into a spreadsheet on your computer. You could also set up an electronic way to capture your records, like a form on a website or in a mobile phone app.
How often does PTSS journey data need to be submitted?
You will need to submit PTSS journey data to DoT every month, for all PTSS journeys that happened in the previous month. It is due within 7 business days of the previous month ending.
For example, for PTSS journeys that happened in April, you will need to submit your PTSS journey data to DoT within the first 7 business days of May.
You may also request to submit your data on a weekly basis if that better suits your ODBS’s business processes. Email ondemandtransport@transport.wa.gov.au if you wish to do this.
How to submit PTSS journey data
PTSS journey data must be submitted to DoT through your ODBS’s DoTDirect account. To have access to this, you will need to be a responsible officer or delegate of the DoTDirect account.
You must use the .csv template below to input your PTSS journey data. You can store your records in another format and type them into the template. Completing your PTSS journey data template is easiest using a laptop or desktop computer if you have one, but you can also use a phone or tablet.
The journey data submission file must be:
- less than 1GB in size; and
- CSV file type.
Using DoT’s CSV template
The columns in your CSV file can be in any order, but the column names must match the template. Do not delete any column names. See below for an overview of the required columns, descriptions, and whether it is mandatory to include.
Column names and descriptions
| Column name | Description |
|---|---|
|
JOURNEY ID |
The identification/booking reference number allocated to the journey by the ODBS. |
|
BOOKING DATETIME |
The date and time when the hirer booked the journey. |
|
REQUESTED DATETIME |
The date and time the passenger requested to be picked up. |
|
PTD AUTH NUMBER |
The PTD authorisation number of the driver. |
|
PTV PLATE |
The licence plate of the vehicle. |
|
PICK UP DATETIME |
The date and time when the journey commenced. |
|
PICK UP STREET |
If a physical address is supplied, the address where the journey commenced. |
|
PICK UP SUBURB |
If a physical address is supplied, the suburb where the journey commenced. |
|
PICK UP POSTCODE |
If a physical address is supplied, the postcode of the location where the journey commenced. |
|
PICK UP LATITUDE |
If GPS coordinates are supplied, the latitude of the location where the journey commenced. |
|
PICK UP LONGITUDE |
If GPS coordinates are supplied, the longitude of the location where the journey commenced. |
|
DROP OFF DATETIME |
The date and time when the journey was completed. |
|
DROP OFF STREET |
If a physical address is supplied, the address where the journey was completed. |
|
DROP OFF SUBURB |
If a physical address is supplied, the suburb where the journey was completed. |
|
DROP OFF POSTCODE |
If a physical address is supplied, the postcode of the location where the journey was completed. |
|
DROP OFF LATITUDE |
If GPS coordinates are supplied, the latitude of the location where the journey was completed. |
|
DROP OFF LONGITUDE |
If GPS coordinates are supplied, the longitude of the location where the journey was completed. |
|
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS |
The number of passengers on the journey who were carried while seated in a wheelchair. |
|
TOTAL FARE |
The total value of the fare for the journey. |
Tips for your CSV file:
- Must have all column headers as provided on the DoT website template.
- Must not contain any other column headers or information that is not provided on the template.
- Cannot have duplicate journey IDs in the file.
- Cannot include journeys IDs that you have included in a previous month’s submission.
- You do not have to include data in the “Requested datetime” column, but the header must stay in your file. You only need to fill out this column for pre-booked work. Rank or hail jobs would not have data for this field.
- The “Booking datetime” column is mandatory to complete. If you have done rank or hail jobs, it will be the same data as the “Pick-up datetime” column.
- For pick-up and drop-off locations, you must include at least one type of location data – either GPS and/or physical address. You can have both types of location data.
- GPS must have at least 3 decimal places and must be for locations in WA.
- Any date time must be in one of the below formats:
DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM
DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS
D/MM/YYYY HH:MM
D/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS
D/M/YYYY HH:MM
D/M/YYYY HH:MM:SS - Fields should not have any leading zeros.
- For the “Number of passengers in wheelchairs” field, if no passengers were transported while seated in a wheelchair, you must input “0” – do not leave this blank.
What if I didn’t conduct any PTSS journeys during the month?
If you receive a PTSS journey data submission request for a period in which you did not do any journeys, you will need to log into DoTDirect and record that no journeys were conducted during this period.
Detailed instructions can be found in the Passenger Transport Subsidy Scheme journey data submission user guide (below).
What happens after I submit the data?
After submitting the data, your file will be processed by DoT. Larger sized files will take longer to process.
You can check the status of your data submission in DoTDirect.
Once all the data is processed by DoT’s systems, you will get an email if any of your data has been rejected – for more information, see What do I do if my data file is rejected (below).
When your data is successfully submitted, DoT will use it to validate the subsidy and co-payment claims for your drivers that were captured by the PTSS mobile app or application programming interface (API).
What to do if your data file is rejected
If you upload a data file that contains errors, you will be notified by email that it has been rejected.
You will then need to fix all errors and re-upload your data file. Your new data file must include all journey data for that month, not just the records you fixed. Make sure you select the correct submission period in your DoTDirect account.
Make sure you do not include your fixed data with the next month’s submission – this will cause payment delays.
For example, if you are submitting missed journeys completed in January, you must combine and submit the new journey data with the original January submission.
FAQs
If the data is not submitted and completed within 7 days, penalties may apply for non-lodgement of journey data upon request.
ODBSs will receive one reminder from DoT if they have failed to submit their data by the due date.
DoT will review any discrepancies between the journey data provided by the ODBS and the details recorded by the driver at the time of the journey, which may result in adjustments to the total subsidy in subsequent payments made to the ODBS.
As an ODBS, you need to:
- allocate a different booking reference number to every journey that your drivers complete; and
- communicate the booking reference numbers to your drivers.
Booking reference numbers for PTSS journeys can include both numbers and letters.
You can make your booking reference numbers whatever you like, as long as each journey has a different number associated with it. For example, if your ODBS is called “Joe’s Wheelchair Taxis”, you might want to format your booking reference numbers like JWT-1000000001, with the number increasing for each subsequent journey.
Tip: avoid starting your booking reference numbers with a zero, as sometimes these can be deleted from your file, depending on the software you use. This will mean that the PTSS journey details and your data cannot be validated, causing payment delays.
To open and edit a CSV file you, you will need to use a program that can edit spreadsheets. For example, Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
There are free versions of Excel and Google Sheets available to use online.
Completing your PTSS journey data template is likely to be easiest using a laptop or desktop computer if you have one.
Using a laptop or desktop computer
- To open the template on your laptop or computer, download the template file below.
- Open your spreadsheet app and open an editable version of the template.
- Make sure not to change, add or remove any columns in the template.
- Insert the data from your PTSS records.
- Save your file with a name that makes it easy to identify which month it is for.
- Follow the steps in the PTSS journey data submission user guide to upload your data via DoTDirect.
Using a phone or tablet
If you do not have a laptop or desktop computer, you can use your mobile phone or a tablet. You can either use the browser version of these programs or download the apps.
- To open the template on your phone or tablet, download the template file below.
- Navigate to your Files or spreadsheet app and open an editable version of the template.
- Make sure not to change, add or remove any columns in the template.
- Insert the data from your PTSS records.
- Save your file with a name that makes it easy to identify which month it is for.
- Follow the steps in the PTSS journey data submission user guide to upload your data via DoTDirect.