were 3,774 licensed taxis in Melbourne, including 235 wheelchair accessible taxis. In 2011, there were 5,045 taxi licenses across Victoria, including 502 wheelchair accessible taxis. In December 2014, there were 5,778 taxis in Victoria. More recently, the number of taxi licenses were: In 2018, Uber, DiDi, Shofer, Taxify, GoCatch, Shebah, and Ola Cabs were legalized in Victoria. Taxi licenses were abolished and license holders are to be compensated by an 8-year A$1 levy on all taxi and ride-booking services in Victoria. Regulatory scheme Victoria does not have a dedicated industry statute covering the taxi industry. The prime operational statute for the taxi industry is the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983. Part 6 of that Act contains the key provisions regulating the taxi industry including provisions relating to licensing, accreditation and compliance. The overarching Transport Integration Act 2010 (TIA) is a key piece of legislation. It both establishes the taxi industry regulator, the Director of Public Transport, and contains a set of high level policy objectives and principles which the regulator must have regard to when exercising functions including licensing and accreditation decisions. In practice, the Director delegates taxi industry functions to the General Manager of the Victorian Taxi Directorate. Another key operational legislative instrument is the Transport (Taxi-cab) Regulations 2005. The Taxi Industry Inquiry of 2011 resulted in major reforms to Victoria's taxi industry and has had a far reaching impact on taxi services in Melbourne and beyond. The Transport Legislation Amendment (Taxi Services Reform and Other Matters) Act 2011 created the Taxi Services Commission to regulate the taxi industry. The Commission commenced its role on 1 July 2013 and began operations on 19 July. Accreditation requirements apply to a number of key parties in the taxi industry. Taxi Talk Taxi Talk Magazine – Voice of the Taxi Industry – was the first ever magazine dedicated solely to the Victorian taxi industry. The first edition was delivered to depots on 1 May 1966, and each issue was a small pocket size magazine, , until Taxi Talk became a B5 colour magazine produced monthly. With collaborations from all sectors of the industry, the magazine kept taxi owners, operators, drivers, industry suppliers, service trade providers, associations and government interested people up to date with the latest news within the Victorian taxi industry. In April 2017, Taxi Talk was rebranded to represent the taxi industry on a national level and developed into