For drivers in South Australia, you can now opt to take direct-booking rides through an operator, if you add MV (Metropolitan Vehicle) plates on your Splend Flexi own car. This is a great way to help increase your earning potential. 

We recently spoke with Splend customer, Robert, who was our first customer to upgrade to MV plates about why he chose to do MV chauffeuring. 

I wanted to add MV plates on my car to do more private work and tourism-related work with wineries, because it’s closer to where I live and I don’t have to work that many night shifts. This is a great opportunity both for riders and drivers. The passengers enjoy a more personalised experience, because they can choose their driver and book him for the entire day if they want to. 

As a driver, you can earn much more without extra hours of work and it motivates you to push your name by offering great service.

What are MV plates?

Also known as chauffeuring, MV plates can provide a point-to-point service, including booking for corporate and government work or private hire, special events and winery tours. 

The MV plates provide a personalised service for passengers wishing to book a car and a driver for a special event. 

Why should you upgrade to MV plates?

If you want to increase your income and upgrade your rideshare career, MV plates are a great opportunity. Passengers can only book these kinds of rides through a dedicated service and they get to choose their driver and submit their ride preferences. Therefore, the price for a ride is much higher compared to an Uber ride. 

Robert is very happy that he found this opportunity and took it.

I recommend any driver to do MV chauffeuring. Your earnings increase, and you get to meet a lot of interesting people who are happy to have this kind of service. You also worry less about tipsy riders, since you’ll do most of the work by day.

How much can you earn with MV plates?

Robert told us that he earns about $600-$700 more per week compared to his earnings as an Uber driver only. 

You earn more because you can charge a fixed price. Also, thanks to people pre-booking their ride, you have a better understanding of upcoming earnings to plan.

How can passengers book an MV plate ride?

Passengers can book rides through an accredited booking service or directly via an operator, in this case, you. 

IMPORTANT: MV plates vehicles can’t be hailed from the side of the road and they can’t stop in a taxi-cab rank. 

What do you need to do to add MV plates on your Splend Flexi own car?

To add MV plates, your car should meet the following requirements: 

• capable of seating at least 4 passengers comfortably, excluding the driver 
• have at least 4 doors
• if it’s a vehicle with an internal combustion engine (including a hybrid-electric vehicle), it must have an engine capacity of 4 cylinders or more.

IMPORTANT: You have to take your car for inspection every year. 

What are the requirements to become an MV plate driver?

If you’re an Uber driver, your accreditation for ridesharing in South Australia is also valid for driving MV plates. You just need to amend you Operator accreditation to include MV Chauffeuring. 

As a Splend customer, all you have to do is to get an Eftpos machine and set up a business account so you can take card payments. Have an ASIC business name extract and your own Public Liability insurance.

Once set up you will need to display your business name and number inside your vehicle. 

IMPORTANT: There is a $1 levy and quarterly tacking of trips as per South Australian legislation. 

If you don’t have the accreditation yet, you must: 

• have a valid full South Australian driving licence for at least 6 months prior to your application 
• provide a National Criminal History Check 
• have a valid “Working with children check” 
• provide a Certificate of Fitness 
• have Australian citizenship, Australian residency or a valid working visa 
• be able to competently speak, write and read in English 

IMPORTANT: You have to renew your driver accreditation every 3 years. 

When you have all your documents ready, you can submit your application for driver accreditation here and check “Small passenger vehicle” on the accreditation category.  

Where are MV plates available?

You can add MV plates to your Splend Flexi own car if you live anywhere in South Australia.

To find out more, book a free session with our team today by calling 1800 775 363 or email us at hello@splend.com.au. 

About Splend

We enable people to make money by driving for on-demand apps such as Uber.

We’re more than a car subscription provider. In addition to new-model cars and all the essentials to start earning money with Uber as quickly as possible, our customers enjoy driver training and dedicated support, as well as customer benefits such as partner discounts and exclusive events.

For more information about Splend, make an appointment and drop by to your local Splend Hub, email us, or say hello on 1800 775 363.