Getting Started with Rideshare Driving in Queensland

How Queensland regulates rideshare

Queensland regulates rideshare as booked hire transport. That means both the driver and the vehicle are authorised, not just the platform. Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) issues a Booked Hire/Taxi (BHTX) Driver Authorisation (DA) to drivers, and a separate Booked Hire Service Licence (BHSL) to the vehicle (Uber get-a-licence page; TMR driver authorisation categories, checked 9 October 2026).

The practical sequence for a new driver is: check eligibility and licence tenure, complete a medical assessment, apply for the driver authorisation, get the vehicle ready, complete driver safety education, and then finish Uber's own signup. The order matters because several steps depend on the one before.

The Booked Hire Driver Authorisation

Uber states that Queensland drivers must hold a current BHTX Driver Authorisation to use the app (Uber get-a-licence, Brisbane page, checked 9 October 2026). The authorisation is issued by TMR and is separate from your ordinary driver's licence — it's the document that makes it legal for you to carry passengers for money.

Under Queensland's scheme the application includes checks of your eligibility, suitability and medical fitness. TMR's driver authorisation pages set out the categories and the reasons an application can be refused, so read them before you pay any application fees.

Eligibility and licence tenure

TMR lists who can hold a driver authorisation: an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, a New Zealand citizen on a special category visa, or a person holding a visa that entitles them to work in Australia (TMR eligibility and suitability, checked 9 October 2026).

For the licence itself, Queensland requires that you have held a driver's licence for a continuous period of at least 1 year (TMR, checked 9 October 2026). This can be an Australian open, restricted, provisional or probationary licence, or a recognised overseas licence. Note that this differs from Uber's general statement that Queensland requires an Australian licence for at least 12 months — the two rules overlap but are not identical, so check both.

The medical assessment

A medical assessment to commercial standards is required before you apply for the driver authorisation (Uber get-a-licence, Brisbane; TMR, checked 9 October 2026). This is not the same as a standard driver's licence medical — it's the higher standard applied to commercial passenger vehicle drivers.

Book the assessment early. It's a checkpoint you can't skip, and it can add time to your overall timeline if the medical practice you use has a wait.

Your vehicle: BHSL, COI and CTP insurance

Queensland also authorises the vehicle. According to Uber and TMR (checked 9 October 2026), the vehicle must hold:

• a Booked Hire Service Licence (BHSL);
• a current Certificate of Inspection (COI), unless the vehicle is exempt; and
• the correct class of Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance.

On top of these, Uber's own vehicle rules still apply — a 5-star ANCAP rating or an approved exemption, plus a roadworthiness inspection (Uber, checked 9 October 2026). If you're choosing a car, check the Queensland vehicle requirements and Uber's vehicle list together before you commit.

Driver safety education

Queensland requires new rideshare drivers to complete a driver safety education course, which Uber says takes under 30 minutes and must be finished before you start using the app (Uber get-a-licence, Brisbane, checked 9 October 2026). It's a short step, but it's a genuine gate — the app won't let you go online until it's recorded as done.

How long it takes

TMR says a driver authorisation application usually takes about 2–3 weeks to be approved (TMR, checked 9 October 2026). That is the authorisation alone. Your overall start date is therefore the sum of several waits: the medical assessment, the authorisation, any vehicle inspection, Uber's background check, and Uber's document review (which its required documents page says can take up to about 2 hours once submitted).

A realistic plan is to begin the state-side steps — medical, authorisation, vehicle licence — while you work through Uber's signup. That way the two streams finish around the same time instead of one waiting on the other.

New-driver bonuses in Brisbane and the Gold Coast

Uber advertises new-driver signup bonuses in Queensland, and they are promotions — not a promise of income. On 9 October 2026, Uber's own Australian pages published the following October-2026 offer (Uber, drive-page offer terms, checked 9 October 2026):

• A$3,000 extra when you sign up to drive and complete 100 trips within your first 90 days.
• An extra A$2,000 when you complete 30 trips on Uber Black or Uber Black Van — up to A$5,000 in total.
• Available to new driver-partners in Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth only, who sign up by 31 October 2026 (first-time signups between 1 and 31 October 2026 AEST).

That includes both of Queensland's big cities. An earlier indexed offer around A$2,000 for Brisbane, Gold Coast and Adelaide with a 31 August 2026 deadline has been superseded by these terms. Bonuses are not necessarily available to every applicant — eligibility is limited by city, new-driver status, trip counts and deadlines, and Uber may change or cancel an offer. If you decide to sign up, you can begin from our start driving guide and confirm the current bonus in Uber's own signup flow.

Related reading

Queensland is one part of the national picture — see how to become an Uber driver in Australia and the requirements, licences and background checks guide. If you're planning to drive in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast, also read driving in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth, EVs for rideshare and preparing for your first month. Browse getting started and cities, or return home. See our referral disclosure and about page.