Roads & Maritime Services

What Roads & Maritime Services does

Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) was a New South Wales state government authority established in 2011 through the merger of NSW Maritime and the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, and operating under the Transport for NSW portfolio until its dissolution in late 2024. The agency was responsible for building and maintaining major road infrastructure, promoting road safety, managing traffic, regulating commercial and recreational vessels on NSW waterways, and administering vehicle and driving licence registrations across the state.

RMS served all NSW residents and businesses as a mandated government authority — there were no commercial customers or competitive tendering for its core compliance and infrastructure mandate. Service delivery was conducted through Transport for NSW's online portals, in-person service centres, and shared governance arrangements with local councils under the Local Government Relations program. The agency also partnered with maritime stakeholders through the Centre for Maritime Safety to apply the Safe System Approach on NSW waterways.

The business model was non-commercial: RMS was funded through NSW Government appropriations rather than market-priced services, with licensing fees contributing a portion of operating cost recovery. Following the 2024 structural reform, all RMS functions were absorbed into Transport for NSW and the standalone entity ceased to exist; the Roads and Waterways service area on transport.nsw.gov.au now fulfils the former RMS mandate.

Name

Roads & Maritime Services

Legal name

Roads & Maritime Services

Website

https://rms.nsw.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Roads & Maritime Services was a NSW state government authority that built major roads, managed maritime assets, and administered vehicle and driving licence registrations for all NSW residents and businesses. It was dissolved in 2024 into Transport for NSW.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Transport Infrastructure Management

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Transportation, Roads & Public Works Administration (BPAIABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Road & Highway Authorities (Planning, Construction, Maintenance) (BPAIALAA), Maritime & Port Authorities (Public Ports, Harbors, Ferries Terminals) (BPAIALAF), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

Keywords

• Road infrastructure services
• Maritime safety management
• Vehicle registration services
• Driving license administration
• Transport compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

North Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Core offering

Roads & Maritime Services was the NSW Government agency responsible for building and maintaining road infrastructure, managing day-to-day compliance and safety for roads and waterways, and administering vehicle and driving license registrations across New South Wales. The agency also managed maritime assets and environment, commercial vessels, and property and planning for NSW wetlands and drylands, and coordinated with local councils on shared road network management. Its operations were consolidated into Transport for NSW in late 2024, with the Roads and Waterways service area continuing to deliver these functions under a single integrated authority.

Product overview

Transport for NSW manages Roads and Waterways as a unified service area delivering safe, integrated and efficient transport systems for NSW. The portfolio comprises multiple interconnected service areas: Waterways handles maritime assets, commercial vessels, and wetland planning; Business and Industry supports contractors and suppliers; Environment and Heritage ensures sustainable practices; Centre for Maritime Safety drives waterway safety initiatives; Vehicle and Driving License Registrations manages compliance; Corporate Publications provides transparency; Access to Information handles FOI requests; and Local Government Relations coordinates with councils on road network management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waterways management Service area managing maritime assets and environment, commercial vessels, and property and planning for NSW wetlands and drylands. Targeted at NSW waterway users, commercial vessel operators, and the broader NSW public relying on maritime infrastructure and waterway safety.
• Business and Industry services Service area providing information and resources for contractors, consultants, suppliers, and third parties doing business with Transport for NSW. Targeted at NSW-based contractors, consultants, suppliers, and other organisations engaging with state transport procurement.
• Environment and Heritage services Service area ensuring Transport for NSW undertakes activities in an environmentally responsible manner, including heritage conservation. Targeted at NSW communities, environmental stakeholders, and heritage bodies concerned with transport infrastructure impacts.
• Centre for Maritime Safety Service working with maritime partners and applying the Safe System Approach to improve safety on NSW waterways. Targeted at maritime partners, waterway users, and NSW residents who use the state's waterways for transport and recreation.
• Vehicle and Driving License Registrations Regulatory service managing day-to-day compliance and safety for roads, including vehicle registration and driving license administration. Targeted at NSW vehicle owners and drivers required to comply with state registration and licensing regulations.
• Corporate Publications Service area providing publications and statistics describing the work and performance of Transport for NSW. Targeted at NSW residents, researchers, media, and other stakeholders seeking transparency on state transport operations.
• Access to Information Service providing information in accordance with freedom of information and privacy laws. Targeted at NSW residents, journalists, and other parties making freedom of information requests to Transport for NSW.
• Local Government Relations Service managing the road network shared between State Government through Transport for NSW and Local Government through local councils. Targeted at NSW local councils and joint road network management stakeholders.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Local Government (through local councils)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe management of the road network in NSW is shared between the State Government through Transport for NSW and Local Government through local councils.
• Centre for Maritime Safety PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransport for NSW works with maritime partners through the Centre for Maritime Safety to implement the Safe System Approach to improving safety on NSW waterways.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• VicRoads (now Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria): Victoria's state road authority and vehicle/driver licensing agency. Directly comparable to RMS in role — managing state road infrastructure, vehicle registration and licensing across a single Australian state.
• Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland): Queensland's integrated state transport authority responsible for roads, vehicle/driver licensing, and maritime safety oversight. Closely parallels RMS's combined road, registration and maritime mandate at state level.
• Transport for NSW: The parent and now successor entity to RMS, Transport for NSW absorbed all roads-and-waterways functions in 2024. It is the closest functional peer, operating as the single NSW transport authority overseeing roads, maritime assets, public transport and licensing.
• Main Roads Western Australia: Western Australia's state road infrastructure agency, responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's road network — directly analogous to RMS's roads portfolio within NSW.
• NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi: New Zealand's national transport authority with responsibility for state highways, vehicle registration and driver licensing — a direct international analogue of RMS's integrated state-level transport functions.
• Department for Infrastructure and Transport (South Australia): South Australia's state transport and infrastructure agency. Comparable in mandate covering state road network management, vehicle registration and driver licensing functions.
• Department of State Growth (Tasmania): Tasmania's state transport authority, covering state roads, vehicle registration, driver licensing and maritime oversight — a similar multi-modal state-level transport portfolio to RMS.

Broad incumbents

• National Highways (UK): The UK government-owned company responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the Strategic Road Network in England. Comparable as a state/government-owned road-infrastructure operator with analogous statutory remit to RMS's roads portfolio.
• Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA): Australia's federal maritime safety and regulation agency. Comparable to the maritime component of RMS (Centre for Maritime Safety) but operating at national level rather than for a single state, with a broader regulatory scope.

Others

• NSW Maritime (historical predecessor): Pre-2011 NSW state maritime authority whose functions were merged into RMS along with the Roads and Traffic Authority. Included as a relevant predecessor entity because it represents the maritime heritage of RMS and a direct historical comparator for the waterways portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TfNSW
• Facebookfacebook.com/nswroads
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nsw-government
• Instagraminstagram.com/tfnsw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roads & Maritime Services