Uber lobbies government in hope it will be legalised

RULES for Uber differ in nearly every state but the ride-sharing service is continuing its battle in Victoria in the hope a ban will be lifted.

Uber

RIDE-sharing service Uber has again berated the Victorian taxi industry, saying its safety record is “deplorable”.

The Herald Sun obtained Uber’s latest submission to the Victorian government, where it calls for the service to be legalised in the state.

The ride-sharing service was banned in Victoria after a driver was found guilty of driving a hire car without a licence or accreditation.

In the submission where Uber talked down the taxi industry, it also claimed it would create 5000 jobs in the state, on top of the 6500 employees the service already has.

The Herald Sun reported that in the submission, Uber said it did not want to be regulated the same way taxis are because they were different means of transport.

“The argument that ride-sharing should be regulated the same as a taxi because they both transport people is as ridiculous as arguing that the rules of Australia rules football should be applied to the NRL because they are both ball games,” the submission said.

While Uber does not want to come under the same umbrella as the taxis, it will allow the Taxi Service Commission to set strict standards and all drivers will be screened through Australian Federal Police’s Crim Tack system and they must pass a VicRoads driver history check.

The ride-sharing service is worth $63 billion but in the submission Uber said its drivers would only pay an annual licence fee of $150 a year, compared to the $22,700 taxis pay to the government.

Victoria is a step behind other states when it comes to legalising Uber, with NSW giving it approval earlier this month.

Uber will pay a $1 levy per trip to fund compensation for taxi licence holders.

Victorian Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said she would look at the NSW model.

The ACT also gave the ride-sharing service the green light after it was launched in November.

Uber is also now legal in Western Australia, with the government announcing a $34 million compensation package for taxi licence holders.

South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and Tasmania are all yet to legalise Uber.

It doesn’t look like legislation is about to change any time soon in the Northern Territory, but a panel has been set up in South Australia to review the taxi industry.

The Queensland government sent a cease and desist letter to Uber in May 2014, but the state’s former transport minister, Scott Emerson, “welcomed innovation in transport technologies”.

Since Labor has taken over governing, the stance on banning Uber has not changed.

The government is also reviewing its taxi industry but a report on the issue won’t be handed down until mid next year.

Uber has not launched in Tasmania and there are no laws in place that address the ride-sharing service.

But Premier Will Hodgman supports Uber and said it was good for consumers and provided opportunities for jobs and growth.

“We believe it is consumers that should decide what’s best for them, not the government,” he told The Mercury.

Legislation that allows ride-sharing services to operate legally in the state will be tabled next year.

Originally published as Uber lobbies government in hope it will be legalised