New rules would allow rideshare companies to operate in Adelaide Hills
Ridesharing would be legal in the Adelaide Hills and other regional areas under a new plan – but drivers would have to make a choice.
Adelaide Hills
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Ridesharing companies such as Uber and Ola would be allowed to operate legally in the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa and McLaren Vale for the first time under a plan being pushed by the State Government.
In what is expected to be the first step in deregulating the sector, rideshare drivers who had been banned from driving in regional areas of SA will soon be able to.
Regulation underpinning rideshare services in Adelaide, introduced in 2017, had restricted the services to metropolitan areas.
Since then Uber drivers had, at times, flaunted the rules until a crackdown late last year from the Department of Transport.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll told The Advertiser the State Government was working with ridesharing services to give drivers the choice of being based in the city or regions.
Under the proposed rules, a regional driver could only pick up a client if the journey included a regional pick-up or drop-off point.
This would mean a regional driver could pick up a client in Tanunda and drop them at Adelaide Airport, or vice versa.
But they would not be able to pick up a client at the Adelaide Airport and drop them at a metropolitan location, or vice versa.
Mr Knoll said the changes will provide more choice for people living or visiting regions like the Adelaide Hills.
“In the wake of the devastation caused by the bushfires, improving connectivity and access to these regions will be a shot in the arm for the tourism industry, businesses and local jobs,” Mr Knoll said.
“We need to be doing everything we can to help get people back into these regions to support local businesses and jobs while they get back on their feet.
“The #BookThemOut campaign is helping to get the message out there that these regions and businesses are open for business.
“When the former Government set the boundaries for ridesharing services a few years ago, they excluded them from the regions like the Adelaide Hills.
“We want to get these services into the Adelaide Hills and regions to give people more choice and flexibility to get around faster and cheaper.”
Mr Knoll said the arrangements, that will take about six weeks to implement, are being put in place on a trial basis while the State Government considers broader reforms to the taxi, chauffer and rideshare industry.
Mr Knoll said future reforms would look to provide a more level playing field, in line with other Australian jurisdictions.
The reforms are expected to include rules that would allow rideshare drivers to operate without boundaries.