Queensland taxi council claims Uber will be a ‘haven for sexual predators’

THE war on Uber has turned uglier, with claims by an Australian taxi council that the ride-sharing service will attract sexual predators.

Uber

THE Taxi Council of Queensland has claimed ride-sharing service Uber will become a “haven for sexual predators” because the company refuses to install safety measures in all its cars.

Chief executive Benjamin Walsh says it will be harder for victims of sexual assault to prove their case because Uber cars do not have cameras.

Mr Walsh’s comments come after the alleged sexual assault of a young woman by an Uber driver in Perth last week.

He also claims the number of sexual assaults by Uber drivers will increase because of the lack of safety measures.

“Uber X is operating outside the law, meaning they have no safety measures, taking us back to the dark ages,” Mr Wash said.

“In Queensland there are over 250,000 taxi fares every day yet the incidence of driver misbehaviour is very rare, partly because the actions of drivers are captured on in-car cameras and taxis are GPS monitored.”

Mr Walsh said when there is an incident involving a taxi driver, CCTV from vehicles are provided to police and can be used as evidence.

He claimed Uber drivers did not undergo daily criminal checks like Queensland taxi drivers and were able to turn off their phone, making their location untraceable if they wanted.

“In every industry there are people from time to time who break the law. This includes police, teachers, lawyers and taxi drivers,” Mr Walsh said.

“If a driver inappropriately touches a passenger in a taxi we can prove it. But in an illegal taxi like uber X, it becomes a ‘he said - she said situation’”.

Mr Wash said while he could not comment on the recent allegation, he thought Uber would become a haven for sexual predators as well as for drivers that are rejected or sacked by the taxi industry.

“Illegal taxis flout the law and are unsafe and uninsured,” Mr Walsh said. “I appeal to the public not to risk their lives by using these services.”

Last year, Uber announced it was developing a better vetting system as well as an incident response unit that would provide immediate support in the “event of an incident” 24/7, Mashable reported.

Uber also released a statement last week in relation to the alleged attack on the young Perth woman.

“It is our policy to immediately remove a driver from the platform following any such allegation, which we have done,” the ABC reported. “We will continue to assist the authorities in every way we can.”

The company said the driver was an accredited hire car driver who had undergone full criminal and driving history background checks by the WA Department of Transport.

The Dot has since suspended the driver’s licence in light of the allegations.

Uber said it was assisting WA Police with their inquiries.