Uber comes to Australia

[Cruiser Elite]

Time will tell with Uber - the market is never wrong - market forces will sort out Uber Black - anybody thinking taxis or other hire cars and drivers are making fortunes are dellusional - the market is never wrong.

Uber X will die a natural death - that is after authorities in each state and territory have done their bit to rid the roads of these illegal rogue operators - then it will be up to the market again to decide if they wish to 'chance it' - sooner or later the Uber 'ostriches' will pull their heads from the sand.

 

[yohy?!]

Yep Uber Black is legal - Uber X isn't.

Sorry but it's not that simple, the Uber app is not illegal as it's merely a booking service and ride sharing isn't illegal either (there is no regulation around it).

All that's illegal is operating public transport services without the proper accreditation of which Uber does not claim to be a public transport service. Which is why they continue to operate with impunity because they know they can.

*in NSW that is

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Sorry but it's not that simple, the Uber app is not illegal as it's merely a booking service and ride sharing isn't illegal either (there is no regulation around it).

All that's illegal is operating public transport services without the proper accreditation of which Uber does not claim to be a public transport service. Which is why they continue to operate with impunity because they know they can.

*in NSW that is

Are you sure of that? Sydney taxi drivers call for NSW Government to stop UberX ride-sharing app - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The NSW Government said drivers who carry passengers for a fare need authorisation.Anthony Wing, a senior manager with Transport for NSW, told the meeting that government inspectors had issued fines to UberX drivers.
"The law is clear, that in order to provide a public passenger service for a fare, you need to have a taxi or hire car accreditation or authority," Mr Wing said.
Officers from the Roads and Maritime Service have been conducting covert surveillance of drivers using ride share apps.
The maximum penalty is a $110,000 fine.

 

[lovestotravel]

Uber X will die a natural death - that is after authorities in each state and territory have done their bit to rid the roads of these illegal rogue operators - then it will be up to the market again to decide if they wish to 'chance it' - sooner or later the Uber 'ostriches' will pull their heads from the sand.

Same as it's dying in San Francisco I guess......................................

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Same as it's dying in San Francisco I guess......................................

And OZ gun laws mirror those of the USA do they? Any chance that different countries might view different subjects in different ways? We are all free to ride Uber X if we want - I choose not to - I'll stick to the 'legal' forms of passenger transport - as I have stated earlier time will tell the tale on this matter.

 

[anat0l]

Sorry but it's not that simple, the Uber app is not illegal as it's merely a booking service and ride sharing isn't illegal either (there is no regulation around it).

All that's illegal is operating public transport services without the proper accreditation of which Uber does not claim to be a public transport service. Which is why they continue to operate with impunity because they know they can.

*in NSW that is

This is starting to sound like a legal-ese argument about prostitution, viz. paying a woman for her time is just that etc. etc., just as the argument is supposed to be that Uber (X) is not a public transportation service provider but matches people who ride together and any payment between the two is what?

 

[eastwest101]

Time will tell with Uber - the market is never wrong - market forces will sort out Uber Black - anybody thinking taxis or other hire cars and drivers are making fortunes are dellusional - the market is never wrong.

Its an interesting intersection of economics and the law. I agree, in the long run, the market usually corrects itself. But you would struggle to argue that the cost of a Taxi licence in NSW of $450,000 means that the particular black and yellow licence plate costs about $5 to produce but sells for $450K on the market. Why is that? Short answer is that the market is distorted and those distortions flow though the entire regulated pricing system of the taxi industry.

One could argue that market economics will eventually sort out the current Taxi industry. Uber is just a rational market response to a regulated irrational market in official taxi licence plates. There is no doubt that the taxi industry is in for a big dose of reality in the future, maybe by Uber or maybe by someone else entirely.

This article is a fairly elegant summary:

Why the law won’t stop Uber

And to borrow from their analogy - no-one I know actually uses Napster anymore, but we now have Spotify and iTunes, and importantly, we also don't pay $35 for CDs anymore so the music industry 'won the battle' but ended up accepting the fact that they couldn't win the war.

 

[burmans]

Are you sure of that? Sydney taxi drivers call for NSW Government to stop UberX ride-sharing app - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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While I know that Taxi drivers love to express an opinion about just about anything I think you'll find there are very few that are actually legally qualified. Of course taxi drivers don't like it but what that's got to do with the legality is beyond me.

 

[moa999]

This is starting to sound like a legal-ese argument about prostitution, viz. paying a woman for her time is just that etc. etc., just as the argument is supposed to be that Uber (X) is not a public transportation service provider but matches people who ride together and any payment between the two is what?

But as uber is a centralised booking service operating under a single brand, with set non-negotiable fare schedule and uber distributes the payment to drivers after taking a cut, it's beginning to look a lot like a public transportation service provider

 

[puppysparkes]

Interesting to hear that Google is one of their financial backers.

Here's the latest report.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4147223.htm

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Interesting article in one of the Singaporean financial papers I read last week - Hailo which is just another booking app like Uber has commenced operations in SIN - that now makes 5 booking apps operating in SIN now - SIN authorities have set maximum commission rates that the booking services can use AND only booking permitted with registered taxis or hire car operators - now that makes sense.

This is about only reference I can find on net - https://vulcanpost.com/85032/top-changes-lta-regulations-will-make-3rd-party-taxi-apps/

Hopefully our Australian Governments will follow suit and get the rogues off the system.

 

[lovestotravel]

Getting a licence to drive a taxi in Melbourne, at least, is simply heading into the Taxi commission, giving them some ID documents, and a Police Check and passing a knowledge test (of which no driver have currently passed)

Uber already require these documents, just not the knowledge test. Uber has a rating system and bad drivers are rated out of driving in a matter of a month, taxi drivers on the other hand continue to drive.

Regulation that is actually needed is around the cars that UberX drivers use. A few friends of mine use UberX but they have been in some shocking 2006, 2007, 2008 Commodores, Falcons etc, probably which were not roadworthy. They have gone back to Uber Black for longe trips as they know they are getting a better/newer/safer car

 

[OzEire]

The UberX vs. taxi comparison could not be demonstrated better than my recent Sydney trip. Uber from airport to city and taxi back later that day. UberX driver was polite, friendly, knew where to go, taxi was new clean and not smelly with the aircon running before i got in (ie. car already cool). Conversely, the taxi was the opposite, with the addition of a driver speeding and tailgating all the way to the airport (except to slam on his brakes as we passed each fixed speed camera).

Taxis need to pick up their act or Uber and the like will continue to take more and more of their business.

 

[UP4014]

While I sympathise with some taxi drivers, many seem to have forgotten two important things.

Quality and Service.

Simple things that because they (the taxi industry) have not been able to deal with they now face Uber and others and now they cry foul over some competition.


Matt​

 

[OzEire]

While I sympathise with some taxi drivers, many seem to have forgotten two important things.

Quality and Service.

Spot on, except personally I would point the finger at the taxi companies and industry groups rather than individual drivers who often have minimal control over these issues (don't get me wrong, they're not blameless some drivers are better than others).

 

[moa999]

Don't think you can blame the driver for a $350000 taxi plate or $30000 a year

 

[lovestotravel]

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

THE fate of controversial “ride-sharing” service UberX in Victoria may be determined by a criminal test case in February. In the latest move by authorities around the world to crack down on the allegedly illegal cab operator, a dozen UberX drivers faced criminal charges at the Melbourne Magistrates Court this morning.
Each has been charged with operating a commercial passenger vehicle without a license from the Taxi Services Commission — a crime attracting a fine of up to $7500 — after a sting operation by the regulator.
The TSC alleges the offences took place between May 28 and August 27 in Geelong, Southbank and the Melbourne central business district.
Magistrate Amanda Chambers agreed to a proposal from defence barrister Peter Haag that the charges against UberX driver Nathan Brenner, of Caulfield North, be dealt with first as a test case.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

The word was authorities were just holding off until post Vic Election to have a serious crack at them.

Mind you nothing Uber do is illegal - it's the poor mug drivers who believe their hype who will bear the brunt!

 

[UP4014]

Spot on, except personally I would point the finger at the taxi companies and industry groups rather than individual drivers who often have minimal control over these issues (don't get me wrong, they're not blameless some drivers are better than others).

I smiled when Reg Kermode was buried, what a crook. Did anyone attend to make sure.

Matt

 

[lovestotravel]

The word was authorities were just holding off until post Vic Election to have a serious crack at them.

Mind you nothing Uber do is illegal - it's the poor mug drivers who believe their hype who will bear the brunt!

Yes the election was a factor in the delay

Yes but I am sure Uber will back up drivers, as if they don't I doubt anyone will drive for them!