NSW Comes To Their Senses And Officially Makes UBER Legal

UberX, the ride-sharing arm of the Uber taxi and hire care service, has been given the go-ahead to operate legally in the NSW.

“NSW is going to have a new transport economy”, Constance said.

“I encourage the NSW Government to avoid tying up occasional Uber drivers in red tape and to now look at other areas of over-regulation, such as the lock-out laws in Kings Cross, and Airbnb”.

Taxis will still have exclusive rights to pick passengers up from streets and airports.

Despite regulatory uncertainty – an Uber driver in the southern state of Victoria was convicted earlier this month for operating a commercial vehicle without a licence – Uber has proved popular in Australia.

“This taxi tax will see all consumers pay more to compensate an industry that refused to innovate or improve its customer service”.

There are around 5,800 taxi plate holders in NSW, and under the government plan, owners will receive $20,000 per plate, up to a maximum of two plates, according to the Telegraph.

“Once parliament resumes, I will introduce legislation to provide for the full reform package including a new regulator and Commissioner to hold all point to point services to account, with significant power and penalties”, Constance said.

“It’s important that we don’t forget those who have poured their savings into taxi licences over the past decades and ensure they get equitable assistance as this industry adjusts to changes in our economy”.

Taxi companies will have the option of passing this on to customers, but the Government said licence fees and other costs would be reduced.

Mr Jools said the compensation package was “nonsense” and would not apply to people such as base operators who are not plate owners.

But he said the industry would try and focus on the positives.

“Ridesharing is not only revolutionising the transportation status quo but also helping make Sydney a more economically vibrant, better connected and more sustainable city”, Uber Australia and NZ general manager, David Rohrsheim said.