Yahoo Finance Taxi council furious over 'risky' new Uber service
Taxi app Uber, which landed in Australia in November 2012, has drawn the ire of the industry with a soon-to-launch feature that allows people to use their own cars as taxis.
The "ridesharing" feature lets any licensed driver offer their services to Uber users in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, as long as they're at least 24 years of age with no criminal record. Drivers must also have insurance and own a four-door car from 2005 or newer.
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The NSW Taxi Council is furious over the move, claiming it puts passengers at risk due to a lack of regulation. Taxi licenses are expensive and tightly regulated, and only 312 are set to be issued in the year starting July 2014.
"This has to be dealt with before it gets out of hand," NSW Taxi Council chief executive Roy Wakelin-King said, according to a report by Fairfax Media.
"We have an organisation that is asking people to take on faith a [taxi or hire car] booking system that has no regulatory checks or balances."
"[It] represents a clear risk to the public."
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The NSW Roads and Maritime Service has asked Uber to explain how the service complies with existing regulations.
The growing popularity of Uber and similar apps such as goCatch and ingogo have proven disruptive to the taxi industry, which has lobbied intensely against them.
NSW and Victoria recently introduced legislation to regulate booking apps, in a move to enforce vehicle safety and maintenance standards.
