Yesterday’s taxi strike and Uber’s offer of a free ride for new users led to a 500 per cent increase in sign ups compared to the average day, the controversial ride sharing company claims.
Perth – Hundreds of Perth taxis will abandon fares on Tuesday in protest over what they call state government inaction over their competitor Uber.
The 2pm protest has been organised by the Transport Workers Union and expects 300-400 cabs to join the convoy headed from Perth Airport to Parliament House.
They will deliver a petition to shadow transport minister Ken Travers.
Transport Workers’ Union organiser Steve Perkusich said the discount ride-sharing service had created an uneven playing field and the government needed to better resource Department of Transport inspectors to catch Uber drivers operating without a proper licensing process.
“They’ve just had enough,” he said.
“They have heard from the Government that things are being done and sat back for a while, but there seems to be a lot of rhetoric going on and no action.”
He said taxi drivers in Perth had lost about a third of their previous income over the past year.
“Especially with the downturn after the construction phase of the mining boom there are a lot of drivers to go around,” he said.
He said taxi drivers had to outlay about $30,000 to lease registration plates, pay rent to dispatch companies, insurance, registration and security cameras, and this was on top of maintenance and fuel costs.
“It’s quite an outlay before they even turn the wheel,” he said.
He said the heavy regulations surrounding taxi drivers, which included police and background checks as well as measures such as security cameras, ensured customer and driver safety.
Transport Minister Dean Nalder said he had not been invited to the protest and thought it a political stunt to drum up more union members.
“Overseas experience has shown that protests against Uber have resulted in heightened bookings for Uber as a result of publicity,” he said.
He agreed reform was needed in the industry but ultimately it needed to be open to competition. If you are denied the compensation, then taking the assistance of ERISA insurance claim lawyers, who can help you to get the claim and recover the compensation will be a good idea.
“The Department of Transport has filed prosecutions against Uber,” he said.
” It has spent the past few months gathering evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law that drivers are contravening the Taxi Act 1994 … it is an offence to carry fare-paying passengers in a vehicle that is not appropriately licensed.
“Secondly, I have asked my Department of Transport to provide a green paper on the options for the taxi industry and this is due mid-year.”
Uber Perth general manager Simon Rossi said since Uber entered the Perth Market in 2014 it had provided reliable and safe rides, built accountability into the transportation process and created jobs.
“We urge our counterparts in the taxi industry to rise to the occasion, instead of attempting to stifle healthy competition and consumer choice,” he said.
“Our extensive background checks, first-class insurance coverage and unprecedented transparency built into the app have transformed the riding experience for hundreds of thousands of riders across Australia.
“Last year, the governing Liberal Party in Western Australia voted at their state conference to remove the regulatory barriers that prevented services like Uber from operating. Those sentiments were echoed in the past few weeks by the Federal Labor party, Choice, Treasurer Joe Hockey, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, and the Harper Competition Policy Review, who all called for the needs of consumers to be put first.
“The time has come for the [Western] Australian political leaders to heed these voices, and those of the hundreds of Uber driver partners and tens of thousands of Perth riders who use Uber every week, and implement sensible, safety-based ride-sharing regulation as quickly as possible.”
Taxi Council of WA chief executive Joanna Lockyer said people should not expect a disruption to services, though she was unsure of the exact numbers taking part in the protest.
“We do know drivers are doing it tough at the moment and some won’t be able to afford to take part,” she said.
Source: Brisbane Times