Canberra first capital city to legalise Uber

The ACT Government has announced it will legalise ridesharing services, such as UberX, from 30 October.

Safety-based ridesharing regulations will soon be in place for the ACT, reportedly the first capital city in the world to introduce specific ridesharing regulations since Uber hit the market in 2009, leading the way for permanent legislation in the coming months.

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has said it welcomes the ACT Government’s decision.

“This is a victory for common sense and it will inject some much-needed competition into the point-to-point passenger market in the ACT,” said Matt Levey, CHOICE director of campaigns and communications.

“These reforms will ideally offer more choices for consumers when trying to get from A to B which are safe and competitive. We hope other jurisdictions will follow suit to rapidly legalise innovation and not outlaw competition.”

The ACT is the first jurisdiction in Australia to regulate the controversial ridesharing service, UberX, rather than crack down on it as seen elsewhere, such as NSW. Earlier this week, NSW Roads and Maritime Services issued 40 suspension notices to owners of vehicles involved in ridesharing services for breaches of the Passenger Transport Act.

However, the ACT may just be leading the pack as the Victorian government is preparing to regulate Uber amid concerns from the local taxi industry.

The state government is currently working on a regulatory regime concerning passenger safety, driver and vehicle standards, and insurance issues.

The Victorian opposition Liberal leader Matthew Guy reportedly told journalists: “Ridesharing like Uber is here... the government needs to step up and get on with it.”

Under the changes in the ACT, rideshare drivers will need to receive accreditation like taxi drivers, involving criminal and driving history checks, and their vehicles will also need to be fully insured and checked for safety.

Ridesharing services, however, will not be able to be hailed off the street and the booking apps will have to provide a fare range before the booking is confirmed. The legislation will also prevent ridesharing services from instigating surge pricing during a formally declared emergency.

Image courtesy of MotorBlog under CC

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