2015-12-19
The Queensland Greens say the state Labor government should accept that ride sharing services such as Uber will need to be legalised soon, and cease prosecutions of Uber drivers in the meantime.
Greens spokesperson Andrew Bartlett said the decision by the New South Wales and Western Australian governments to follow the lead of the ACT and provide a regulatory framework for legalised ride sharing means Queensland must follow suit.
“The question is no longer whether Uber and other ridesharing services should be legalised. The question is now under what regulatory environment should legalisation occur, and how soon this can reasonably be done.
“The Greens acknowledge this is a complex area, and proper adjustment assistance for people working in the taxi industry is essential. This includes adequate provision for taxi license owners whose assets will be significantly devalued when this happens.
“It is also essential to ensure safety issues are addressed, as well as improving services for people with disabilities.
“The Queensland government has the opportunity to examine what the other states and territories are doing to assess whether we can do things better in our state.
“While Queensland finalises exactly what regulatory model we will adopt, the prosecutions and fining of Uber drivers should end,” Mr Bartlett concluded.
For further comment, contact Andrew Bartlett on 0418 743 789