Victorian taxi regulator issues fines to drivers using ride-sharing app Uber
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Version 0 of 1. Victoria’s Taxi Services Commission has sent its representatives to catch unlicensed drivers on the ride-sharing application Uber and has begun issuing drivers with fines. Commissioner Graeme Samuel said about 50 drivers had been fined $1,732 each for using the controversial service without drivers having appropriate training and qualifications. “Our principle is going to be that we’ll impose on-the-spot fines to drivers for a limited amount of time and then we’ll go to court and prosecute,” Samuel told the Herald Sun. The ride-sharing application allows people to search for lifts from private citizens using their own vehicles, often at a cheaper rate than commercial taxi services. But Samuel said the service was putting people in danger because of the lack of driver training, and was not complying with Victorian law. “As sure as night follows day, something will go wrong. There’ll be an accident, a bad accident, or there’ll be a driver that engages in misconduct,” he said. The New South Wales government is also assessing whether unlicensed drivers on the ride service would be acting outside the law. |