The NRMA says it’s surprised by the NSW government’s show of force against ride-sharing service Uber – before an industry review is complete.
Suspensions of up to three months for illegal ride-sharing have been handed to 40 Uber drivers by Roads and Maritime Service staff in the past week.
RMS director of safety and compliance Peter Wells’ stance is that the service are illegal and the government was taking action.
NRMA Insurance’s Mariana Cidade took a softer line in an interview with the ABC, saying that the reality is the sharing economy is here to stay.
The NSW government has commissioned an independent investigation into the both hire car services and the taxi industry.
Cidade was surprised that the RMS started writing tickets before recommendations were made.
Uber claimed that drivers were denied due process and is mulling calling in the lawyers, a spokesperson said.
Sydney residents were “choosing Uber in their hundreds of thousands” the spokesperson said, adding that the company looked forward to “sensible” ride-sharing regulations being put in place.
The Taxi Council, not surprisingly, welcomed the crackdown.
But Sydney isn’t the only battleground city where Uber and its rivals are marking their territory.
Tech magazine Wired notes that Uber is now the world’s most valuable start-up at a staggering US$51bn and is pursuing growth most agressively outside the US.
Rivals are springing up globally, from ride-share contenders and traditional cab companies – and they’re cooperating to jointly keep Uber at bay.
Wired singled out China – where Uber has invested around US$120m to spur growth – and Singapore, as markets where the seat-sharing pioneer is eyeing its biggest targets.
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