Media Release
7/28/2015
Last week’s report of an alleged sexual assault of a female passenger by an uber driver in Perth may be difficult to prove because the illegal taxi service refuses to abide by Government safety regulations that include cameras, according to the CEO of Taxi Council Queensland.
Benjamin Wash also predicted that sexual assaults by uber drivers will increase if the illegal taxi service continues to operate as they are less likely to be convicted, and pointed to other assaults in Melbourne and overseas.
“uber X is operating outside the law, meaning they have no safety measures, taking us back to the dark ages,” Mr Wash said.
“In Queensland there are over 250,000 taxi fares every day yet the incidence of driver misbehaviour is very rare, partly because the actions of drivers are captured on in-car cameras and taxis are GPS monitored.”
He said when there is an incident, police have video proof and can use camera footage from taxis to convict drivers that do the wrong thing.
“In every industry there are people from time to time who break the law. This includes police, teachers, lawyers and taxi drivers.”
“Some uber X drivers will break the law, but the driver can do or say anything and then deny it, and there’s nothing you can do.”
Mr Wash said while he cannot comment on the recent allegation, he has no doubt that uber will become a haven for sexual predators as well as drivers that are rejected or sacked by the taxi industry.
“If a driver inappropriately touches a passenger in a taxi we can prove it. But in an illegal taxi like uber X, it becomes a ‘he said – she said situation’, meaning it is far more difficult for prosecutors to secure a conviction.
“In fact I believe many victims of uber drivers will not even bother reporting it.”
Mr Wash warned that uber drivers don’t have daily criminal checks like Queensland taxi drivers and can turn off their phone, making their location untraceable, as an uber driver recently did when he kidnapped a woman overseas.
“Illegal taxis flout the law and are unsafe and uninsured. I appeal to the public not to risk their lives by using these services.”
ENDS