Media Release
October 24, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) has labelled the State Government “naive in the extreme” if they believe that their new rideshare regulation is about Uber, and has urged MPs and the media to look at the wider ramification of the new regulatory changes.

TCQ Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash said he was shocked to hear Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe recently say that rideshare was safe because people could see the picture of the driver on an app.

“It appears that they have made these changes under the assumption that it is about one foreign company. This is unprecedented.

“Surely they are aware that the legislation is far wider reaching and that now, anyone of any age and experience with any vehicle in any location can start a rideshare business whether they have an app or not.”

Mr Wash said the changes now make it legal for anyone to start transporting passengers with no consumer protection guidelines, no pricing boundaries and no service standards.

“This is what passenger transport has become, and many people have already started running their own dodgy services, putting people in danger with the full support of the Queensland Government.”

Mr Wash said even the media have fallen into the trap.

“Journalists ask me about Uber, but they must realise that Uber is one player and there will be others as well as many individuals. It’s a free-for-all.

“Who is going to take responsibility for the inevitable deaths, assaults, thefts and rip-offs that will occur under a system where anyone can do whatever they like?” he asked.

“The Government could have made rideshare legal by putting in place sensible safety based regulations, but instead they decided to eliminate all safety and service measures.

“There will be severe consequences.”
ENDS

Media Release
October 11, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) says taxi companies across the state still offer drivers high levels of training despite the State Government removing this requirement in its recent regulatory changes.

TCQ Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash says the Government’s changes were a poorly thought out attempt to level the playing field in order to accommodate rideshare, with the result being lower service standards and the removal of consumer protection.

He said rideshare companies don’t have to adhere to any standards and can “basically do what they like”.

“The taxi industry did not ask for and does not want lowering of standards.

“The big question is whether the Government will continue to allow rideshare vehicles to operate with no guidelines whatsoever, putting public safety at risk.”
ENDS

Media Release
October 11, 2016

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) says their continued warnings about the dangers of new rideshare regulations have unfortunately been proved correct following revelations on ‘A Current Affair’ that an 18-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by an Uber driver.

TCQ Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash said it is vital that the Government, community and media note three very important points in the story that highlight the huge danger to consumers.

“The Uber driver turned the phone off and disabled the app; there was no camera in the car, preventing police from obtaining evidence; and the alleged victim had no one to contact and was forced to deal with someone in the Netherlands.”

Mr Wash said the taxi industry has warned of these exact risks numerous times but no one listened.

“We’ve said time and time again that rideshare vehicles are not properly GPS monitored – and this was shown when the driver simply turned off the phone and was off the grid.

“We’ve also said cameras are necessary for evidence, and we’ve explained that you can’t deal with an anonymous app managed by an overseas company when something goes wrong.

“We were ridiculed by some members of the media and organisations like the RACQ when we pointed these things out, but I’d invite those same people to speak to this young girl and tell her how safe rideshare is.”

He said it was time for the Government to wake up and make urgent changes to protect Queensland consumers.

“If there are still occasional incidents in taxis that have safety protection like cameras and GPS monitoring, how on earth can removing these measures make anything better?

“More young women will be raped and more people will be assaulted unless the State Government immediately takes its head out of the sand and amends these poorly drafted regulatory changes and increases protection in rideshare vehicles.”

Original ACA story – http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/05/20/32/queensland-teenager-claims-uber-driver-sexually-assaulted-her
ENDS

Media Release
September 26, 2016

A recent incident which saw two elderly women mistakenly get in the wrong rideshare vehicle highlights the inherent dangers customers now face under changes to passenger transport legislation.

The incident forced the Melbourne women to complain to ridesharing service uber, claiming a driver tried to force them out of the vehicle in a deserted street late at night.

Taxi Council Queensland (TCQ) Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Wash says customers are putting their safety at risk by thinking any vehicle could be their booking, because the cars are not clearly identified.

“Sadly we will see more and more instances of customers getting fooled and mistakenly getting into the wrong ridesharing vehicle – or a car pretending to offer rideshare – and being put in harm’s way. It is happening overseas and is becoming common in some jurisdictions.”

Mr Wash said taxis are clearly marked, driver identification is on display, and all cabs are equipped with cameras, unlike rideshare vehicles which, “can be operated by just about anyone”.

“The State Government has released the genie from the bottle and more serious safety incidents will occur as these watered down regulations allow rideshare vehicles to operate under flimsy protection guidelines.”

Original article can be found here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-08/uber-trip-for-two-older-melbourne-women-ends-in-complaint/7827610
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Media Alert
September 5, 2016

Taxi drivers, owners and operators will descend on Queensland’s Parliament House today for a silent rally to protest the State Government’s ham-fisted new regulations that will lower taxi safety standards and affect over 16,000 small business operators. Taxi Council Queensland has offered its support to this protest.

Where: Parliament House George St Brisbane
When: 11:30am
Media spokespeople available at rally – including Bill Parker, General Manager Yellow Cabs.

This is a silent rally to show strength in numbers, and disruptive noisy attendees will be asked to leave. Drivers on shift have been asked not to attend so customer services are not disrupted.
ENDS