Alexandria Utting and Emily Selleck, Gold Coast Bulletin
October 2, 2017
THE Queensland Taxi Council have called on the State Government to force Uber drivers to fit security cameras in cars after a 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a ride-share driver on the Gold Coast.
The calls come as transport reforms announced yesterday by Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey requiring cameras to be fitted in vehicles with a “certain risk profile” does not cover Uber.
Only vehicles where drivers deal with cash and completely anonymous customers must comply, a spokesman for the minister said yesterday.
On Saturday, the Gold Coast Bulletin revealed a local Uber driver allegedly locked the doors of his car and raped a 20-year-old woman in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of the morning.
The 24-year-old Coombabah man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was refused bail in the Southport Magistrates Court at the weekend after being charged with rape and assault relating to a shocking incident that allegedly occurred at 1am in the heart of the city.
Police allege the Indian hospitality student, who had only been driving for the ride-sharing company for two months, stopped the car, locked the doors, reclined the woman’s seat and began kissing her before he raped her in the early hours of the morning.
Duty lawyer Sam Jackson, of Bamberry Lawyers, told the court the 24-year-old denied the allegations.