The beef between the stanky old cab and hire car industry and the new hotness that is the uberX car-sharing service is getting increasingly hectic, to the point where servings of vigilante justice are now being dished out.
Over the past few weeks, you may have heard of one Russell Howarth, a hire car owner and former British police officer, who has been trawling Sydney’s streets, performing citizen’s arrests on uberX drivers.
His issue is that, while the NSW government have announced an intention to crack down on uberX services, in which drivers offer taxi-like services in private cars, little official action has been taken.
Last week, Fairfax accompanied Howarth on what he claimed to be his eighth such citizen’s arrest. Here’s how it played out:
Please watch #UberARREST video & follow @arrestinguber https://t.co/eDLgoISuxM & comment with how you rate the Uber Operations Manager Aus?
— Arresting Uber (@arrestinguber) November 23, 2014
We sincerely hope that Ben Kingsley can one day play him in the movie version of the uberX turf war, and bring some of that Sexy Beast energy to the table.
Fairfax say that, while the unnamed driver in the video was “stressed and agitated” following the citizen’s arrest, he was back driving for uberX on Thursday, after receiving reassurances from management.
The taxi industry is also angry at the new kids muscling in on their turf, and according to Fairfax, strategies ranging from “throwing eggs” at uberX drivers to a full-on Sydney airport boycott have been discussed.
Following Wednesday’s incident, NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian reiterated that ride-sharing services are illegal in the state, and on-the-spot fines can apply, as well as penalties of up to $110,000.
Will they actually be enforced?
That’s a tough question. In theory, Roads and Maritime Services officers would have to go undercover and make uberX bookings the same way as Howarth does, so that may not happen any time soon.
As for uberX themselves, they refuse to comment on any ongoing police investigations, but point out that their services have grown exponentially in each of their seven Australian markets.
“There is clear evidence of huge demand for safe, reliable, affordable transport, and a dissatisfaction with the status quo,” they said.
