It really was only a matter of time until the rest of the dominoes fell like a house of cards (check mate).
Victoria will finally legalise ridesharing services such as Uber, in a radical shake-up of the taxi and commercial car industry, the State Government has announced.
Under the plan, unveiled by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews today, the Government will introduce two pieces of legislation into Parliament. The first of which will reduce the hire car licensing fee down to zero. The second of which will implement the reforms to the industry that will allow ridesharing services to operate legally within the state.
As part of the reforms all commercial car fares, be it UberX, UberBlack, or regular Taxi, will be hit with a $2 per-ride levy to help fund the transition to the new system. This means all your Uber rides will set you back an extra coupla bucks the moment you step inside the vehicle.
Whilst that’s a little steeper than the legislative example we’ve seen set in both NSW and QLD, there are some benefits to the reforms package.
A total of $378million will be made available to provide “fair and reasonable” assistance to current taxi license holders to aid them in the transition to the new framework.
Meanwhile, $75million will be used in a Fairness Fund, which will assist consumers facing immediate financial hardship as a result of the reforms. This package includes $25million to improve convenient, reliable, point-to-point transport access for people living with a disability.
Additionally, the Government will appoint an Australia-first Commissioner for Disability Services to the Taxi Services Commission.
Premier Andrews heralded the new legislation as a levelling of the playing field:
“This is a comprehensive and fair transformation of taxi and hire car services, which responds to new technology that is changing the way people travel.”“We’re levelling the playing field for the whole industry while ensuring consumers have safe and reliable access to transport services.”
Meanwhile Transport Minister Jacinta Allen echoed those sentiments, and stressed the importance of using the legislation to allow Victorians with disabilities better and more reliable access to affordable transport.
“We’re changing the way Victorians travel by giving them more choice, shorter wait times and safer travel.”
“For Victorians that have a disability Taxis are often their only means of transport which is why we’re ensuring with these reforms that they will have more choice and funding support than ever before.”
The legislation is still being drafted, and will be introduced into State Parliament later this year.
Source: VIC Premier.
Photo: Carl Court/Getty.
