UBER - Being an Uber Driver?

[hoe]

Err, uber is nothing like a pyramid scheme.....
Only reason it's 'illegal' is the taxi drivers don't like competition. ....

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[peteramjet]

Err, uber is nothing like a pyramid scheme.....
Only reason it's 'illegal' is the taxi drivers don't like competition. ....

I agree, not a pyramid scheme at all.

However it's not illegal just because the taxis drivers don't like competition. It's illegal because the company and drivers are operating a public transport service without the necessary authorities and permits, along with the flow on offences such as failing to declare taxable income, plus numerous fraud related offences such as registering a vehicle used for business as a 'private' vehicle, declaring the use of a vehicle as 'private' when it is used for business on compulsory third insurance and declaring the use of a vehicle as 'private' to an insurance company when it is used for business.

Uber is not 'ride-sharing' - that's giving some one a lift in a direction your already heading. Uber is a business that operates a transport booking service and has employees who drive for it - as such it should be on a level playing field in regards to permits, etc with other transport services such as taxis and hire cars.

Bring on Uber I say, but on a level playing field for all transport providers.

[fandtm666]

look at what happened in france this week with the taxi - chauffeur drivers
going nuts and smashing cars etc that were ubers.

it is against the law in many countries and while i do see them as option other
than a taxi one must also remember the only reason they are cheaper
is because they are not registered as business insured as business etc
and more than likely don't pay any tax either by not declaring the money.

I know registering and insuring my work car for business cost me near a grand a yr more.

Then throw in the fact that to be a driver that transports people you also need a drivers
authority and police check all of which my wife needs to do twice a yr because she
needs a NSW and QLD because she drives bus's and we are on the boarder all
of which costs money.

[jwoegerbauer]

. Uber is a business that operates a transport booking service and has employees who drive for it - as such it should be on a level playing field in regards to permits, etc with other transport services such as taxis and hire cars.

As I understood it, Uber develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile app, a piece of software for your mobile phone. You use Uber to connect you with a driver in minutes. Uber understands itself as a community of riders to get rides around town.

The driver isn't an employee of Uber, he is an independent contractor.



The driver chooses when he drives, where he goes, and who he picks up. No office, no boss. Worthwile to know is that all hiring and payment is handled exclusively through Uber and not with the driver personally. Uber collects from the crowd-sourced driver a commission of 20% percent of the fare Uber exclusively calculates.

[Godzilla]

Would be interesting to know if Uber could be raided for breaking the law and to find out who drove for them.

It would certainly be a bit of a mess for all the drivers.

[peteramjet]

The driver isn't an employee of Uber, he is an independent contractor.

Been found to be an employee by the courts in California and Florida. A quick search will find you the cases. Plus there is a Federal cas going that will effect all of America.

Basically as Uber has carriage over everything, from hiring, control over the app, approval ratings and the complete payment process the drivers go beyond contractors and are deemed employees.

The exact same business structure used in the U.S. is used in Australia, and while it hasn't been tested here yet there is no reason a similar finding wouldn't happen.

Regardless, it makes no difference to the requirement for the drivers to be appropriately authorised and doesn't mean they can avoid paying business rates on all their car expenses (rego/CTP/insurance/etc) - which I guarantee almost none of the drivers are doing.

[ol' boy]

Uber and all the other Ride Sharing Services, will end up just like Illegal Downloading.
Its happens, millions of people do it every single day.... So what are the Authorities going to do about it?

It will be a case of bring he laws up to speed or go broke trying to enforce the laws.

[Godzilla]

It will end up being another underground activity that authorities will keep raiding as they did with those other drivers who were fined $7500, the steep fine will more than keep the State Govt happy puling in a new revenue stream.

Fine enough Uber drivers hard enough, often enough and it will quickly die, the risk will far out weigh the benefits.

@ Diavalo, Those French are nut cases, last time i was in Paris about 8 years ago, i was there for 3 weeks, 2 of them the metro, buses, taxis, and you name it (transport) were on strike, the locals tell me its very common for the transport industry to bring the country to its knees.

Then the locals got smart, everyone use to line up at taxi terminals in the morning in the hope it may end, locals started to approach people waiting with offers of rides for a fee, eventually i had a local driving me around (pickup, drop off twice a day) for a service fee, he did this to add to his part time jobs income.

I recon it was the beginning of Uber.

[ol' boy]

The beauty about these Ride Sharing services, is as laws get handed down, they can swiftly morph into a slightly different structure to be within the law.
The service Richard Branson has tipped $15M into is slightly different to Uber.
Its based on people that are Already making a journey from A to B, that journey is put online via the App, and others (users) can decide if they would like to go with him/her.

So it may (i'm not sure) get around any kind of soliciting policy. Maybe not.
Anyway, it draws a very close line to someone sharing a drive with you and tipping in for some fuel money.
I guess the fact that you have openly advertised your journey is soliciting, so maybe they would get you there.

Will be interesting times.
Guess it depends how many politicians own or have friends with Taxi licences

[fandtm666]

there are plenty of legal issues associated with uber its not funny.

i cant wait to see the insurance companies decline payment on a claim because
their car is insured private and was being used for a commercial purpose.

Or

A uber driver suing uber because they were bashed or their car wrecked
by a client who uber put them in contact with and as such failing duty of care.

and the list goes on and on.

[ol' boy]

You'd think in the 4 years Uber has been operating, all those situations would have already occurred

[gordon_s1942]

Easy, as explained in some articles on the web where some drivers copped a $7500 fine, whoever is catching them has the app and simply arranges a ride, notes the number plate when getting in or out, does not tell a word about it to the driver, vehicle owner simply gets a fine in the mail.

Hang on, come to think about it, what if you did run Uber through a rental vehicle, being a rental, its a car for hire?

The only difference between the UBER system and a Hire/Rental Car service is that you are being driven unlike the Rental Car system where you drive yourself and in most cases, have to arrange to pick up the Rental at a location unlike the Uber/Taxi service who pick you up and take you to your destination.

From what I have seen, Hire cars are mainly an upmarket Taxi service using 'Special' vehicles for the purpose and charge accordingly.

I am sure a few years ago in NSW there was a bit of a kerfuffle over people 'Car Sharing' and contributing to the cost of the journey which what ever Govt Authority at the time said was illegal to do.

[hoe]

The wa premier has had discussions with the owners of Swan taxis and stated that the government won't be compensating taxi plate owners..
...

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[gordon_s1942]

Based on that report, if I was a Taxi owner in WA I would be handing in the plates etc and go UBER ASAP !!!

[ol' boy]

Uber Test Case before the courts.
Looks like Uber brought the big guns with them.

[hoe]

It wouldnt surprise me if Barnett did a back door deal with uber to get it happening.

he's shitty with the crap deal WA gets with gst allocations, so if uber were to pay state tax and maybe donate some money.....

[gordon_s1942]

I dont know how powerful (lobby) the Taxi industry has in WA but owner's and drivers are all Voters and while its all well and good to glad hand the Public with this UBER choice, as a voting block the Taxi industry might have enough clout to take that smile off his face.

[hoe]

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[allover]

he's shitty with the crap deal WA gets with gst allocations, ....[/QUOTE]
Hope people in the west have not got short memories, as up to the time of the resources boom, NSW and VIC had been subsidizing the other states for up to 100 years, now they have got wealth it may be a good time for them to stand on their own and Barnett to stop whinging

[ol' boy]

There goes all the money invested in Taxi Licences or Plates.
Didn't seem much in WA compared to Vic anyway.

Not such great news in California


Or London


New Zealand


Law Makers are lost it seems, people are voting with their feet.
Uber Drivers are happy, Uber users are happy