Culture

The Victorian Government Will Legalise Uber, But It’ll Cost Us A Little More

Uber is now legal in almost every state.

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After much confusing legal back-and-forth, it’s been announced that Uber is now officially legal in Victoria. From now on (or for eight years, at least) there will be a single registration system for both taxis and Uber. Previous to this, Uber belonged to a different registration system to taxis, with enormous expense to drivers and huge potential fines.

Premier Daniel Andrews says that far-reaching changes to the current systems will mean that Uber passengers will incur a two dollar levy for their ride. All drivers for taxis and ride-sharing services will have to pass medical, police and driving history checks. The move will also see $25 million going towards improving access for people with a disability, addressing claims that Uber was not suitable for people with mobility issues.

Although Uber had a rocky introduction to Australia given the misunderstandings over its ‘technical’ legality, now Uber has been legalised in the ACT, Queensland (next week in fact), South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania (Uber is not available in the Northern Territory yet).