State crackdown sees 40 Uber drivers off the road

The NSW government has stepped up its fight against ride-sharing service Uber, suspending the licences of 40 UberX drivers.

It’s another major roadblock for Uber in Australia with the state government seeming ready to take a hard line.

As the ABC reports, the director of safety and compliance at the NSW Roads and Maritime Service Peter Wells says “thousands of dollars in fines” have already been issued, as well as licence suspension notices.

“Taxi and hire car services in NSW must be provided by an operator accredited by Roads and Maritime, in a licensed and insured vehicle which is driven by an authorised driver,” Wells told ABC.

“If drivers continue to offer illegal ride-sharing services, they will continue to risk registration suspensions and fines.”

The 40 UberX drivers have been banned from using their cars from three months and risk a fine of up to $2200 if they’re caught again.

An Uber spokesperson told the ABC they were “shocked” at the actions of the authorities.

“The people of Sydney are choosing Uber in their hundreds of thousands and we look forward to seeing the government recognise this by putting sensible ride-sharing regulations in place as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.

The startup recently lost a legal bid to have a criminal case against a Melbourne driver thrown out. The case will now go to trial on October 9.

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