Queensland’s Taxi Drivers Are Forking Out $1.2 Million To Take Down Uber

The Taxi Council of Queensland has unanimously voted to put almost $1.2 million dollars towards a campaign against Uber and other ridesharing services operating in Brisbane. There are 3,260 taxis operating in the state, and the Taxi Council will ask each of them to contribute $360 to its lobby fund.

The money raised by the Taxi Council from its members will largely go towards lobbying Queensland's Government to favour taxi drivers in its upcoming ridesharing regulation review. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced earlier this month that the "Opportunities For Personalised Transport" review of Queensland's taxi industry would report back to the state's parliament in July. The review will decide once and for all the fate of Uber, taxis, and any other companies that are looking for a piece of the rideshare pie.

Western Australia, New South Wales, the ACT, and Tasmania have all introduced legislation to regulate ride sharing services over the past couple of years. Uber has encouraged Victoria to follow suit by asking its passengers to email their MPs about the issue.

In a media statement Wayne Crookes, Taxi Council Queensland's chief operating officer, said that the Council is "doing all it can to achieve the best outcome for its many thousands of stakeholders."

"We believe this review is the most important the taxi industry has faced in a generation. As such, it is crucial we ensure our submission looks to the past, present and future," he said.

Uber is still technically illegal in Queensland, and has faced some pretty hectic fines in the state.

But Uber hasn't been shy about fighting back, in its own way. Earlier this year the Queensland Government passed legislation initiated by Bob Katter's Australia Party to outlaw Uber's unregulated ridesharing services. The company responded by using a horse and carriage to deliver more than 15,000 printed emails written by its supporters to the Premier's office.

Speaking to VICE, a representative from Uber in Sydney said that the Taxi Council's lobbying was not something the company would comment on. "The taxi industry are playing their game," he said. "We're working with the government to get regulation with ride sharing and we hope to have it soon."

Also putting pressure on the Queensland government to regulate ridesharing is Gocar, a Sydney-based rideshare app that, unlike Uber, chooses to act within the frameworks of local laws.

Gocar told the Brisbane Times that it couldn't set its service up in Brisbane because the company wasn't able to afford paying the kinds of hefty fines that Uber is forced to shell out for. Representatives said that until ridesharing becomes legal in Queensland, Uber would continue to have a monopoly there.

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