Below: On October 9, 2014, 9 News Perth's discussion segment, The Backbench, considered the recent start-up of Uber in Perth.
Please note, both the backbenchers interviewed support the arrival of Uber.
Below: In November 2014 the US consumer advisory program, 'Nailed It', ran a 15-minute segment detailing the hazards of Uber from both a driver's and a commuter's viewpoint. (Some of the issues raised in this video are not relevant in the Australian context.)
Below: On April 20, 2015, 9 News Today program ran a segment interviewing a spokesperson from the Transport Workers Union claiming that Uber represents unfair competition for taxi drivers.
Below: On January 22, 2015, Wochit Business televised the results of two studies, one showing that Uber drivers are satisfied with their terms of employment, the other that Uber has a positive effect on local economies. (The report exhibited some scepticism about these findings as both these studies were sponsored by Uber.)
Below: An advertisement for Uber published in June, 2015.
Web links, documents
On December 21, 2015, the television broadcasting service SBS published an article on its Internet site titled 'Future of Uber in Australia'. The article looks at some of the differences between taxis and the Uber service and gives some details on the growth of the company's market share in Australia.
The full text of the article can be accessed at http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2015/12/21/future-uber-australia
On December 17, 2015, ABC News published a report on its Internet site titled 'UberX ridesharing service legalised in NSW, taxi drivers to be compensated'
The report details the terms under which Uber has been legalised in New South Wales and the reactions of different stakeholders both for and against the legalisation.
The full text of the report can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-17/uber-x-legalised-in-nsw-under-government-proposals/7037600
On September 24, 2015, Choice magazine, the publication of the consumer lobby group, Choice, published its report comparing Uber with conventional taxi services. Overall, the report was favourable to Uber and suggested that the competition it presents in the hire transport industry is likely to be desirable.
The full text of this report can be accessed at https://www.choice.com.au/transport/cars/general/articles/uberx-vs-taxi-which-one-is-best#reliability
On September 16, 2015, an opinion piece was published in The Huffington Post arguing that Uber in the United States mistreats its drivers. The comment was written by Sean Connolly, editor of the editorial section of the online newspaper, and is titled 'Uber mistreating drivers'.
The full text of this comment can be found at http://huntnewsnu.com/2015/09/uber-mistreating-drivers/
On August 3, 2015, Business Insider published an analysis titled 'Why Uber's GST fight is just the beginning' The article examines the respective claims of the Australian taxation Office and Uber regarding the manner in which the taxation office wants Uber drivers to collect GST. It also suggests that the company itself may ultimately to liable to collect GST on the service it provides.
The full text of this article can be found at http://www.businessinsider.com.au/ubers-court-battle-with-australia-on-charging-gst-is-just-the-beginning-2015-8
On July 13, 2015, The Canberra Times ran a news report titled 'Treat Uber drivers as employees: unions' The report gave the views of Transport Workers' Union leaders in New South Wales and the ACT on the exploitative conditions faced by drivers working for Uber.
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/treat-uber-drivers-as-employees-unions-20150709-gi8kaa.html
On January 20, 2015, Business Insider published a report titled 'Uber CEO Reveals Mind-Boggling New Statistic That Sceptics Should Put In Their Pipes And Smoke'
The report details Uber's phenomenal growth rate since its inception in June 2010, especially in its city of origin, San Francisco.
The full report can be accessed at http://www.businessinsider.com.au/uber-revenue-san-francisco-2015-1?r=US&IR=T
On December 18, 2014, The Conversation published an opinion piece by Chrysostomos Apostolidis, graduate tutor, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, Newcastle, New South Wales, titled 'How does Uber's surge pricing work - and how ethical is it?'
The piece argues that some of Uber's pricing practices seem unethical and that the company needs to alter these rather than trying to make amends after the event.
The full text can be found at https://theconversation.com/how-does-ubers-surge-pricing-work-and-how-ethical-is-it-35574
On December 9, 2014, Mamamia published an analysis by Grace Jennings-Edquist titled 'Explain to me: "What is Uber and is it actually safe to use?"
The analysis looks at a number of criticisms often made about Uber and presents Uber's reply to these complaints.
The full text of this article can be accessed at http://www.mamamia.com.au/is-uber-safe/
On October 8, 2014, C/Net ran an article titled 'How risky is your Uber ride? Maybe more than you think'
The article detailed the terms and conditions that commuters in the United States automatically agree to when they use an Uber app. These terms and conditions state that users recognise that they travel at their own risk and that Uber is not legally liable for any harm that befalls them.
The full text of this article can be accessed at http://www.cnet.com/news/how-risky-is-your-uber-ride-maybe-more-than-you-think/
In 2011 the Victorian government authorised an investigation of the operation of Victorian taxi services undertaken by Professor Allan Fels. The final report became available in December, 2012, and a further consultation on the final recommendations was undertaken to 30 January 2013.
Full copies of the final report and the draft can be accessed at http://taxi.vic.gov.au/taxi-reform/taxi-industry-inquiry
The Australian Taxi Drivers Association is a group dedicated to the removal of Uber from Australian. It has a section of its Internet site given over to protesting the negative effect Uber operating in Australia is having on its members.
This site can be accessed at http://www.tda.net.au/
Uber's customer information site offers a detailed description of the advantages that travelling using Uber offers commuters.
This information can be accessed at http://uber.mbsf.org/benefits-of-using-uber
