SAFETY MUST BE PARAMOUNT FOR THE RIDE-SHARING INDUSTRY

One Nation Queensland leader and Member for Buderim, Steve Dickson MP says three alleged rapes by Uber drivers in ten days should be the wake-up call the Government needs to properly regulate the ride-sharing industry.

“Ride-sharing vehicles are not taxis. The word taxi conveys a feeling of safety to intending passengers because of the built-in systems they are forced to install,” he said.
“Taxis and ride-sharing vehicles need to share a level playing field and that is just not happening.

“It’s time the Government stood up for the travelling public and took their safety seriously,” Mr Dickson said.

“Existing taxi security cameras have proven to be a deterrent to anti-social behaviour and are a valuable evidence tool in court cases.

“It is now time the Government legislated that a Personalised Transport Security Camera System must be installed in all ride-sharing vehicles. They will be a priority under One Nation public transport safety policy.

“What we need is smart technology, encrypted images sent directly to Cloud storage while the driver is operating a ride-sharing public transport service. Privacy would be protected because images and voice recordings would only be accessible to law enforcement and authorised officials.

“Perhaps we also need a universal system over all forms of public transport with secure GPS tracking with no ability to crush the SIM card or dispose of the unit,” Mr Dickson said.