Ride-share giant Uber has been fined $250,000 after admitting it allowed passengers to be picked up by dozens of ineligible drivers in New South Wales.
Uber self-reported the breaches.
As per 7News, the company pleaded guilty to 57 charges laid by NSW Point to Point Transport Commissioner Anthony Wing on 14 November, following an investigation into 100 passenger trips carried out by 57 Uber Eats drivers in August and December 2022.
Commissioner Wing said the investigation found the drivers did not meet minimum safety standards, including insufficient Australian driving experience and, in some cases, no Australian driver licence.
“This outcome sends a clear message that safety cannot be compromised and that breaches of the law will have serious consequences.”
The offences are understood to have resulted from a glitch in the Uber app. Wing, who oversees point-to-point transport including ride shares and taxis, said NSW has “strong laws in place to protect passengers”.
“Every provider — regardless of size — must comply with them,” he said. “I will take action when a company fails to meet their legal obligations.”
While strict rules apply to passenger transport, many of the requirements do not apply to delivery drivers, making compliance crucial when they are assigned passenger trips.
Wing said his team will continue monitoring Uber to ensure “these issues have been addressed and do not reoccur”.
In a statement to 7News, Uber said it has a “strong track record” on safety and accepts responsibility for “these two isolated incidents in 2022”.
“We fixed [the issue] promptly upon becoming aware of it,” the company said, adding that further improvements have since been made to its technology and processes.
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