Taxis & Ridesharing - articles, discussion ...

[Mozz]

On Sunday @ 1130hrs I had a dream that I caught an Uber car to the Monier Hotel in Darra (due to the removal of existing bus services in the latest BCC cull) ... was surprised to see that the fare would be 1.3X the base far and surge pricing on the basis that not enough drivers were being attracted and thus Uber had just decided to start charging more in order to get more drivers....

[techblitz]

http://rt.com/news/208463-uber-london-taxi-war/

If u check wikipedia it gives a general idea of how many countries that are against uber....
They have recently teamed up with spotify......this shows you the international brand negotiating power they have...along with the "come and get us we dont care" attitude.....when you have a team of crackshot lawyers at your disposal...its the kind of powerplay moves you can make into any country you want...

[ozbob]

Twitter

Guardian Australia ‏@GuardianAus 16 minutes ago

Uber's 'screw you' strategy in Australia relies on regulators too timid to enforce the law | Alex Turnbull http://trib.al/THhlRB9

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Uber vs the cab industry - they're taking us all for a ride

[ozbob]

Twitter

Taxi Council QLD ‏@TaxiQLD 36 minutes ago

QLDers - Sign e-petition to ensure rideshare apps meet safety regulations or remain Illegal in Queensland http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/petitions/e-petition?PetNum=2334 ... #qldpol

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Uber taxi driver allegedly rapes woman in India

[#Metro]

Licensed an accredited taxi drivers also implicated, see:
Licensing and background checks can only filter out known violators, can't detect people who haven't offended yet.

A young Brisbane woman who passed out in the back of a taxi after a night drinking with friends allegedly awoke to find the driver raping her, a court has been told.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/taxi-driver-raped-sleeping-passenger-court-told-20111024-1mfw4.html

Women are being sexually assaulted by taxi drivers preying on lone females leaving clubs and parties, specialist doctors who examine rape victims have warned.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/cabbies-prey-on-women-20130913-2tqfh.html

Taxi driver Hassan Nagi's rape victims may have found some comfort in his jailing.

But when the moment arrived, the family of the HIV-positive sexual predator hurled abuse at the young women, calling them liars and protesting his innocence.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/taxi-driver-rapist-jailed-for-nine-years-20100623-yw60.html

[ozbob]

Always bad apples in anything.

The real issue is that taxis provide community transport for disabled, vets etc.  It is lot more than just a ' cheap ride '

Uber is in it to make money, lots of money as surge pricing confirms.  Taxi fares constant.

The real biggey though is this.  NOT LEGAL - Government has said so, therefore no insurance.

This is a problem for all, not only passengers but Uber drivers and any unfortunates they may crash into. 

[#Metro]

Taxi companies are in it for profit as well, and the regulation increases the licence plate owners revenue. The more regulation there is, the smaller the competition is, the higher the profit margin. This is how it is possible for a taxi licence fee - basically an imaginary piece of property created by the government that has no real physical existence or value - is able to sell for a price that is on par with that of four bedroom houses.

http://www.blackandwhitecabs.com.au/?q=brisbane/buying-a-licence

HOW SECURE IS MY INVESTMENT?

Queensland Governments have always supported regulation of the taxi industry in this state, and this is reinforced by the recent National Competition Policy review.

Taxi transport is very competitive and competes with all forms of public transport. Additionally most capital cities throughout Australia have competition within the industry as metropolitan taxi companies compete for a share of the market.
WHAT DOES A TAXI LICENCE COST?

As of October 2014, standard Taxi Licences are selling at around $525,000.00 plus Stamp Duty (approximately $17,700.00 based on a purchase price of $525,000.00) plus GST if applicable. Some licences have conditions, which may affect the decisions of prospective purchasers. These conditions may be that the vehicle must be owner-operated, or that the vehicle must be wheelchair accessible.

Each of these restrictions will have an effect on the price. Currently licenses with a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle with no conditions are available for purchase for around $360,000.00 + stamp duty ($10,600.00).
It is important to note that whilst any restrictions may affect the cost of doing business, the turnover varies little from condition to condition.

The price system is an information mechanism. When demand is high there is no reason for people to supply services - unless they are paid more. Higher prices induce more staff to come online and provide more service. The alternative is long queues.

While the service is illegal, I feel this is a circular argument. What is the definition of illegal? The answer is, 'anything the gov't legislates to be so'. It doesn't have to be moral, practical or sensible for the gov't to define anything as illegal. If the gov't made it legal, I would think that insurance would be legally available too.

Example

BRISBANE residents who don't sweep the footpath outside their homes every day before 8.30am can be slapped with a $5000 fine.
That's one of many curiosities among state laws and council by-laws which are no longer enforced but have not been removed.
Under Brisbane City Council's Streets, Bridges and Culverts by-law, homeowners or occupiers must "sweep and cleanse" the footpath outside their property once a day before 8.30am, except on Sundays or public holidays, or risk a fine up to $5000 and another $500 for each day the offence continues.

http://www.news.com.au/national/weird-and-wonderful-brisbane-civic-laws-are-outdated-and-unenforced/story-e6frfkp9-1226123498326

There may well be other ways to get Uber et al to supply community services, which of course the government could well legislate and pay for it (the paying bit always seems to be the sticky point). It requires good faith negotiation and mutual compromise, something unlikely to happen with an outright ban. Places overseas such as the US have paratransit, that could be expanded here.

[ozbob]

Something has to happen soon.  A taxi driver has just been interviewed on 4BC Breakfast.  Performed a citizens arrest on an Uber driver last night.

Police threatened the taxi driver with deprivation of liberty charges, taxi driver said check the video.. 

More to come on this I expect.

Taxis provide a marvellous community transport function.  Not everyone is aware of this.  But check out some of the shopping centres in poorer demographics.  Veteran transport, medical and disabled transport.  Fares are fixed, not floating.

Government is going to have to act, one way or the other. 

Unless the Uber ride share is properly sanctioned and insured, no way will I use it thanks.

Insurance is an issue LD. Just wait till someone is seriously injured and tries to sue.  Government has said the service is not legal, has issued hundreds of fines.  Insurance companies are masters of liability escape.

Unless Uber ride share is official and properly insured, no way will I use it thanks.

[ozbob]

Twitter

News Talk 4BC 1116 ‏@NewsTalk4BC 57 seconds ago

Taxi driver Damien Norberry attempt to arrest an Uber driver https://audioboom.com/boos/2712357-taxi-driver-damien-norberry-attempt-to-arrest-an-uber-driver ... via @audioBoom

[techblitz]

cabbies are no doubt feeling pretty helpless thanks to government inaction...hence the attempted citizens arrests.....
the old sayin is if u cant beatem...joinem....which quite a few cabbie drivers (non-licence owners) are doing....there are already a lot less yellow cabs on new york streets...

@ozbob

improperly insured/lack off cctv monitoring/non-dda compliant uber drivers arent phased by the threats of fines because google/uber pay for them...
your suggestions to get around this?

[ozbob]

demerit points ....  end of section.

[James]

Taxis provide a marvellous community transport function.  Not everyone is aware of this.  But check out some of the shopping centres in poorer demographics.  Veteran transport, medical and disabled transport.  Fares are fixed, not floating.

Government is going to have to act, one way or the other. 

Unless the Uber ride share is properly sanctioned and insured, no way will I use it thanks.

Insurance is an issue LD. Just wait till someone is seriously injured and tries to sue.  Government has said the service is not legal, has issued hundreds of fines.  Insurance companies are masters of liability escape.

Unless Uber ride share is official and properly insured, no way will I use it thanks.

"Marvellous community transport function"?

Bob, with all due respect, taxis are squeezing the living daylights out of the wallets of our elderly citizens. A few months ago, my grandmother had to head to the doctor. Unfortunately I was the only one available and carless, so we had to use a taxi to access local medical facilities (1.2km there, 2.2km back, thanks to one-way streets). The round-trip cost? $20! Thankfully my grandmother has the money to afford this, goodness knows about those on the pension or similar...

James is out and about encouraging his friends and family to use Uber wherever they can. I have in fact managed to get a friend or two driving as well. Cab drivers are joining Uber because they are sick of being worked like slaves in an industry where license plates cost as much as the average house and work for companies which don't give a rats about customer service or whether they leave people stranded on the side of the road.

[ozbob]

I hear you James.  Taxis do provide excellent community transport.  I have used them on that basis regularly.

One of the costs of taxis is the insurance costs, outfitting cabs with the security and computer devices and so forth  Uber drivers do have these cost overheads in the same way.  Providing DDA access and mobility is also provided by taxis.

Personally, I don't have real issues with car sharing providing it is legal, and properly insured.  This is not the case at present.

The Government has to resolve this situation.   Either come up with an operating basis or get rid of it.  This nonsense of fining drivers, whose fines are simply paid by Uber is not fixing anything.  No insurance cover is a real worry.  It is setting up the drivers and passengers for some serious issues should things come adrift sadly.

The retrospectroscope can be a useful instrument.

[techblitz]

Once uber sticks to the rules they will have no option but to raise thier prices.......simple
CCTV is one of the glaring issues here......if an incident happens in a taxi....its almost always captured on the camera....little dots on a screen(ubers real time tracker) is a half arsed attempt at best...

Intersting article with comments: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclist-hit-by-uber-driver-claims-there-is-a-hole-in-the-system-9858166.html

By cutting all corners they keep prices down but sometimes at a very heavy cost to customers and public.

Sums it up about nicely doesnt it james?

[#Metro]

The lower price is probably because they don't have to pay all these kickbacks/licence fees/loan interest in the $500 000+ licence card to the state/bank do their job.

If people don't feel safe, don't use it.

[techblitz]

If people don't feel safe, don't use it.

Lol...tell that to the cyclist who wasnt even using it....UBER have painted themselves a red target (especially from journos)....by not acting within the law and smugly giving the middle finger to authorities...they were just officially "blacklisted" in delhi........more to come no doubt....

[#Metro]

My main disagreement is that the baseline fallacy is being committed. Any bucket large enough will have a bad apple in there, just by chance. And Pre-vetting does not detect people who are yet to offend. Plenty of documented taxi rapes in Australia have been reported in the media already, and I gave examples.

Legalise it and insurance will follow. The government permits people to skydive, ski, bungee jump, travel to dangerous places etc without travel insurance. Lots of people jump in strangers cars after a night drinking on Friday and Saturday. Why does payment suddenly change all this? They should permit people to ride in someone else's car and without that person having to cough up $500K upfront.

Legalise the service and insurance will follow. A lot of odd things insured already:

1. Tastebuds
2. Legs
3. Mustaches
4. Hands
5. Teeth
6. Dance Legs
7. Comedy Routines
8. Voices
9. Fingers

Little reason to believe Uber cannot be insured in the same way. I agree third party insurance should be mandated if already not so, third party has no role in deciding if they want to take the risk or not.

http://www.lloyds.com/lloyds/about-us/history/innovation-and-unusual-risks
http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/9-odd-things-insured-by-lloyds-of-london.htm

[techblitz]

Plenty of documented taxi rapes in Australia have been reported

and how many of those have been proven in a court of law via CCTV footage...

Pre-vetting does not detect people who are yet to offend.

same as a truck driver who has not been vetted for stupidity before he goes under a rail bridge.......well now we know the reason why the government is taking so long to get on top of bridge strikes...its the ol "we cant predict em" trick....
like i said...a red target by journos...the more and more safety issues that come to light from uber...they will have no option but to get the ball rolling on better pax safety measures....

Legalise it and insurance will follow

the general public,cab companies and UBER haters have not been given any sign that UBER would pursue wider insurance coverage if given the chance......they are too busy giving the middle finger to authorities.....
if they are eventually fully legalised....once thing is for certain...they will be facing a much higher coverage premiums than the cab companies.....unless they can negotiate some sort of world-wide premium coverage clause...
UBER wont stay cheap forever.......and like all .com fads....things always look rosy in the beginning....but soon tank in one way or another...either through competition or regulation...


another "creepy uber experience" of the day article

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/28/uber-s-biggest-problem-isn-t-surge-pricing-what-if-it-s-sexual-harassment-by-drivers.html

[#Metro]

People are voting with their feet. Nobody is forced to use the service, voluntary. That allows everyone to make their own decisions (and be responsible for it too).

Horses for courses.

$500K licence fees, seriously?

[red dragin]

$500K licence fees, seriously?

http://www.blackandwhitecabs.com.au/?q=brisbane/buying-a-licence
$525K, plus Stamp Duty 

[techblitz]

Check out nyc lol

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/10/21/why-taxi-medallions-cost-1-million/

Since were talking about choice...its the cabbies decision to ultimately pay those licence prices...no one is forcing them....


@LD

They wont be able to vote with thier feet if all uber drivers are taken off the road...and remember what happens if there are less drivers in service...

Heres how san antonio is tackling it...

http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-sponsored-by-five-star-cleaners-119078/police-well-continue-to-seize-cars-12457906/#ixzz35TDko6OC

The other claims that the ride sharing services are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, because, unlike licensed taxi drivers, the Lyft and Uber drivers do not outfit their vehicles with wheelchair hoists and other devices to allow the disabled to be transported

[#Metro]

Check out nyc lol

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/10/21/why-taxi-medallions-cost-1-million/

Since were talking about choice...its the cabbies decision to ultimately pay those licence prices...no one is forcing them....

Disagree. Such fees would not exist without the licensing regulation. There is no option to be a cabbie and not pay those costs.
And the costs are grossly unreasonable.

People need to put food on their tables. Being a cabbie is often (or used to be) good way to make a start in the world.

I think what the Queensland Government is doing with taxi licensing restrictions is immoral and unethical. $500K licences, that's just plain wrong.

[#Metro]

Private companies cannot use governmental power to outlaw competition, yet this is what the city of Milwaukee does for its established taxi cartel

[techblitz]

LD there is no point countering with  "exhorbarant" licence fees until you can give some actual in-depth costings that come with regulating taxi companies and the taxi industry etc....yes they seem exhorborant on paper....giving it the " greedy cartel" feel.....ive previously stated this...but you will need to do some investigating first on what the companies and taxi regulators pay for insurance,costs of enforcing safety etc...

bottom line is UBER,LYFT etc are operating in a grey area and they seem to think because they are operating in that grey area they are immnune to a lot of regulations of which cab companies must abide by....

[#Metro]

LD there is no point countering with  "exhorbarant" licence fees until you can give some actual in-depth costings that come with regulating taxi companies and the taxi industry etc....yes they seem exhorborant on paper....giving it the " greedy cartel" feel.....ive previously stated this...but you will need to do some investigating first on what the companies and taxi regulators pay for insurance,costs of enforcing safety etc...

There is no reason to cap the number of licences to pay for this regulation.

The Guardian already provides a cost breakdown for taxi operation. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/01/ubers-screw-you-strategy-in-australia-relies-on-regulators-too-timid-to-enforce-the-law

Cost                                                    Regulated Taxi                             Uber
Driver Labour                                             62,936                           77,664
Fuel                                                             14,615                           14,615
Cleaning                                                     3,233                           3,233
Operator Margin                                             9,233                              0
Maintenance Costs                                     7,562                          7,562
Plate Lease Costs                                     28,789                          0
Insurance                                                 13,163                          13,163
Vehicle lease payments                          5,805                                  5,805
Network / booking fees                          7,231                                  30,511
Total Annual Costs                                   $152,567                          $152,553
Assumed Revenue                                  $152,557                          $152,557
Total Surplus                                                 -                                   $23,848
Surplus to Uber / Network                                -                                  $0
Surplus to Driver                                         -                                   $23,848

based on information from the NSW IPART regulator http://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/Home/Industries/Transport/Reviews/Taxi/Review_of_fares_for_Taxis_from_July_2012/Apr_2012_-_Released_CIE_Final_Report/CIE_Consultant_Report_-_Reweighting_the_taxi_cost_index_-_Final_Report_-_April_2012

Uber drivers appear to earn more, and the large cost saving is due to not paying the totally unjustified cost-explosive taxi plate licence fee and operator margin.

You will note the public pool of licences for driving ones own personal car is not limited, isn't cost explosive ($150 licence for 3 years) and the number of vehicles to handle is orders of magnitude higher. Even yearly car rego is orders of magnitude cheaper.

https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/driver-licensing/fees/

Time to call a spade a spade.

[#Metro]

In addition to this, something very interesting from IPART. It is cheaper to operate a wheelchair accessible taxi than it is a standard taxi, due to the difference in licence plate costs.

The estimated cost structure for standard taxis and Wheelchair Accessible Taxis
(WATs) in urban and country areas is shown in tables 1 and 2.

Key observations are:

*
The cost of operating a standard taxi is estimated to be higher than a WAT, largely
due to the cost of leasing a licence plate; and


* The cost of providing taxi services is generally higher in urban areas than country
areas.

[SurfRail]

My position mirrors ozbob's.  Quite apart from the fact I have virtually no reason to use taxis whatsoever these days (and consequently Uber also), I refuse to get into a commercial vehicle where there is any question whatsoever about whether the insurance will be effective because the operator is engaging in illegal activity.

Sort out whatever needs to happen to get it legal and we're in business.

[#Metro]

I went searching using the terms insurance and UBER and came across this, make of it what you will
http://blog.uber.com/Transport-Minister-Letter

A safe and reliable alternative in Australia's transport mix

All Uber partner drivers must pass a rigorous criminal background and driving history review process to be able to use the platform – and we're setting industry leading standards in the process.

From request to drop-off, the entire Uber experience is geared towards ensuring reliability and safety. Upon requesting a ride, our technology provides the rider with their driver's name, photograph, licence plate, vehicle type, and a contact number. The rider can see the vehicle approaching on a map, and share their journey in real time with friends or loved ones using our Share My ETA feature.

Every uberX trip is covered by our US$5m contingency liability cover, in addition to each partner driver's own full insurance policies
Both riders and drivers must also provide feedback after each journey, which is reviewed on a continual basis by our local teams

As all of our transactions are cashless, drivers no longer need to fear being the target of thieves, with some cities seeing a 20% reduction in taxi crime after Uber's arrival there.

Hundreds of thousands of riders have now taken millions of trips on Uber in Australia, and they're absolutely loving the service.

[techblitz]

this whole saga reminds of the pirate bay and the feeble attempts and failures at getting rid of it from the internet...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/09/uber-rape-allegation-delhi-bans-unregistered-internet-taxi-firms

some info in there about portland, oregon as well....

[#Metro]

Good luck trying to enforce a ban. Rules are only as good as their enforcement.

[ozbob]

I went searching using the terms insurance and UBER and came across this, make of it what you will
http://blog.uber.com/Transport-Minister-Letter

A safe and reliable alternative in Australia's transport mix

All Uber partner drivers must pass a rigorous criminal background and driving history review process to be able to use the platform – and we're setting industry leading standards in the process.

From request to drop-off, the entire Uber experience is geared towards ensuring reliability and safety. Upon requesting a ride, our technology provides the rider with their driver's name, photograph, licence plate, vehicle type, and a contact number. The rider can see the vehicle approaching on a map, and share their journey in real time with friends or loved ones using our Share My ETA feature.

Every uberX trip is covered by our US$5m contingency liability cover, in addition to each partner driver's own full insurance policies
Both riders and drivers must also provide feedback after each journey, which is reviewed on a continual basis by our local teams

As all of our transactions are cashless, drivers no longer need to fear being the target of thieves, with some cities seeing a 20% reduction in taxi crime after Uber's arrival there.

Hundreds of thousands of riders have now taken millions of trips on Uber in Australia, and they're absolutely loving the service.

The Insurance Council of Australia has indicated that if a person is operating a commercial service eg. Uber - normal driver's insurance is not valid.  The status of the US contingency cover is untested, and probably not valid in Australia, good luck with that.

Taxi Council is running ads saying there is no insurance cover.  They would not do that without the advice from the Insurance Council of Australia and others.

No way will I use Uber until at a minimum there is proper insurance cover.  And further more, I feel obligated to warn you all not use these services until it is officially legal and insured.

[techblitz]

Just wait for all the insurance nightmare stories to pop up as their popularity grows...
First and foremost..from a drivers point of view.......UBER are very strict with claims.....the drivers personal vehicle insurance policy comes first....UBERS is second in line...in other words.....if a driver wants to claim...they must come clean with their insurance company first....this potentially damages their standing and their policy with said company.......if claim is refused( most likely will be)...then they can attempt to go thru UBER and its contingency coverage...

[#Metro]

We can talk all day about this. I decided to contact Uber and put the questions about insurance directly to them.
Their reply came back today. If people want to challenge, go and e-mail or tweet with them.

Note: I am not affiliated with Uber in any way.

---

As a minimum, all ridesharing partners are also required to have a current policy of compulsory third party (CTP) and third party property insurance.

But we don't stop there – we want to ensure that riders, as well as members of the community, are as protected as possible. That's why all ridesharing partners in Australia are also covered by up to US $5,000,000 contingent coverage for bodily injury and property damage to third parties by a large global insurer rated A+ by A.M. Best.

This means that if, in the event of an accident, a ridesharing partner's own personal CTP or third party property insurance is exhausted or does not apply for any reason, passengers, pedestrians, other drivers, and the community at large can rest assured knowing that ridesharing partners remain covered by a robust first-class policy.

More info can be found here blog.uber.com/OzRidesharing

http://blog.uber.com/OzRidesharing

[ozbob]

According to the Insurance Council of Australia, and the taxi council there is no insurance cover.  There are many ads here on the radio also stating there is no insurance cover.

I go with the Insurance Council of Australia.  Uber is not legal in QLD (TMR has issued cease and desist orders, drivers have been fined), therefore insurance is not valid.  It is as simple as that.

It is similar to the effect of driving drunk.  It invalidates insurance.  You can take your chances, but I certainly will not.

If and when the Govt says Uber can operate and the Insurance Council says insurance valid I might consider use of the service, until then no!

[SurfRail]

We can talk all day about this. I decided to contact Uber and put the questions about insurance directly to them.
Their reply came back today. If people want to challenge, go and e-mail or tweet with them.

Note: I am not affiliated with Uber in any way.

---

As a minimum, all ridesharing partners are also required to have a current policy of compulsory third party (CTP) and third party property insurance.

But we don't stop there – we want to ensure that riders, as well as members of the community, are as protected as possible. That's why all ridesharing partners in Australia are also covered by up to US $5,000,000 contingent coverage for bodily injury and property damage to third parties by a large global insurer rated A+ by A.M. Best.

This means that if, in the event of an accident, a ridesharing partner's own personal CTP or third party property insurance is exhausted or does not apply for any reason, passengers, pedestrians, other drivers, and the community at large can rest assured knowing that ridesharing partners remain covered by a robust first-class policy.

More info can be found here blog.uber.com/OzRidesharing

http://blog.uber.com/OzRidesharing

LOL.  $5m is pathetic.  Even single-room offices or coffeeshops operating out of a hole in the wall generally need $20m of public liability cover to satisfy their lease requirements, as would virtually any commercial tenant these days - let alone somebody actually driving you around on the roads.

I think it's strongly arguable this claim is misleading and deceptive (see here for the lay version - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misleading_or_deceptive_conduct)

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Victorian taxi commission's undercover investigation prompts court action against Uber drivers

[#Metro]

The Quanity Restrictions (taxi plates) are the main problem, insurace issues etc can be fixed by legalisation.
Already demonstrated that Bans don't work, despite being technically illegal, its still expanding and people still use the service.

Economic Regulation Authority of WA http://www.erawa.com.au/cproot/12216/2/Draft%20Report.pdf

7.2.3.3 Taxi passengers

Benefits
The ERA has undertaken a comprehensive literature review of the effects of taxi market
regulations, including previous examinations of the Western Australian market and other
national and international studies. The general consensus across the literature is that
supply restrictions do not generate any material benefit for passengers.

The ERA considers that smartphone applications that are used to book taxis can mitigate
this risk. One of the key issues currently is that passengers have a great degree of
anonymity when using taxis. Taxis are required to have cameras installed in their taxis and
in the event that an offender can be identified, it aids any prosecution. However, such
information offers little help in identifying offenders in the first place. Because smartphone
applications can require users to pre-register before use, passenger anonymity can be
eliminated and drastically reduce the incidence of safety related issues.

Surfrail, how does one work out the 'right' level of insurance? I went to AAMI website and looked up Public Liability Insurance and found this:
http://www.aami.com.au/business-insurance/public-liability-insurance

What level of cover do you need?
Often there is a minimum amount of cover required as part of a contract you may have with a business supplier. In other cases there is no recommended amount, as there is no way to predict the costs for which your business could be liable.

Our most common level of cover is $5 million, however all businesses are different. The level of cover is not related to the size of your business - it's about the amount of damage or injury your business could be found liable for.

[#Metro]

DTMR Bailment agreement. Personal and Public liability is mandatory, public component is set at a minimum of $5 million as well.


Section 9 Public liability insurance (read clause 7 before completing this item)

Minimum public liability insurance cover $5 000 000 (any one occurrence)

DTMR website also has an interesting analysis. I didn't get the time to comprehend it all but independantly, there is a separate problem quite distint from Uber:

Factors driving the revenue per taxi include driver supply, which is currently not sustainable as new driver
applications are substantially below churn rates

This suggests that it is just too hard to get into the current, legal, industry.