Victoria has become the latest Australian state or territory where ride-sharing service Uber can operate legally, after a Melbourne Uber driver won a landmark appeal.It joins NSW, South Australia and the ACT, where Uber
activities have already been cleared. Queensland and WA remain the major
holdouts.
Driver Nathan Brenner was found guilty last year by a Victorian magistrate on
two counts of operating a commercial passenger vehicle without a licence,
effectively outlawing Uber in the state. He was fined $900. But Victorian
County Court judge Geoffrey Chettle, hearing his appeal, on Wednesday dismissed
the charges and ordered the Taxi Services Commission to pay Brenner’s costs.
Opposition transport spokesman David Hodgett yesterday hailed the decision,
saying that the Victorian Government had wasted taxpayers’ money trying to
fight Uber instead of regulating the service to provide industry certainty.
“This is not about taxis versus Uber, but rather what ways we can get our
city moving in the most efficient way,” he said.