Ridesharing legalised in another Australian state, but Uber's not happy

Slowly but surely, Australia is becoming a rideshare-friendly nation, but not every state is doing it Uber's way.

On Tuesday, the South Australian government announced that from July 1, it would become the latest region to legalise services such as UberX that let people drive their own cars to take customers from A to B. It follows the legalisation of ridesharing in 2015 by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and New South Wales (NSW) governments. 

Like NSW, the government will be offering an assistance package to ease the transition for taxi drivers. South Australians will presumably help pay for the scheme, handing over a levy of A$1 per ride in taxis and rideshare services. 

"Our reforms deliver a genuine level playing field between taxis, chauffeur vehicles and new entrants like Uber," State Premier Jay Weatherill said in the statement. 

Although Uber's premium service, UberBlack, operates in the capital of Adelaide, UberX has not yet launched in the state. This means the levy and taxi assistance package could be rolled out before ridesharing even exists in South Australia.

Tom White, General Manager of Uber Adelaide, told Mashable Australia over email he had reservations about expanding the service into the state, given the regulatory burden imposed on potential UberX drivers, including high costs and detailed reference checks. 

"We will review the detail of the government's proposal and decide whether or not we launch UberX in South Australia," he said. "We hope the government will consider the removal of arbitrary red tape, including unnecessary costs or time delays, that would prevent South Australians from being able to access flexible work when they need it.

"South Australians who need access to flexible paid work should be able to do so without paying hundreds of dollars in fees or waiting months for their application to be processed."

"South Australians who need access to flexible paid work should be able to do so without paying hundreds of dollars in fees."

Driving for a rideshare service in South Australia is certainly not a cheap proposition, at least to begin with. For someone who already has a car registered in South Australia, they must pay for additional compulsory third party insurance at a cost of A$269, a spokesperson for the premier's office told Mashable Australia, along with an additional lifetime support levy of $77 and a vehicle accreditation fee of A$85. 

They must also pay for a "working with children clearance and national criminal history" check through the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, which costs A$101.75, and get a doctor to issue them with a medical and eyesight certificate. That's at least A$532.75 before you've even started driving. 

It's not a piece of cake in the ACT or NSW, either. In the ACT, drivers must pay for a Public Vehicle Driver Authority Card at $100 per year, a police character check at A$45 and a driver history check for A$23.80, a spokesperson for Access Canberra told Mashable Australia, along with footing the cost of obtaining a medical certificate.

In NSW, each driver must apply for private hire vehicle accreditation for a fee of A$45, the NSW Roads and Maritime Services confirmed to Mashable Australia. To make the application, drivers must obtain a National Criminal History Record Check, which can cost around A$49.50. 

Although all drivers must have third party insurance, South Australia does edge out the other states when it comes to the cost of becoming a rideshare driver. The premier's office has been contacted for comment regarding the difference in pricing.

With Victoria and Queensland yet to legalise ridesharing, Uber may be hoping those states don't take South Australia's ridesharing regulations as the benchmark. Uber drivers aren't employees with entitlement to things like sick leave, after all, so getting them low registration fees may be the least the company can do.

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