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NSW Government Is Tipped To Legalise Taxi App Uber

Uber Set To Get Green Light In NSW, Following In The Footsteps Of The ACT
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 30: A person uses the UberX app on October 30, 2015 in Canberra, Australia. The Australian Capital Territory is the first jurisdiction in the world to legalise UberX, allowing people to access and offer ridesharing services without fear of fines or license suspensions. (Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images)
Martin Ollman via Getty Images
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 30: A person uses the UberX app on October 30, 2015 in Canberra, Australia. The Australian Capital Territory is the first jurisdiction in the world to legalise UberX, allowing people to access and offer ridesharing services without fear of fines or license suspensions. (Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images)

Uber is set to be legalised in NSW, with reports the car sharing service will be green lit by the state government on Monday.

The Baird government will reportedly announce sweeping reforms to the state’s taxi industry that would allow Uber to operate across the state.

According to News Corp Australia, Uber drivers would be required to pay a licence fee while taxi drivers would receive compensation for losing exclusivity.

Uber drivers would also be barred from operating in taxi ranks, Channel 9 reported.

The car-sharing service would be made legal from next month.

The ACTlegalised Uber last month becoming the first Australian jurisdiction to regulate ride sharing with Uber.

Earlier this month Fairfax Media reported the federal government was considering allowing MPs and bureaucrats to use Uber in a move that would save taxpayers thousands of dollars in cheaper fares.

The NSW Taxi Council, meanwhile, went on a publicity blitz on the risks associated with ride-sharing.

"Ridesharing isn’t sustainable and the people running ride-sharing companies don’t care about drivers or know what’s right for the industry," the peak body for NSW's taxi industry claimed.

In Queensland, meanwhile, Uber launched in the Sunshine Coast on Monday, with a spokesperson telling The Sunshine Coast Daily a lot of drivers signed up planning to drive people on the commute to Brisbane.

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