Uber playing by the book as it enters Hamilton and Tauranga

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Uber NZ general manager Richard Menzies was keen to stress the company's new licensed status at a meeting with prospective drivers in Hamilton on Monday.

Uber is playing by the new transport book as it enters Hamilton and Tauranga.

The global ride-sharing company has in the past spurned New Zealand regulation in favour of its own business model.

Over 100 people interested in driving for Uber in Hamilton attended a 'town hall' - corporate parlance for a meeting - at a Te Rapa hotel on Monday evening,

Changes in the transport laws, which came into effect in October, has Uber licensed and loudly entering new markets.

The San Francisco start-up's New Zealand representatives are holding meetings with prospective drivers in Hamilton and Tauranga this week, in preparation for launching in the cities in early 2018.

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'It's important to know that Uber is licensed,' Uber NZ general manager Richard Menzies told a crowd of over a hundred in Hamilton on Monday night.

Menzies said all of the company's drivers have the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) passenger endorsement as of October 29.

The passenger endorsement was changed in October by the Land Transport Amendment Act, and Uber attained the new small passenger service licence on October 1.

The new endorsement no longer insists drivers have area knowledge, signage, panic alarms, or have passed the full licence test within the past five years. NZTA now processes the endorsements in 10 working days for $80, instead of the former $1500 process that could take two months.

Uber now requires all drivers have the endorsement, and must ensure work time and log book requirements are met.

'It was great that the government came on board here, it took a couple of years …I think they've come up with a situation that prioritises safety while making it more fast and affordable for drivers to get on the road,' Menzies said.

In April 2016, Uber began hiring drivers without passenger endorsements - required for drivers offering passenger services - arguing the endorsement was unnecessarily complex and prohibitive for new drivers.

NZTA banned 80 Uber drivers from driving commercially, handed out 189 infringement notices and issued 163 official warnings during the following year.

Critics have said the government changed law to accommodate Uber, but Menzies disagreed.

'The government recognised there was an opportunity to create more competition in the small passenger service industry. We were one part of that but I don't think it was solely because of us.'

Uber is planning to launch in Hamilton on January 25, 2018, in time for the New Zealand Sevens World Series, and in Tauranga on February 1.

In the cities where it is now embedded - Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch - Uber is looking to expand its offerings.

It has piloted a mobility access program in Wellington and now offers 'driver destinations', which allows commuters to pick up riders along their route to work.

Menzies said Uber employs 30 staff across offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and will be opening a temporary 'green light hub' in Tauranga for prospective drivers.

A NZTA spokesman said the agency was actively working with Uber to ensure compliance with the new rules and licence the ride-share company has obtained.

WHAT IS UBER?

Uber is a ride-share company which uses geolocation to connect drivers with passengers through a smartphone app. Passengers enter their destination and are notified of the driver inbound to collect them.

All payment is done through the app, and Uber takes a 25 per cent cut.

Drivers are referred to as 'driver-partners' and are not formally employed by the company.

To drive for Uber you must: be over 21-years-old; have a car less than ten-years-old that passes a certification of fitness, slightly more stringent than your standard warrant; and, third party insurance.

Uber now requires drivers to obtain a passenger endorsement from the New Zealand Transport Authority.