Gold Coast Uber driver is taking her $120 parking fine to court

By Hannah Sbeghen, Gold Coast Bulletin
January 19, 2018 1:00am

UBER driver Amber-Yvonne Harris isn’t happy about a $120 fine she received for dropping a passenger off in a bus and taxi zone at Broadbeach.

But it’s not the price of the fine that she’s mad about — Ms Harris believes Uber vehicles should be considered taxis too because she has a taxi licence.

The 56-year-old, who relies on Uber-driving as her full-time income, is appealing the fine but it could all be in vein after the Department of Transport and Main Roads said it was unlawful for Uber vehicles to stand in a taxi zone.

There are no plans to update taxi zone signage to allow use by ride-sharing vehicles.

A spokesman from the Department of Transport and Main Roads said Uber was considered a pre-booked service.

“The distinction between vehicles that can provide rank and hail journeys and vehicles that cannot has been an important part of personalised transport reforms,” he said.

Ms Harris said she wasn’t buying it, especially with her services expected to skyrocket in demand when the Commonwealth Games come around.

“Uber drivers are going to get stung and what will that do for congestion if ride sharing services can’t skip the queues?” she said.

“At the moment Uber drivers are in a bit of a limbo phase.”

Ms Harris has been ride-sharing for the past 18 months and said Uber drivers should be... [click to read the full article]




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