Taxis v Uber: Two drivers speak out

Maya likes being an Uber driver. She likes the flexibility. She likes managing her own hours. She likes meeting people. Of course, she likes the money.

And she likes the way the ride-sharing company looks after her.

Just last week, Uber shouted all its female drivers to a pizza dinner at Kings Park. Before that, it was a champagne breakfast for all the drivers.

“There is no doubt Uber makes you feel valued,” Maya said. “Uber is a win for everyone — a win for drivers, a win for passengers.

“There are a lot of incentives for Uber drivers — there are financial rewards for working hard and providing a top-class service. It pays to be efficient and good at what you do.”

Maya was working as an administrative assistant when her daughter became sick and the mother of one needed a bit of extra money to pay the medical bills.

Maya registered to drive for Uber at weekends but was so impressed with how she could fit her work around the rest of her life that she decided to go full-time.

On a typical day, she “logs on” about 5.30am and waits at home until her first call comes through. She works until mid-morning when she returns home to walk her dog. She also takes a break for lunch and usually likes to take an afternoon nap.

Maya is generally back on the road about 4pm and works through until she “logs off” about 10pm.

“It has got very busy over the last couple of weeks,” she said. “I generally do about two fares an hour, but it has been more than that recently.

“I have built up clients who ask for me and there have been times when they have hugged me at the end of the journey because they have enjoyed the experience.

“There’s a reason why Uber has been so successful all over the world. It prides itself on the reputation of its drivers, and it is in the interests of the driver to provide a good service.

“We get 80 per cent of every fare, but extra incentives are offered to ensure there are enough drivers when demand is high — like at a sporting event, or a concert or New Year’s Eve.

“It’s a win-win for everyone — drivers are rewarded and passengers can be assured of an efficient and safe journey.”

Maya was nominated for this interview by Uber.

STANDARDS SLIP PUTS TAXIS ON BACK FOOT

Veteran driver John is the first to admit that standards within the local taxi industry have been slipping.

And he believes a return to old-fashioned good manners could hold the key to the industry resisting the Uber push.

“It’s pointless looking back and trying to find someone to blame,” he said. “We need to look forward and improve our product.

Tough times: John with his cab

“And we can start with improving standards. Drivers should have good manners, be clean shaven and wear deodorant.

“Taxis should be regularly inspected — not just mechanically but also for presentation. And allowing drivers to wear headsets or ear pieces should definitely be banned.”

John also believes the acceptable age of cabs should be reduced from eight to five years because “the public is tired of old cabs that have done 700,000km”.

John has been driving a taxi for 30 years and owns his own taxi plates.

He knows times are tough for Perth drivers.

Some drivers have returned leased plates from the Government, unable to make ends meet.

“It’s a significant financial impost for them,” John said. “They pay $250 a week for the lease and $150 a week in rank fees. Then there’s vehicle registration of about $1665 a year and car insurance of about $4000 a year.

That’s a lot of fares before you start to make a buck.”

John acknowledges that there are some aspects of the Uber service that make sense and this week’s release of Swan Taxis’ new app showed they could learn from Uber.

But taxis still had many advantages over Uber — they have security cameras that also record conversations, every driver has been specifically trained and must be registered with the Australian Taxation Office and all taxis have $20 million public liability insurance.

John, who is out in his taxi every day of the week, said taxi plates would diminish in value if the State
Government decided to regulate and legitimise Uber.

They have already fallen from about $300,000 to $250,000 in value.

“For many owner-drivers and plate owners, the plates are their superannuation — they have nothing else,” he said.

“The only course open to the Government would be to buy them back.”

John was nominated for this interview by the WA Taxi Council.