A year ago I announced the Hodgman Liberal Government would embrace the sharing economy by legislating to allow ride-sharing to operate in Tasmania under an appropriate regulatory environment.
This followed the successful passage of a motion in support of ride-sharing at our State Council, brought forward by the Young Liberals.
Today, I am delighted to announce that ride-sharing is now legal in Tasmania.
The Transport Commissioner has gazetted a notice that ride-sharing drivers will be exempted from a requirement to obtain a taxi or hire vehicle licence.
This paves the way for the entry of ride-sharing platforms such as Uber to start operations in Tasmania.
This outcome was made possible by the Hodgman Government’s progressive legislation to enable ride-sharing to begin operation in Tasmania with protections for passengers, drivers and the general public.
The sharing economy offers greater competition, consumer choice, efficiency and lower transaction costs – benefits that Tasmanians and visitors to our State increasingly expect.
I now look forward to an announcement in the near future about a starting date for Uber before Christmas.