Uber goes legit

Stuff reports:

Thousands of Uber drivers have been blocked from the ride-sharing company’s platform as it strives to finally operate within New Zealand’s transport laws.

Most of the drivers involved are believed to rarely use the service, if at all, although the group includes some who are in the process of gaining the necessary accreditation.

The US company, which allows customers to find, book and pay for rides using their phone, has been operating outside the law since it arrived in New Zealand in 2014, allowing drivers who do not hold passenger endorsements (known as P endorsements) to offer rides for money.

But new laws which came into force on October 1 regulated ridesharing for the first time, and the company has been granted a small passenger service licence by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

As a condition of the licence, Uber has taken steps to require drivers to hold the endorsement before taking money on rides.

Uber has confirmed that since October 29 its mobile app based platform has only been available to drivers who hold a current passenger endorsement.

I’m glad Uber are doing this. Better to change the law than ignore it.