What will Google Maps and Uber mean for New South Wales?
Google Maps for iOS and Android gets another update to day. A new set of features already Apple-Maps-killing abundance of functionality.
The interesting addition, from the perspective of a New South Welshman, is the integration with Uber. Uber is the rebel taxi service that has risen quickly to notoriety due to their threat to establish taxi monopolies and an unfortunate incident in the USA when a driver struck and killed a little girl.
In New South Wales, Uber has recently hit the news as its ‘ride-sharing’ option has hit a major hurdle. The state government has a drawn a line in the sand and said that although there’s nothing wrong with an app that assists you finding a licensed taxi or hire car, you can’t have an app that allows ordinary members of the public to accept money for taxi-like services.
This law as well as the death in the states makes Uber look like the cowboy of taxi world and companies like Cabcharge, whose ruthless monopoly of the Australian taxi industry always seems to escape regulators attention, must only be delighted.
The interesting turn of events is that Google has decided to integrate with Uber to provide Maps users with ability to hunt down a cab. Such a move gives a reserved New South Wales population confidence that Uber isn’t a next ‘way to get scammed/robbed/killed’.
Will Google’s confidence in Uber help the New South Wales government work with the company to reach an agreement on ‘ride-sharing’? We’ll wait and see…
