The number of Uber drivers in Brisbane is more than three times that of taxi drivers, and one Uber driver, who felt "saturated", questioned the need for a cap on licence issuance.
Since the end of 2017, the experienced Brisbane Uber driver's income has begun to decline, and he has called for a limit on the number of car-sharing licences, which has also been echoed by opposition party.
According to Uber, there were more than 7000 Uber drivers in Brisbane as of June 2018, and the carsharing company was unable to provide more specific figures.
(TMR), the transportation and main road division, was unable to provide the number of car-sharing licences issued in Brisbane, or "Booked Hire Service Licences," because they could not track where the state's permits were issued.
A state-government spokesman reiterated the TMR response, the "No state's geographical limits for this licence", and did not mention whether a similar limit to the taxi licence should be considered.
But Blair Davis (Blair Davies), chief executive of the Queensland Taxi Association, said Brisbane had 1867 taxi licences as of August, a situation that is unlikely to change much because of the cap.
This means that the number of Uber drivers in Brisbane is more than three times the number of Uber drivers compared to the number of taxi licences, which could be four times as many as if Uber had more specific data.
The saturated market may endanger the safety of the customer, said Davies.
"in 2016, when the Uber came in, we didn't expect too many cars. If there are too many taxi drivers, they will have some bad behavior and safety will not be guaranteed, "he said." one of the problems with the Uber model is that they will register as many drivers as possible, but if the cake doesn't get bigger, More and more drivers, then these shares will become smaller and smaller. "
"We know that in the taxi industry, as requirements get stricter, driver discipline begins to decline, so we've recently heard that some Uber drivers have deliberately bypassed just to raise prices."
One Brisbane Uber driver, who travels more than 10, 000 times, said their weekly Uber income fell from 2000 yuan at the end of last year to 1500 yuan in June 2018.
"the reason is saturation, it's simple," the driver said. "Uber is making more money for itself, which means they're making less money for carpooling drivers."
The seasoned driver says the solution is to limit the number of car-sharing licences because if the trend continues they will reconsider: is it worthwhile to work for Uber?
Sarah Kane (Sarah Kaine), an associate professor at Sydney University of Science and Technology Business School, said the reason why ride-sharing services are so popular and growing is because of the low threshold for licensing.
Uber has certain requirements for vehicle standards, and many drivers have to buy new cars, rent cars or get financing from Uber to get new cars, she said. Thus, if their income is weakened after capital and their own labour has been invested, this adds to their instability.
Kane also said whether restrictions on car-sharing licences should be considered is "a very acute question."
"A significant number of people use Uber as supplementary income, some use Uber for social purposes, and others use Uber to supplement underemployment. So it's kind of like this patch and that leak. " "in order to keep drivers' income decent, we should limit drivers' access to the market, but for those who use car-sharing services to supplement underemployment, this may be detrimental," she said.
Shadow Traffic Director Steve Minnekin (Steve Minnikin) said a cap on licences should be considered.
He said the supply and demand for taxi drivers is determined by market forces. The issue should be considered by Palazouk government after the review, which is currently under way.
A spokesman for Uber said the company listened to drivers' feedback and supported them in helping them maximize their revenues.
"when the ride-sharing service arrived in Brisbane for the first time in 2014, no one could imagine how powerful an economic engine such a simple operation would be," Uber said in a statement.
"Uber does not set up shifts and does not require minimum working hours-people can log in or get off the line at the time and place of their choice, or they can serve other car-sharing apps completely free of charge. That's why thousands of people signed up with Uber.
"We want driver partners to succeed and we will try to share with them when and where the best driving time is to maximize their revenue."