Community and political leaders are concerned that the removal of rideshare operating borders around the metropolitan area won’t benefit regional towns because a lack of incentive, marketing and local drivers.
Gumeracha resident and community advocate Joel Taggart told The Courier that despite the State Government expanding the rideshare boundary in 2023 to include the Hills, few drivers were servicing the region.
“I’ve never got (a rideshare vehicle) from Gumeracha because the app always just says there’s no vehicles available,” he said.
“That’s because (rideshare drivers) are not taking the jobs because it’s too far out their way.”
Mr Taggart said he believed without ongoing business to justify operating in the Hills, Adelaide-based drivers were opting to remain in the metropolitan areas where work was plentiful.
As such, he said, the only way to get ridesharing to operate in regional areas was to incentivise locals to register and drive for them.
“I think ridesharing in the regions only works when you get local people as drivers,” he said.
“I recently raised this with (Member for Schubert) Ashton Hurn and she is going to talk to Uber directly to try and incentivise locals to become drivers.”
Ms Hurn’s office was contacted but was unable to respond to questions before deadline.
Fellow Liberal party member and Member for Hammond Adrian Pederick said he believed more could be done to promote rideshare opportunities for local drivers in regional SA.
He said when services such as Uber “ramped up” coverage in regional areas, ridesharing could help forge more jobs and help mitigate transport issues between the regional areas.
“This gives the opportunity to local drivers to step up – whether it be full-time employment or those keen to make an extra dollar – because the biggest demand (for transport) is in the regions,” he said.
Mr Pederick said he believed the State Government should be more “proactive” in promoting these opportunities and do what it can to alleviate the current shortage of regional drivers.
Strathalbyn Gas Works owner and rideshare advocate Graham Dean said while it was up to private operators to promote their services, ridesharing as an option for tourists should be promoted via tourism marketing.
He said that he hoped council’s such as the Alexandrina Council would step up and publicise the demand for ridesharing in the regions when encouraging visitors to its attractions.
“Tourism is going to have to drive this and without assistance it just won’t grow,” he said.
A statement released by SA transport minister Tom Koutsantonis last month said he expected the changes to offer “better service (for) outer-urban and regional residents” while promoting tourism opportunities across the State.
“This is what operators have been calling for, and the onus is now on them to deliver,” he said.