Uber banned by NZTA

Staff told not to use the ride sharing service for anything work-related.

NZTA has banned its staff from using Uber during work time or claiming Uber rides on expenses. Staff at the Crown transport agency have been warned the service is flouting New Zealand’s laws and issued a set of work-related guidelines, show Official Information Act documents.

But some staff have been ignoring the ban — NZTA has financed 56 Uber trips, including one fare racked up weeks after staff were warned off Uber.

Instructions to staff on Uber include:

Agency credit cards and expenses must not be used to finance Uber trips.

Staff aren’t allowed to pay for Uber trips out of their own pocket either, with any work-related Uber travel banned completely.

The Uber app should not be downloaded on to any NZTA-issued or funded devices.

NZTA email address must not be used to set up an Uber account, even for personal use.

NZTA has been cracking down on Uber for operating outside the law.

Unlike regulations on taxis, Uber does not require drivers to hold a passenger or “P” endorsement, which includes a police check, a fit-and-proper person inspection and regular checks that the driver is able to provide a transport service.

Instead a lighter check is done based on Ministry of Justice criminal records and NZTA licence records.

However, the Government announced sweeping changes to legislation on April 21 — safety reforms proposing ride-sharing operators like Uber should be subject to the same regulations as taxis.

The next day, the NZTA pushed on with an in-house crackdown.

“App-based ride-sharing like Uber are not approved by the Transport Agency. However our people may not know that and may have been paying using Transport Agency credit cards and claiming expenses,” communications manager Barina Barrett wrote in an April 22 email.

NZTA operational policy manager Richard O’Reilly wrote, in another email, on April 28.

“The risk is real, we know of drivers ‘approved’ by Uber who have variously been found in the past to be medically unfit to drive, have assault charges awaiting court hearings and so on.”

Given the safety risk staff were not to use Uber, though they could “in their own time and with their own money,” he added.

A “travelling for work” policy was distributed on May 3, ordering staff to keep clear of Uber while on agency business. But 26 days later the NZTA was billed for a $48.30 Uber ride — the 56th payment across 10 staff since January 1, 2015, a total of $1968.20.

Uber insisted its service is safe and drivers are appropriately vetted.

“The safety of our riders and driver-partners is a top priority,” a spokesman said.

“We welcome the Government’s recent commitment to reduce compliance costs and simplify requirements for small passenger services in New Zealand, and look forward to working through the details.”

The Ministry of Transport said it has “no specific policy regarding staff use of Uber” and “there is no financial information to provide” in relation to employees using the service for work.