Next time you take your seat in an Uber or Uber X, if you’re all fancy and that, maybe try Googling your driver’s name. He or she may just have been the manager of two of the biggest bands to come out of Ocean in the ’70s and ’80s.
As The Herald Sun reports, a former manager of legendary Antipodean rock groups Split Enz and Men At Work is now embroiled in a landmark legal battle that could make or break the revolutionary but controversial ride sharing service Uber.
Former music manager Nathan Brenner is one of 13 Uber drivers charged by the Taxi Services Commission with operating a commercial passenger vehicle without a license after being caught in a sting operation last August.
Obviously concerned that a potential prosecution could end the company’s ability to operate in the lucrative Australian market, where the service is becoming increasingly popular, Uber has drafted a high-power law firm to defend the accused drivers.
Brenner, a Caulfield North native, is the first Uber driver to be brought before a Victorian court and the case was meant to proceed today. However, magistrate Julian Ayres adjourned the case for a week.
According to The Herald Sun, defence barrister Peter Haag argued the charge laid against Mr Brenner was defective and did not reflect “an offence known to the law”. The case will be recalled on 20th July, giving the Taxi Services Commission more time to consider their legal position.
Uber is a California-based ride sharing company that allows drivers to take passenger bookings in their personal vehicles. However, the service has attracted criticism from the taxi driving community for taking away their business, even leading to violence and riots, such as those in Paris last month.
